Potential Draft Day Trade Partners for Miami

The big game has not even been played. Free agency is still a month away. Yet, there’s been so much to talk about across the NFL that doesn’t include New England or Philadelphia. So why not explore some possible draft day trade partners for Miami.

With the verbal agreement between the Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Redskins that will see Alex Smith in a Redskins uniform next season, things are already picking up in the NFL off-season. It’s crazy to see a trade of this magnitude go down even before the Super Bowl, but it could be a prelude to a crazy off-season across the league.

It may not look like it at first glance, but this trade could play a major factor for the Miami Dolphins come draft time. The trade all but makes it official that Kirk Cousins is out of Washington. There’s a strong likelihood that he will sign with one of the teams picking ahead of the Dolphins in the 2018 NFL Draft. Should that hold true, it would mean one less team out of the quarterback market before the Dolphins pick at number 11.

This draft has been pegged as a deep one as far as quarterbacks go. More deep than last season, and we saw how hungry teams were to get up and grab one then. The Chiefs were one of those teams when they traded up to draft Patrick Mahomes. That move allowed them to part ways with Smith now.

The Dolphins have been heavily involved in talks of acquiring a quarterback this season, whether through the draft or in free agency. It could just be a smokescreen, but we’ll likely never know until the Dolphins are on the clock. Either way, if Cousins does sign with a team such as the Broncos or the Jets, it would likely result in a highly rated quarterback there for the taking for Miami at 11. Even if the Dolphins are not interested in taking a quarterback that high, it would leave them a lot of options, including trading out of the 11 spot.

We’ll take a look at some draft day trade possibilities for the Dolphins, including scenarios where they could trade up. The 2018 NFL Draft trade value chart is courtesy of Drafttek.

Scenario #1: Trade up with Denver

Miami Receives:

1st Round (5th overall)

5th Round (133rd overall)

Denver Receives:

1st Round (11th overall)

2nd Round (42nd overall)

I’m not normally a fan of the idea of Miami trading up in the first round, particularly into the top 5. The last time they did that it resulted in, arguably, the team’s biggest draft day bust in history. In this scenario, however, they still keep the same number of picks, despite losing their 2nd rounder.

There could be a quarterback out there that Miami believes is too good to pass up. With both Josh Rosen and Sam Darnold expected to go within the top four, one would assume that they had fallen in love with either Baker Mayfield or Josh Allen by this time. If Denver signs Cousins ahead of the draft, they would no longer be in the running for a quarterback, and the Dolphins may want to jump a spot ahead of the division-rival Jets to snag whoever that may be.

Scenario #2: Trade up with Tampa Bay

Miami Receives:

1st Round (7th overall)

Tampa Bay Receives:

1st Round (11th overall)

3rd Round (73rd overall)

6th Round (169th overall)

If this trade proposal looks worse than the one with Denver, that’s because it is. But that really is the difference between the 5th pick and the 7th. Should Miami be interested in making a trade with Tampa, it likely would not be to draft a quarterback. The teams picking between Tampa and Miami (Chicago, Oakland, and San Francisco) are not expected to be in the market for a quarterback. The Dolphins could use this pick, however, to take a highly coveted defensive player like Roquan Smith or Minkah Fitzpatrick. Both players are expected to be of high interest to any of the three teams ahead of Miami, making sense of the trade.

Scenario #3: Trade back with Arizona

Miami Receives:

1st Round (15th overall)

3rd Round (79th overall)

Arizona Receives:

1st Round (11th overall)

This is the type of move that would likely make Dolphins fans more happy seeing as how we tend to look for ways for the team to move back, and pick up additional picks. With the retirement of Carson Palmer, the Cardinals should be in the market for a quarterback. This trade makes sense for both teams as Arizona could get their guy of the future. In turn, Miami moves back just a few spots, still grabbing a player high on their board, and picking up an additional third.

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Scenario #4: Trade back with Pittsburgh/Jacksonville

Miami Receives:

1st Round (28th/29th overall)

2019 1st Round Pick

Pittsburgh/Jacksonville Receives:

1st Round (11th overall)

Most people look at the Steelers, and can’t look past Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback. Big Ben will be 36, however, by the time next season rolls around, and he has already mulled retirement once before. While Roethlisberger has already stated that he’ll be back for this season, the Steelers don’t have anyone behind him, and it’s about time Pittsburgh starts thinking of their future. With just five total draft picks this year, Pittsburgh doesn’t have a lot to offer as far as packages go, but adding next year’s first round pick would surely do the trick.

Sitting just one spot behind Pittsburgh, the same deal would virtually work with Jacksonville, who are not totally sold on Blake Bortles, despite him leading the team to the AFC Championship game. There’s the chance that the Jaguars could pick up Bortles team option on the final year of his deal, but it doesn’t appear they seem interested in signing him to a long-term deal just yet. If they’re not, they’re going to want to address the most crucial position as quickly as possible.

Drafting a player to sit behind Bortles for one year is not a bad idea. Jacksonville is loaded with talent in other areas on the field. They don’t want this season to be considered a fluke, and with a defense like theirs, it shouldn’t be. If Bortles is not their guy, the quarterback of their future could be right there with this trade with Miami.

These scenarios can be viewed as nothing more than pipe dreams as most trade proposals are. A lot can and will happen within the next few months with free agency and potential trades. By the time the draft comes around, we’ll have a better idea as to what positions Miami considers a priority. Until then we’ll go on with our pipe dreams and speculations on how Miami can help themselves dig out of the hole that left them with a 6-10 record in 2017.

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