ESPN NFL draft analyst Matt Miller has a projected trade for Tennessee Titans fans to consider.
Were the 2025 NFL season to end today, the Titans (1-9) would own the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. After already using the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft to select QB Cam Ward, the Titans would be in position to trade that pick to a desperate, more QB-needy team to add a haul of picks if they so chose. That’s exactly what Miller has doing in his most recent mock draft, with the Titans sending the No. 1 pick to the New York Jets in exchange for the Jets’ two first-round picks in 2026 (No. 4 and No. 28), as well as a second-round pick in 2027.
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The Jets used the No. 1 pick to select Indiana QB and Heisman Trophy front-runner Fernando Mendoza. The Titans, in return, selected Arizona State WR Jordyn Tyson at No. 4 and Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood at No. 28. On Tyson, Miller writes he’s the «big play deep threat» the Titans offense is missing, and on Hood, Miller writes he’s one of the nation’s «most balanced coverage players.»
The Titans would then pick again at No. 33, the top of the second round, with the opportunity to add another fringe first-round talent at a position of need such as edge rusher, running back or offensive line.
Recent trades for No. 1 overall picks have returned bigger hauls than this projected trade. In 2023, the Chicago Bears received two first-round picks, two second-round picks and 1,000-yard receiver D.J. Moore. In 2016, the Titans traded the No. 1 pick and two Day 3 picks to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for two first-round picks, two second-round picks and two third-round picks.
But in those scenarios, the team trading down from No. 1 moved down to No. 9 and No. 15 in the first round. In this scenario, the Titans would only be going down to No. 4. The closest modern comparison to a move like this would be the 2001 trade between San Diego and Atlanta. The Chargers moved down from No. 1 to No. 5, additionally receiving a second-round pick, a third-round pick and a depth piece at receiver.
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The 2026 NFL Draft is a long way’s away, set to begin on April 23, 2026. The Titans have a one-game lead atop the draft board, but five other teams have just two wins, and the Titans have to play two of them before this season ends. Miller only projects three quarterbacks to be picked in the first round in this mock draft, a figure below the number of teams that could be in the market for a new signal caller. In addition to the Jets, that list could include: Cleveland, New Orleans, Las Vegas, Arizona, Miami, Carolina and Pittsburgh.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: ESPN NFL mock draft projects Titans trading back in 2026. Would you take it?
