Pelissero's Draft Trade-Up Candidates

NFL insider Tom Pelissero walked through which teams have the ammunition and the motivation to move up in the 2026 NFL Draft, and the answer came down to how much stock teams put in the 2027 class.

Pelissero's framing up front was important. The 2027 draft is regarded highly for both quarterbacks and players in general, which means teams are going to be reluctant to trade 2027 first-round picks. That leaves the teams with two first-round picks in this year's draft as the most likely movers.

Kansas City leads the list. The Chiefs have two firsts thanks to the Trent McDuffie trade. Pelissero sees them as aggressive candidates if they want a specific pass rusher. Only two or three edge players are likely to go high in this class, David Bailey, Ruben Bain, and Arvell Reese depending on how teams view him. After that, the class gets deep in the middle rounds but thin at the top. If Kansas City wants one of the top three edge rushers, they're going to have to climb.

Cleveland surfaced as the wild card. The Browns have needs everywhere. Last year they traded back because the value broke right for them, Jacksonville gave up a package to go get Travis Hunter. This year the calculus could flip. A 2027 quarterback pick depends on what they see from Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders in 2026, which means they have flexibility to be aggressive in 2025.

The Jets have a top-of-first-round pick at number two, so there's nowhere for them to go up. Getting Fernando Mendoza would require prying several Raiders organizational members off the wall. With three firsts in 2027 and a potential quarterback need, Pelissero doesn't see the Jets spending that kind of ammo this spring.

The Cowboys are the team everyone wanted to hear about. Dallas was in on the Max Crosby trade conversations and wasn't willing to give up both of their first-round picks at that point, but the door isn't closed. A pass rusher would make sense. Jerry Jones has a history of aggression, so a veteran trade also can't be ruled out. Picks 12 and 20 give Dallas flexibility, but not enough to crack into the top three of this draft per any value chart.

The Sunny Styles question was live. The Ohio State linebacker tested as a freak athlete, and he's the kind of prospect who forces a reconsideration of how high you can take a pure linebacker. Pelissero didn't see 12 and 20 getting Dallas up to number two, but he acknowledged Styles might be the guy who rewrites positional value on draft night.

The takeaway: teams with multiple firsts and a shorter list of blue-chip players at the top raise the likelihood of a bold move. The uncertainty at pick two is the governor on everything else.