Jets Projected to Snag ‘Immediate Starter' With Draft-Day Trade

The 2026 NFL draft is almost here, and it’s an exciting time in the offseason. For the New York Jets, it’s yet another opportunity to try to make this rebuild happen, as second-year head coach Aaron Glenn and company try to draft their players of the future.

The draft is scheduled for April 23 through 25 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Now, one NFL analyst is predicting that the Jets will make a draft-day trade and shake things up. I’ve been reporting on Glenn long enough to know that this is exactly the kind of move he would make, too.

In a Sunday, April 19 piece for USA Today, Nate Davis offers his take on the upcoming draft and which players each of the 32 NFL teams will take. His tally arrives after the blockbuster Giants and Bengals trade over the weekend, as well.

“Five days before it was set to start, the draft’s outlook was drastically altered again – the New York Giants agreeing to trade Pro Bowl DL Dexter Lawrence II to the Cincinnati Bengals for the No. 10 overall selection,” he states, “meaning the G-Men now own a pair of picks in the top 10.”

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For the Jets, Davis has them trading with the Colts to get the No. 16 pick and take offensive lineman Spencer Fano out of Utah.

“With the pick obtained in last year’s trade of CB Sauce Gardner, New York must continue to build an infrastructure and talent base with which to surround its next potential franchise quarterback – who probably won't arrive before 2027,” he states in the piece. “Fano might optimally fill the bill – especially in a scenario where a lot of the top wideouts are off the board, and the Jets can easily find second-tier options with their multiple Round 2 selections.”

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I have to agree that Fano is a good fit for the Jets. He’s played both tackle positions but has been on the right side for the past two seasons. So, he’s flexible but also has expertise on the right. He’s also hit the ground running and has the experience to be a starter right away with the Jets, something the franchise needs. Davis even calls him an “immediate starter.” So, this pick gets an A+ from this reporter.

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This story was originally published April 19, 2026 at 4:45 PM.