Playing general manager of the Miami Dolphins on draft day

The rumors around the Dolphins and their draft plans have been changing hourly. The latest got me thinking, It’s time I become Fake G.M. of the team.

April 23rd has been circled on Miami Dolphins fan’s calendars for 8 months. It’s hard to believe the day has finally arrived. The Dolphins should be on the clock right around 9 pm tonight.

The last two weeks have been hard to keep up with as a Dolphins writer. Trying to figure out which way Miami is leaning in the draft has been impossible to grasp. No player has been rumored to be the Miami Dolphins pick more than Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, and he may well still be the pick, we just don’t know if it’ll be at number five or somewhere else.

The latest rumor making its way around twitter is the Dolphins are trying to acquire the 3rd overall pick from Detroit without giving up the 5th pick. If true then it’s obvious what the Dolphins plans are, or at least should be.

If Miami were to make this move then I would have to assume it would mean giving up at least, picks 18, 26, and 39 and who knows what else. The strategy would obviously then be select your quarterback, presumably Tua Tagovailoa at number 3 then take an offensive tackle at number five. Should the New York Giants take a tackle in the 4th spot, which is highly likely, then the Dolphins would have their choice of three out of the following four, Andrew Thomas, Mekhi Becton, Jedrick Wills, or Tristan Wirfs.

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Some might wonder why take the quarterback first but it’s simple. If the tackle was taken with the third pick, that would leave the Dolphins vulnerable to someone, say Los Angeles Chargers, for instance, giving the Giants an offer they couldn’t refuse to jump the Dolphins at five to grab the quarterback.

As a fan, I certainly would be ecstatic to come away with the first or second-ranked tackle and the second-ranked quarterback in this draft class but I have to wonder is the sum of those two players greater than the four players you would add to your roster if you stayed put with the picks you currently have?

This is where I become George Keim, Fake General Manager of the Miami Dolphins.

If I were running this draft for the Dolphins I would stay at number five and let the draft come to me. I’m not comfortable giving up that much draft capital for an offensive tackle. I think the Dolphins will still be able to draft Tua Tagovailoa with the 5th overall pick if that’s who they covet.

The fun comes when pick 18 comes around. I would try and trade back. If the draft unfolds how many of the mocks have, which I know it won’t but we will assume so for this exercise, the Dolphins are in no man’s land at 18. The available tackles are a little bit of a reach at 18. It’s also a little too early to draft safety and/or a running back, two of the other Dolphins needs. The Phins should have the opportunity to select a high rated safety and running back in the second round of this draft.

At pick number 18 there’s a good chance that Utah State quarterback Jordan Love will still be available. If so I would call the Raiders at 19, the Jaguars at 20 and the Patriots at 23 to see if I could find a taker. All three teams are rumored to want a quarterback. Both the Jaguars (9 and 20) and the Raiders (12 and 19) have multiple first-round picks.

The Dolphins have a giant hole between their third-round pick (70th overall) and their fourth-round pick (141 overall). They are going to have to sit and watch 70 players come off the board during that time. This is a pretty good draft class, and there is value to be found in those middle rounds. My strategy would be to get another pick in between to help fill that hole.

The Raiders would be my first call as they have three third-round picks. A third-round pick, say pick 92 is more value on the “trade chart” than what’s needed to move up one spot but if Jon Gruden wants the quarterback they might just pay it to make sure they get their guy. More likely though it would be the Raiders fourth-round pick, number 121 overall.

Call two goes to the Jaguars who have two fourth-round picks so my asking price would be their first 4th round pick number 116 overall. The plan in Jacksonville can’t possibly be to go forward with Gardner Minshew. Although with the way Jacksonville has been looking to sell off their assets they may have their eyes on a quarterback in 2021.

The last and worst tasting option would be to call the Patriots. It’s not really their m.o. to trade up but they are in an entirely different situation than they’ve been in over the past 20 years. You hate to deal with a division rival and especially when that rival is the Patriots but to get an extra third-round pick, say pick 87, well you hold your nose and make the deal.

If I could pull off one of those trades then I’m much happier taking the 5th or 6th rated tackle with my new first-round pick whether it’s 19, 20, or 23 based on the value I’ve picked up in adding a pick between 70 and 141. If I can’t then I may look at a position of lesser need in an effort to maximize value.

When pick 26 comes around I’m most likely looking to double down on another offensive tackle or an interior offensive lineman.

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As the fake G.M., I’m extremely happy if I come out of round one with a quarterback, two offensive linemen, and an additional pick that helps fill the 70 pick hole between the Dolphins third and fourth-round picks. From there I turn my attention to round two where I’m going to draft one of the top running backs or safeties with the 39th pick.

If there is any validity to this rumor, which I don’t think there is, I do not see the value in it. The Dolphins need to stay put at number 5 and the chips fall where they may.

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