5. New York Jets: LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina
Biggest need for 2026: Long-term QB situation, wide receiver
The New York Jets have a new general manager in place with Darren Mougey coming over from the Denver Broncos. They believe former Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn can be the man to lead them as their next head coach.
Ultimately, this could be a tough year of grinding for the New York Jets, who have a lot of talent on the roster, but an unstable quarterback situation with a risk-reward proposition in Justin Fields taking the snaps this season.
If Fields can’t prove to be a long-term option at the position, that obviously becomes the team’s biggest need going forward. There’s really nobody worth taking here (at this point in time) at receiver, but the Jets are supposedly going to have Josh Reynolds playing a WR2 role this year.
Not great.
6. Carolina Panthers: Rueben Bain, EDGE, Miami
Biggest need for 2026: Defense
There is really no reason to discriminate when it comes to the Carolina Panthers’ defensive needs for the 2026 offseason. This team was the worst in the NFL defensively last year, and it’s hard to see how they’re going to be much better with the personnel they added in 2025.
The Panthers tried and failed to acquire Milton Williams in free agency, and they went with another receiver at the top of the 2025 NFL Draft instead of going after an edge rusher. With how important Bryce Young’s development is, I can’t really fault them for that.
But the time to go after premium talent defensively has come. The Panthers have to take whoever ends up being the best EDGE guy or defensive lineman or just defensive player, in general, on their board.