The New York Jets will be looking for their next franchise quarterback in the 2026 NFL draft, but they are not in an ideal position in the current draft order when it comes to landing the best prospect at the position.
Entering Week 15, the Jets are boast a 3-10 record, which, thanks to the strength of schedule tie-breaker, has them sitting in the No. 7 spot in the draft order, according to Tankathon.
Two teams that are ahead of the Jets and could be looking to draft a quarterback are the Las Vegas Raiders (No. 2) and Cleveland Browns (No. 4), so there are two roadblocks to landing whoever emerges as the top quarterback prospect.
With the Jets possibly needing to jump both teams, Gang Green should have its eye on the New York Giants, the team sitting in the top spot in the draft order.
Big Blue doesn't need a quarterback thanks to the emergence of Jaxson Dart, which makes the Giants a clear candidate to trade back.
While it remains to be seen if the Giants will be willing to help the Jets, ESPN's Field Yates predicts that will indeed happen in his latest mock draft.
Yates has the Jets trading up to No. 1 with the Giants, where they select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with that pick. Then, at No. 7, the Giants draft Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson.
The deal Yates proposes involves the Jets sending both of their 2026 first-round pick and a Day 2 pick to the Giants in order to move up.
Here's what Yates said about the Jets moving up and drafting Mendoza:
Mendoza has had a remarkable season at Indiana, showing off excellent accuracy and a powerful right arm to pair with much improved pocket awareness and sack avoidance after two seasons at Cal. He leads the FBS with 33 passing touchdowns this season and just handled an extremely tough test against Ohio State, leading Indiana to its first Big Ten Championship since 1967. The Jets are currently 27th in QBR (40.5), needing a long-term answer for coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey to cement themselves within the organization.
In the midst of yet another impressive season, Mendoza figures to be the first signal-caller off the board in 2026.
Drafting Mendoza would give the Jets the possible long-term solution the team needs after the Justin Fields experiment failed miserably.
As for the Giants, not only would they land a much-needed wide receiver for Dart, they would also add to their stable of picks with such a trade, which would greatly assist New York in its rebuild.
We've seen the Jets and Giants make a big trade before (the Jets sent Leonard Williams to the Giants in 2019), so don't be surprised to see this happen.
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