- The Jets still have work to do at quarterback: Veteran Geno Smith may end up winning the team's starting quarterback job, but it remains to be seen if New York will target his successor early in the 2026 NFL Draft.
- After Kenneth Walker III's departure, Seattle is set to lean on George Holani: Holani played a key role for the team down the stretch in 2025, but the Seahawks' front office may target the position early in the draft, which could have a significant impact on Holani’s 2026 outlook and role with the team.
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We are now less than a month away from the 2026 NFL Draft. This year's event has the potential to be one of the most unpredictable in recent memory, which ultimately adds to the excitement.
While most of draft season is spent talking about potential prospect fits with teams, current NFL players are often overlooked. Here we’ll look at three NFL players who have the most to lose or gain in the draft, depending on whom their teams target (particularly in the early rounds).
G Jonah Savaiinaea, Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins traded up in the second round of last year's draft to select guard Jonah Savaiinaea with the 37th overall pick, a move at the time they thought would help shore up a major roster weakness. But Savaiinaea struggled mightily as a rookie, posting the lowest PFF overall grade (28.4) for any qualifying offensive lineman in the league.
No guard allowed more sacks (eight) or total pressures (45) than Savaiinaea in 2025. Typically, it would be fair to expect a second-round player to be given every opportunity to bounce back in their sophomore season, but Savaiinaea will have to contend with the fact that the team hired a new coach and general manager this season with no prior attachments to the player.
Currently holding seven of the first 100 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Dolphins should address the guard position at some point on the first two days of the draft. While Savaiinaea may enter the 2026 season as a starter, he is certainly going to compete for the spot and must earn it over the next few months.
RB George Holani, Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks let Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III leave via free agency to the Kansas City Chiefs, who signed him to a three-year, $43.05 million contract on the first day of free agency. Walker was PFF’s highest-graded running back this past season (91.4), forcing 77 missed tackles when including the playoffs (second most in the NFL, behind Bijan Robinson).
Walker was one half of the league’s top running back duo with Zach Charbonnet, who also ranked among the top five backs in PFF overall grade (85.9). Unfortunately, Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL in the Seahawks' NFC divisional-round win against the San Francisco 49ers, an injury that is expected to keep him out for most, if not all, of the 2026 season.
2024 undrafted free agent George Holani was the next man up and played a key role down the stretch, with 47 snaps in the conference championship and Super Bowl games. Seattle will have to address the running back unit, but it remains to be seen how early in the draft the front office will target the position, which could have a significant impact on Holani’s 2026 outlook and role with the team.
QB Geno Smith, New York Jets
The Jets acquired Smith and a 2026 seventh-round pick from the Raiders in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick, reuniting him with the team that picked him in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Smith struggled this past season with Las Vegas, ranking 34th out of 38 qualifying quarterbacks in PFF overall grade (60.9), but is just one year removed from a top-10 season in which he posted a career-high 83.1 PFF overall grade with the Seahawks.
The 35-year-old Smith currently sits atop the Jets’ quarterback depth chart, but that could change depending on what the team does in the draft. Although New York is in a prime spot to draft a signal-caller at No. 2 overall, the class lacks star power at quarterback beyond presumed No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza. With that said, they’ll be back on the board at 16th overall, which could be an ideal position to select Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson.
Should the Jets wait until the later rounds to draft a quarterback, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, Penn State’s Drew Allar and Miami’s Carson Beck could all be intriguing options. At the very least, Smith will have an opportunity to earn the starting role in camp in what could be his final shot at a starting quarterback job in the NFL.
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