The 2026 NFL Draft takes place in Pittsburgh this year and promises to be a wild one. Something that has stuck out about this year's NFL Draft is really the overall lack of top-end talent. Because of this unfortunate truth, teams might end up being more aggressive in free agency in trying to round-out their roster.
We could also see more aggressive trades being made as well, which is always a fun time if you're a fan of the NFL in general. In recent years, we have seen major trades going down during the NFL Draft. The most notable one in recent memory may have been AJ Brown being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2022 NFL Draft.
Well, we've taken a similar angle here and have looked at three big-name players who could get traded during Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft.
These three big-name players could get traded during Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft
AJ Brown
AJ Brown was actually traded during the 2022 NFL Draft four years ago. Could he have the same fate in 2026? It's possible. Brown seems to be unhappy at best on the Philadelphia Eagles, as he's not produced at the level he's capable of, and the Eagles' starting QB, Jalen Hurts, has never been a high-end passer, so any wide receiver would be a bit limited in Brown's situation.
It's not a guarantee that AJ Brown would be able to fetch a first-round pick, but he could get dealt during Round 1 for a first-round pick if the Eagles were to include additional NFL Draft capital in the deal. A team like the New England Patriots would make a lot of sense, as Brown would reunite with Mike Vrabel, who he overlapped with for a few years in Tennessee.
Jaylen Waddle
One team that had legitimate, reported interest in Jaylen Waddle during the 2025 NFL Season was the Denver Broncos, but the Broncos clearly did not want to pay the full price for Waddle and what he brings to the table. Well, this coming offseason is going to put Denver in a more urgent spot, as the offense is in desperate need of a legitimate WR1 and another reliable weapon for Bo Nix in the passing game.
The Dolphins may also be willing to decrease their demands for Waddle if they are set on wanting to acquire NFL Draft capital to build for the future under a brand-new regime. The Broncos own pick 30 in the 2026 NFL Draft, and that may honestly be a perfect amount of compensation for Waddle. The speedy receiver has 5,039 yards across his first five seasons in the NFL and had a career-high 1,356 yards back in 2022.
Maxx Crosby
Maxx Crosby is one of the premier pass-rushers in the NFL and also happens to have a very, very tradeable contract. Crosby is still a great enough player to likely fetch more than a first-round pick in a deal, and a team like the Chicago Bears would honestly make a lot of sense for Crosby. The Bears were a bit soft up the middle of the defense in 2025 and also need another pass-rusher.
Crosby plays with a motor that few other people in recent NFL history have, and he's racked up 69.5 sacks in seven years in the NFL. He gets to the quarterback at a high level, plays one of the most important positions in sports, and could fetch the Las Vegas Raiders a first-round pick and some in a deal during Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft.