Potential draft day trade partners for the Miami Dolphins
There is a lot of speculation as to what the Miami Dolphins will do with the 13th pick. Do they keep it or use it in a trade package to move up or down?
The Miami Dolphins have remained relatively quiet in free agency. No longer interested in throwing large sums of money at free agents to plug in spots, the Dolphins have their sights solely on the draft to provide long-term solutions.
It’s a different approach than what we’re used to seeing from this organization, but arguably, the right one. In order for it to work, however, Miami must hit on those draft picks. It starts on April 25th with the 13th overall selection.
Once again selecting outside of the top 10, what are the Dolphins plans with the 13th pick? Miami has a number of needs, none more so than a future quarterback. It’s not a strong class of quarterbacks, however, and it’s highly likely that the featured names will be off the board by 13.
There are a number of other positions the Dolphins need to address in the process. They could simply stand pat where they are and take the best pass rusher or offensive lineman available, seemingly waiting until 2020 to take a quarterback.
Then there is the possibility that Miami looks to find a trade partner to trade down with and get additional picks. Or maybe they think their quarterback is in this class and they feel the need to move up and get him.
It will obviously all depend on how the board is falling on draft day, but trading out of the 13th pick is a real possibility for the Dolphins. Let’s take a look at some potential trade partners.
Trade-Up Scenarios
Tampa Bay
Miami receives:
First-round pick (5th overall)
Tampa Bay receives:
First-round pick (13th overall)
Second-round pick (48th overall)
2020 second-round pick
Giving up draft capital is not what we want to see from a team that is rebuilding but in order to get the guy you want, sometimes it is necessary. We saw the Kansas City Chiefs do it two years ago to grab Patrick Mahomes. In the same draft, the Houston Texans went up to get Deshaun Watson. Last year, the Buffalo Bills and Arizona Cardinals made moves to get Josh Allen and Josh Rosen, respectively.
A package such as this one allows Miami to at least keep their first round pick in 2020 and get their quarterback now. This scenario would likely assume that it’s Dwayne Haskins with a number of reports already claiming that the Cardinals plan to take Kyler Murray at #1 overall.
Haskins is viewed by many as the number one quarterback in this class. If Miami gets blown away by him in their research, they may decide that forking over a couple of second rounders is worth it.
Tampa Bay needs defensive help and there are a number of quality players in this class on that side of the ball. Trading down would allow them to still grab a terrific edge rusher while picking up some capital in the process.
Jacksonville
Miami receives:
First-round pick (7th overall)
Jacksonville receives:
First-round pick (13th overall)
Third-round pick (78th overall)
2020 Fourth-round pick
This is a similar scenario with Haskins potentially still on the board. Miami is still able to move up to get their guy without giving up a ton of capital. The Dolphins can live with parting with a third-rounder in this case. In addition, Miami already has two fourth-round picks lined up in 2020 after trading Ryan Tannehill to Tennessee.
For Jacksonville, a move down in this draft is very possible. After signing Nick Foles in free agency, the Jaguars no longer need to draft a quarterback. Now, they’ll be looking to get Foles some protection on the offensive line and provide him some weapons to throw to. It’s very possible that they could get a player at pick 13 that they’ve been mocked to at pick 7.
Trade-Down Scenarios
Washington
Miami receives:
First-round pick (15th overall)
Third-round pick (96th overall)
Washington receives:
First-round pick (13th overall)
The Washington Redskins received four compensatory picks this season, giving them two third-round picks. They could afford to part with one of those comp picks here. Like the Dolphins, the Redskins need a future quarterback, and like the Dolphins, they always seem to be on the outside of the top 10.
Miami sits only two spots ahead of Washington and the team between them, Atlanta, is not in the market for a quarterback. It’s a spot, however, where the Dolphins could play hardball with the Redskins.
There is the possibility that someone like Drew Lock could fall out of the top 10, and available for the Dolphins at 13. Now, I personally believe that Miami will only take a quarterback in the first round if it is either Murray or Haskins. It’s unclear how exactly they view Lock and chances are they will keep it a mystery.
The Redskins, on the other hand, could be very intrigued by Lock. Miami could make the impression that they plan to take Lock, and put Washington in a position where they feel obligated to move up and grab him.
It’s an unlikely scenario, but we’ve seen teams before move up one or two spots to secure the player they covet.
New York Giants
Miami receives:
First-round pick (17th overall)
Third-round pick (95th overall)
Fifth-round pick (171st overall)
New York receives:
First-round pick (13th overall)
Seventh-round pick (233rd overall)
The New York Giants have 12 picks in this draft. They netted a first and third-round pick in the blockbuster trade that sent Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns. Many simply do not understand what general manager Dave Gettleman is doing in New York.
There are rumors circulating that the Giants will not take a quarterback with the 6th overall selection. That would imply that they plan to take one at 17 since they have to move on from Eli Manning eventually.
New York may want to take someone who can sit and develop a year or two behind Manning. It’s possible that they make a trade for Josh Rosen, but if not, a move ahead of their division-rival Redskins would make sense.
This is the same scenario with Drew Lock remaining on the board. Lock seems like a perfect candidate to replace Manning, and it prevents the Redskins from taking him. The trade for the Dolphins is obvious as they move down a few spots and pick up an additional third-rounder, while basically swapping a seventh for a fifth.
Kansas City
Miami receives:
First-round pick (29th overall)
Fifth-round pick (167th overall)
2020 first-round pick
Kansas City receives:
First-round pick (13th overall)
The Chiefs were an overtime away from the Super Bowl last year. The flaws of their defense would prove to be their demise.
This offseason, they parted ways with Justin Houston and traded Dee Ford to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2020 second-round pick. Even if the Chiefs had held on to both players, they would still be looking at this draft class for a pass rusher.
With so many pass rushers in this class, Kansas City could look to move up to take one that they really like. This is a trade that makes a lot of sense for both teams. Miami moves down a considerable amount, but they get the extra first-round pick in 2020 that they’re looking for.
For the Chiefs, they are in win-now mode. They would love nothing more than adding an elite defender. With the addition of the second-round pick coming from the 49ers, they can also afford to part with next year’s first. It’s a good spot for both teams to help each other out in terms of what their needs are.