Miami Dolphins should have Trevor Lawrence on their draft radar

The Miami Dolphins should keep Trevor Lawrence on their draft board in 2021.

Trevor Lawrence is a dynamic NFL prospect but the Miami Dolphins have Tua Tagovailoa waiting in the wings to take over the franchise.

In the NFL, you are only as good as your quarterback can take you and if you have an average QB you darn well better have a great defense. Like a number one defense. The Miami Dolphins don’t have a number one defense so they better have a great QB.

Tua Tagovailoa has all the tools to become great and Miami Dolphins fans are enamored with the prospect of what he could do for the team in the years to come. But what if he isn’t? What if he is good but not great? What if the Dolphins end up with a chance at Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence?

The short answer is simple. They run to the podium and draft him.

Trevor Lawrence is going to bring the same excitement and energy to the field that Tagovailoa will and while it may seem like a waste to have two of the top QB prospects on your roster, doubling down is only going to make both better and increase the chances that the Dolphins hit a homerun.

Miami doesn’t look like a team that is going to have a shot at finishing with the worst record in the NFL this year. They are playing well and while they are not playing good enough to make the post-season, they are playing well enough to compete each week and that will translate to more wins than say, the Jets.

There is however, the Houston Texans and the Dolphins own both their first and second round picks. The Texans are 0-4 through the first month and frankly, are playing like an 0-4 team. I seriously doubt that the Texans finish with the worst record in the NFL but on Twitter, Jordan Reid asked the question. What if the Dolphins were in position to get Lawrence?

The responses are pretty across the board but why would you not draft the top QB in the draft if you have that shot? Yes, you need defensive help but you also have your own first round pick. Yes, you could trade down and gain a ton of draft picks but what if those draft picks turn out to be just o.k. and Tua Tagovailoa turns out to be just average? What if he does in fact get hurt again?

In the latter case, your trading draft capital to move up to draft another quarterback. This doesn’t mean Lawrence is going to be a great NFL QB. We don’t know for certain but if he is there and is free to take, you have a great shot at hitting on one of the two.

Now assume that Tua Tagovailoa turns out to be that franchise quarterback you hoped he would be and let’s assume that Lawrence has an incredible camp as well. If you think that the compensation for Lawrence in a trade is going to be low, that would be a mistake. In fact, you could probably get more for Lawrence outright in a trade than a trade down in the draft.

Will this be a possibility in 2021? Not really. It’s speculative at best but as long as the Texans continue to play the way they are and sit at the bottom of the NFL, there is a possibility and for the Dolphins, it’s a possibility that should keep Lawrence on the big board until there is no reality. It’s smart management.