Since the blockbuster Dexter Lawrence trade, the New York Jets have been increasingly viewed as a candidate to trade up in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft.

The Jets are believed to be targeting a wide receiver with the 16th overall pick, their second of two first-round choices (after the No. 2 pick). However, with the New York Giants taking the 10th overall pick from the Cincinnati Bengals, there is a new WR-needy team between the second and 16th picks that was not there before, decreasing the odds of the Jets landing a preferred wideout at No. 16.

It could potentially push the Jets to consider a trade-up move to secure one of their highest-rated receiver prospects.

Here are three trade-up packages the Jets could consider.

Cleveland Browns (No. 6)

The run on receivers is expected to begin at No. 6 with the Cleveland Browns. According to the consensus mock draft, Cleveland is expected to take the first wide receiver off the board, Ohio State’s Carnell Tate, with 42% of mock drafts pegging Tate in the No. 6 slot.

But if the Browns could be convinced to move out of the slot, the Jets could beat everyone to the punch and snag the consensus WR1 in Tate.

According to the classic trade value chart, the sixth pick is worth 1,600 points, while the 16th pick is worth 1,000. The Jets can just about make up that gap with the 33rd overall pick (580 points). Perhaps an extra Day 3 pick could be thrown in to level the playing field, but the gist would be for New York to give up the first pick of the second round to move up 10 spots in the first round and select Tate.

This would be contingent on the Jets’ valuation of Tate. If they have him graded significantly higher than any other receiver in the class, it would be a worthwhile move. They would address a premium position of major need with a prospect they deem much better than the alternative they would otherwise land if they did not trade up. That’s worth the price of the 33rd pick.

But if the Jets have Tate and a few other receivers graded similarly in the top tier, it might be a better idea to aim for a lower draft slot to trade into.

Washington Commanders (No. 7)

According to reports, the Washington Commanders “badly” want to trade down from the seventh pick.

Let’s say that Tate goes to the Browns at No. 6 as the first receiver off the board. Then, by trading into the Commanders’ No. 7 slot, the Jets could have their pick of any other receiver in the class.

As we alluded to in the previous section, if the Jets have Tate bunched up with at least one other receiver prospect, or even have another receiver graded higher than Tate, then it would make sense to aim lower than Cleveland’s pick to save some draft capital. Here, the Jets could still land someone like USC’s Makai Lemon or Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson.

Just by trading up to No. 7 instead of No. 6, the Jets might be able to get away with giving up their No. 44 pick in the second round instead of the No. 33 pick.

The No. 6 pick is worth 1,500 points, meaning the Jets would be expected to give up around 500 points in addition to the No. 16 pick (1,000 points). The No. 44 pick isn’t far off on its own, carrying a 460-point valuation. The Jets’ No. 136 pick (36 points) could just about make up the rest.

Dallas Cowboys (No. 12)

Let’s say the Jets have the same receiver board as the consensus. In that case, they would have Tate, Lemon, and Tyson in the top tier, with no other prospect being rated quite highly enough to justify the No. 16 pick.

If the Jets simply want to ensure they land one of these three players (with no particular preference), the bar to clear seems to be the Los Angeles Rams at No. 13. Currently, the consensus mock draft has Tate to the Browns at No. 6, Tyson to the Giants at No. 10, and Lemon to the Rams at No. 13.

By trading up four spots into the Dallas Cowboys’ No. 12 position, the Jets should be able to pluck the last remaining player from the consensus top-three. Most likely, it would be either Lemon or Tyson.

Jumping from No. 16 (1,000 points) to No. 12 (1,200 points) costs about 200 points on the classic trade chart. That is similar to a mid-third-round pick, but the Jets do not have a third-round pick this year. So, they would probably have to give up their 2027 third-rounder in addition to a fourth-round pick this year to convince Dallas to move down.

But if the Jets truly do view Tate, Lemon, and Tyson as the only three receivers worthy of a top-16 pick, it would be a coup to move up and secure one of them without giving up a second-rounder to do so. Even with this aggressive trade-up, the Jets would still be on track to make eight picks in the first two rounds of the next two drafts.