Jets trade up to No. 1 to select franchise QB in ESPN mock draft

ESPN's Matt Miller has constructed a new NFL mock draft based on league standings through 11 weeks, and he predicts that the New York Jets will make the draft's biggest splash.

Miller projects a trade between the Jets and Tennessee Titans that would put the Jets at the top of the draft, a position where they can have their choosing of the best quarterback in the class:

Since the Titans used their 2025 No. 1 pick on quarterback Cam Ward, they could be persuaded to move down and accumulate draft capital to build around their young QB. In this deal, the Jets would send both of their first-round picks (Nos. 4 and 28) and their 2027 second-round pick to the Titans for the top selection.

After numerous moves, most notably the deadline trades of defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and cornerback Sauce Gardner, the Jets currently have 11 picks in the 2026 draft, including two first-round picks and two second-round picks. They also have nine picks in 2027, including three first-rounders.

So, the Jets could make the deal mentioned by Miller above and still have nine picks this year and eight next year.

But, who would the Jets trade up for in hopes of turning the franchise around? Miller explains why Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza is the right choice for New York:

Jets general manager Darren Mougey didn't load up on draft capital by trading away Gardner and Williams to watch teams pick quarterbacks ahead of him. So I had the Jets aggressively move up for Mendoza, a pocket passer with great touch and timing who can carve up a defense with surgical accuracy while providing enough mobility to execute on the move.

Mendoza might not be in Caleb Williams' class in terms of top QB prospects over the past five years, but he's the best in this class and the Jets have to take swing at the position. Justin Fields was just benched, and Tyrod Taylor isn't the long-term answer. Mendoza's 30 touchdown passes to five interceptions shows how careful he is with the football.

The deal makes sense for the Jets due to their massive accumulation of draft picks, but it also makes sense from a team-building standpoint.

Trading away a couple of young, star defenders like Gardner and Williams will obviously hurt the defense, but the organization has faith in head coach Aaron Glenn to get that side of the ball figured out.

On offense, there is a question mark as to what happens with running back Breece Hall in free agency, but the Jets will return a handful of promising young players regardless. With Garrett Wilson and Mason Taylor as pass catchers and Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou at offensive tackle, the Jets are on their way towards setting up a rookie quarterback for long-term success.

Mendoza is currently the betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy as he leads the nation with 30 touchdown passes despite sitting out the fourth quarter in many of Indiana's big wins. He is second in the nation in passer rating (129.6), only trailing Ohio State's Julian Sayin (129.8), and he's also added 216 yards on the ground and five rushing scores.

The Jets may have failed in their previous attempts to find a franchise quarterback, but Mendoza seems to have all the tools. And, in an AFC East division that contains the likes of Josh Allen and Drake Maye, the Jets will need to keep trying to find the answer if they want to catch up.

This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: Jets trade up to No. 1 to select franchise QB in ESPN mock draft