How many trades will take place during the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft? During a press conference last week, Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said, “There’ll probably be a lot of trades.” Others do not believe the same, as it looks like there are more teams wanting to trade down than teams that desire to move up for a player.

There’s recent talk that the New York Jets want to trade the second selection of the draft and move down. Sources tell me that, while the team will dangle the pick, it will take a big package of selections to get them to move from the draft’s second choice. Much of the trading depends on who the Jets select and the players available starting at pick No. 3.

Almost everyone from the league that I spoke with on Monday told me that the word is the Jets will use the second pick of the draft on Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey, which means many of the teams selecting immediately behind them will move to contingency plans. Assuming the Jets take Bailey, he’s what I’m hearing on the teams that want to trade down or move up in the first round.

1) Arizona Cardinals/pick No. 3: The Cardinals, specifically general manager Monti Ossenfort, want David Bailey. If he’s not available, Arizona will work hard to move the pick. They could potentially move the selection before the draft even begins. If Bailey is unavailable and they can’t move the pick, I’m told it’s unlikely they select Arvell Reese, as they view him as a hybrid defender versus a pure edge rusher, and the Cardinals have bombed on hybrid selections in the past.

2) Cleveland Browns/pick No. 6: Two weeks ago, I mentioned that the Browns wanted to move down a few slots from the sixth pick of the draft to take an offensive tackle or a receiver. The question for the Browns is how far they would be willing to move down, as there were rumors that the Dallas Cowboys hoped to move up for linebacker Sonny Styles. I’m told the Browns, as of now, would have no problem moving out of the top 10 if the right offer is put in front of them.

3) Kansas City Chiefs/pick No. 9: The Chiefs do want a pass rusher. The likely trade partner would be the Arizona Cardinals at pick No. 3, if the pass rusher they like is available.

4) Dallas Cowboys/pick No. 12: If Styles and/or Reese fall out of the initial five selections, and right now it looks like that could happen, the Cowboys will work hard to move up for the ability to draft whoever is left.

5) Houston Texans/pick No. 28: The Texans moved out of Round 1 in 2025 and are open to doing the same this year if one of the highly rated players on their board is unavailable. They want a center who can also play guard, and that will not be an option at the 28th pick. They also want a defensive tackle, and it’s unlikely Kayden McDonald is available when they are called on the clock. There are differing opinions on how much the team even likes the Ohio State junior. I’m told the team is targeting Jake Slaughter of Florida to fill the former role and Dom Orange of Iowa State for the latter position on Day 2.

6) Kansas City Chiefs/pick No. 29: This is the pick the Chiefs received from the Los Angeles Rams in return for Trent McDuffie. Multiple people tell me they will look to move back from this spot, yet this pick could be part of a package if the team vaults up the draft board from the ninth selection.

7) Seattle Seahawks/pick No. 32: Seattle is always rumored to be in the trade-down market, yet with only four picks in this year’s draft, they are actively looking for a buyer.

8) Jacksonville Jaguars/pick No. 56: The Jaguars don’t have a first-round pick this year, a result of the trade-up in 2025 to acquire Travis Hunter. They do own picks 81, 88, and 100, all in the third round, to use as ammunition to move a little closer to the front. I’m told that if running back Jadarian Price starts to slip in Round 2, the Jaguars will attempt to package picks and make a move to draft the Notre Dame junior. Otherwise, they’ll use one of those third-round selections on a running back, possibly Emmett Johnson of Nebraska, who they like.

After speaking with people, it seems as though there will be plenty of opportunity for the Arizona Cardinals, or any other team interested in Ty Simpson, to move back into the bottom half of Round 1 and draft the Alabama quarterback.