• Kenneth Walker III’s landing spot will be important: If he lands with one of the running back-needy teams picking early in the draft, it could significantly change where RB1 Jeremiyah Love goes off the board.

• Maxx Corsby could be the biggest domino of them all: He isn’t a free agent, but if he ends up being traded before the draft, it would reset several teams’ first-round draft strategies.

• 2026 NFL Draft season is here: Try the best-in-class PFF Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2026’s top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.

Free agency plays an important role in shaping every NFL team’s roster and heavily contributes to its regular-season fate. It also narrows down draft needs.

With the legal tampering period less than a week away, we’ll identify a handful of players who could change the outcome of the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, depending on their eventual landing spot.

QB Malik Willis

Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis could garner the largest contract of any free-agent quarterback this offseason. He did a nice job in limited work for Green Bay over the past two years, culminating in an incredible start this past season against the Ravens, for which he earned a 95.6 PFF game grade.

Teams such as the Cardinals and Dolphins will likely be in contention for Willis’ services. Whoever loses that battle could look toward someone like Alabama’s Ty Simpson in this year’s draft to solve their quarterback problem.

LB Devin Lloyd

Lloyd’s 88.4 PFF overall grade in 2025 ranked third among qualified linebackers, which puts him in line for a monster contract. Several teams, including the Panthers, Bengals and Cowboys, have a desperate need for a playmaker like Lloyd. However, the linebacker group in this year’s draft is perhaps the best we’ve seen in several years.

Considering the depth of all of the defensive position groups in this draft class, any one of the above-mentioned teams could sign Lloyd and change the direction of their first-round picks toward the defensive line or secondary.

CB Jamel Dean

Few cornerbacks have been as consistent as Tampa Bay’s Jamel Dean. He ranked 13th among qualified cornerbacks with a 75.9 PFF coverage grade in 2025 and has earned at least a 72.5 PFF coverage grade in each of his seven NFL seasons.

Several cornerback-needy contenders, such as the Eagles, Steelers, Cowboys and Rams, might be in contention for Dean’s services, which could drastically change the fate of potential first-rounders Mansoor Delane, Avieon Terrell and Jermod McCoy.

RB Kenneth Walker III

While the Seahawks should certainly want to come to a long-term resolution with Walker, it appears that they will not use the franchise tag on him. He could thus hit the open market as the premier option at his position after earning a league-high 91.5 PFF rushing grade and being named Super Bowl MVP this past season.

Perhaps a team with an early first-round pick, such as the Chiefs or Giants, would be interested in his services, which could change the fate of Jeremiyah Love, the top running back in the draft class. A contender like the Broncos or Jaguars could also enter that mix, given their needs at the position.

EDGE Maxx Crosby*

*Crosby isn’t a free agent, but trade rumors are swirling around the Raiders‘ star edge defender. He could end up being the best player on the move this offseason, having racked up 386 quarterback pressures over the past five seasons — the fifth most in the NFL.

Not only would he change the complexion of any defense, but the asking price for him is also likely monumental, possibly in the range of at least two first-round picks. That’s a similar haul to what the Cowboys received from the Packers for Micah Parsons and would certainly give the Raiders the ability to add younger defensive pieces in this draft and beyond. In short, a Crosby trade would reset every analyst’s previous mock draft approach.