Should Jets deal with top-10 team that ‘badly’ wants to trade down?

The NFL draft is just four days away, and we’re starting to hear some rumors that may be a little more concrete than those that filled up the past few weeks.

The latest fascinating rumor involves a team in the top 10; and, no, it isn’t the New York Jets—but should they throw their hat into the ring?

According to NFL draft reporter Charlie Campbell of Walter Football, the Washington Commanders “badly” want to trade down from the seventh overall pick.

It opens up a window of opportunity that the Jets would be wise to consider.

Should the Jets trade for the Commanders’ 7th overall pick?

Let’s put it like it is: The Jets desperately need a wide receiver with the 16th overall pick.

With a depth chart that would feature Adonai Mitchell (2 receiving TDs in 33 career games) and Isaiah Williams (0 receiving TDs in 23 career games) as starters if New York played a game today, the Jets are unable to field a serious NFL offense as currently constructed.

Without an elite quarterback under center, the passing attack simply won’t function at a competent level if Garrett Wilson is the only respectable threat on the outside. Opponents can game-plan around stopping Wilson without being punished for doing so.

Any targets funneled to the Jets’ other receivers are likely to yield horrid results. For their careers, Mitchell and Williams have combined to generate a 59.2 passer rating when targeted, which, for perspective, is six points worse than JaMarcus Russell’s career rating.

As long as opponents bracket Wilson and funnel targets elsewhere, the Jets’ offense isn’t going to score touchdowns. Simple as that.

But with two first-round picks in this year’s draft, which features an enticing group of receivers at the top of the class, the Jets have a chance to right the ship next weekend.

New York is unlikely to select a wide receiver second overall; that choice will be used on a defender, either Arvell Reese or David Bailey. As things stand, they are hoping to see one of the consensus top-three wideouts—Ohio State’s Carnell Tate, USC’s Makai Lemon, or Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson—drop to their second first-round pick at No. 16.

That has always seemed like a daunting strategy. Now, things are looking even bleaker.

After the Cincinnati Bengals traded the 10th overall pick to the New York Giants for Dexter Lawrence, there is yet another team between the second and 16th picks who will be in the market for a receiver. The Giants join the Browns (No. 6), Dolphins (No. 11), Rams (No. 13), and Ravens (No. 15) among the teams that are believed to have a solid chance of selecting a wide receiver.

While it is unlikely that all five of those teams draft a receiver, there is a good chance that at least three of the five will, which means it is a pipe dream to think that at least one of Tate, Lemon, or Tyson will be available at No. 16.

That would force the Jets to reach for a receiver like Indiana’s Omar Cooper (who had putrid numbers against legitimate opponents in 2025) or Washington’s Denzel Boston (who was concerningly reliant on contested catches in college). Or, they could select a defensive player and punt their pursuit of a wide receiver to the second round. It wouldn’t be a death sentence for the Jets’ offense, but it would put immense pressure on a prospect who wasn’t good enough to be picked in the top 32.

Simply put, if the Jets want a realistic chance of fielding a respectable offense in 2026, they have to land a first-round receiver. Their offense may retain a slim chance of being respectable if they draft a receiver in the second round, but to be taken remotely seriously, that first-round wideout is a must.

The only way to ensure they can get him is to trade up.

Washington’s No. 7 pick could be the perfect slot.

At No. 7, the Jets may have a chance to draft the first receiver off the board, depending on how the top six goes. According to the current consensus mock draft, only one wide receiver is projected to be selected in the top six: Tate, who goes to the Browns at No. 6 in 46% of mock drafts.

There is a realistic world where Tate slips to No. 7, allowing the Jets to move up and grab the consensus WR1. Even if Tate is gone, though, the Jets should at least be able to secure one of Lemon and Tyson. In the consensus mock draft, neither is expected to go off the board until the Giants grab Tyson at No. 10. Lemon is pegged to the Rams at No. 13.

It is an appealing scenario for a team as desperate for a receiver as the Jets.

Moving up from No. 16 to No. 7 won’t come without a hefty cost, of course. Armed with seven picks in the top two rounds of the next two drafts, though, the Jets have enough capital to make the trade and still be left with plenty of assets to fill out their rebuilding roster.

According to the classic trade chart, the No. 7 pick is worth 1,500 points, while the No. 16 pick is worth 1,000 points. The Jets can just about make up the 500-point gap with a package featuring their No. 44 pick in the second round (460 points) and their No. 140 pick in the fourth round (36 points). This could be enough to entice the Commanders, who lack a second-round pick and are primarily focused on getting back into the round.

Could the burgundy-and-gold possess the keys to New York’s most sorely-needed non-quarterback piece on offense?