Here are three hypothetical trades should the Miami Dolphins choose to shop the 29th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The Miami Dolphins are not in possession of their first round pick in the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft. If they were, they would be in a far better position to select a highly-touted college prospect than they currently find themselves in.
Through a series of trades, Miami now owns the 29th pick by way of the San Francisco 49ers. The swap of picks and drop down the draft board is the price that they paid in order to move up and acquire Jaylen Waddle in last year’s draft, who may end up being worth the cost.
We still have a little less than two months until Draft Night, but fans are already reading and analyzing mock drafts and projecting just what the Dolphins will do with their late-first round pick. The Class of ’22 may not be one of the strongest ones we have seen in recent memory, but there may be some gems to be had in the 20-30 range for those teams that are savvy with their scouting and drafting record.
While the Dolphins and GM Chris Grier had a solid showing with last year’s draftees and their rookie seasons, the organization is considered anything but savvy when it comes to the NFL Draft. There will be many new voices in the room this coming year with the new head coach and his regime that he has brought in, so it remains to be seen which directions Miami chooses to go with the 29th overall.
One option would be to trade the pick. There could be players that the Dolphins are willing to trade up for in exchange for future capital, or there may be other teams that come calling with a trade-down offer that Miami can’t refuse. There might even be a situation in the pick is traded for a legit, proven commodity that would help the offense immediately.
Here are three hypothetical trades should the Miami Dolphins choose to shop the 29th pick:
TRADE UP
This would be a trade that would be executed on Draft Night.
With the 2022 class being a wildly unpredictable one, there is a good chance that some highly touted players start to slip in the first round. Just in browsing certain mock drafts around the web, it is easy to see the variations in where “experts” predict that players will be selected. Should this be the case, then the Miami Dolphins could be direct benefactors.
Miami would be in prime position to add an immediate difference maker if they were in control of their own pick. The selection that now belongs to the Eagles sits at number 15, and would be far more valuable (both to the Dolphins and other teams) than the current 29th selection. Some of the biggest names in the class of 2022 are projected in the 10-20 range, so don’t be surprised to see the team trade big capital to move up and get a guy they covet.
But if someone like linebacker Nakobe Dean or wide receiver Treylon Burks drops in to the mid-20s, then it would almost be foolish of the Dolphins to not try to move up a few spots at an affordable price. Miami is lucky to have a third round pick in the 2022 Draft after trading their own to move up and select Liam Eichenberg last year. It is a compensation pick that the 49ers earned that was subsequently dealt to the Dolphins, and could potentially be used as trade fodder.
TRADE DOWN
We have yet to see what Mike McDaniels philosophy will be when it comes to drafting, but we know the tendencies of his partner Chris Grier: he isn’t afraid to trade.
The sexy draft transaction is usually the one where your team moves up to select a better player than they were originally slotted to pick. But given that the Dolphins lack a true third round pick in this year’s draft, they may want to explore the possibility of moving down in (or out of) the first round and amassing more capital.
This would obviously be a draft night trade, and would happen when the Dolphins were on the clock. If there is a player that they feel will still be available at the top of the second round, then the Detroit Lions would be the perfect trade partner should the latter want to move up.
The Lions are in the middle of a rebuild, and will surely be using the draft to add all of the young talent that they can. They have a solid trove of picks in the first three rounds, and could use some of that ammunition to nab a prospect that they covet.
This trade would do the following for the Miami Dolphins: instead of having the 29th, 50th, and 100th overall selections, they would instead have the 34th, 50th, and 66th. And they’d throw in a 6th rounder in 2023 for good measure.
Trade Out…For Calvin Ridley?
This is the transaction that would make the most noise amongst the media and fan base.
Calvin Ridley has had an interesting start to his career. The late-first round selection outplayed his draft position during his most productive seasons in Atlanta, but underwent some mental health issues last year that kept him out for a vast majority of the season. Some have speculated that the Falcons are keen on moving on from Ridley, and could explore trading him for value to assist in their rebuild.
There has been plenty of chatter amongst Dolphins fans about wanting to bring Ridley in. While he was never his primary quarterback, the wide receiver has a notable relationship with Tua Tagovailoa from their collegiate days, and we have seen what familiarity can do for the young signal caller (see: Jaylen Waddle).
If the Dolphins realistically covet the services of the Pro Bowl wide out, then trading the 29th overall pick could make sense for both sides. Miami needs an immediate difference maker to help bolster the offense, and Atlanta could use another high draft pick to help aid their rebuild, as they only have 1 in the top 42. It would be a bold move by Mike McDaniel and company in the new coach’s first draft, but it would likely pay dividends.