Why the Miami Dolphins should trade down in the 2023 NFL Draft.
By dwest
With the NFL draft only a few weeks away teams are starting to put together final pro day numbers together and boards are starting to take form. The Miami Dolphins have only four picks going into the NFL Draft as of early April.
While they can find difference-makers with two picks on the second day, I am in favor of trading down. You may be asking why is that those two picks could be huge for us and playing time while I am in agreement there are several other reasons why Miami should at least think about trading down.
Reason 1: Miami needs to be careful about future cap space and protect future deals that will be addressed such as Waddle and Holland who are becoming cornerstone players. Miami did a great job early this offseason making cap-friendly moves and restructuring contracts with many key players on the team. I think Miami can take some swings at later talent by trading down the third-round pick for a later pick and gathering some ammo next year. It’s a way Miami can save on cap space and continue to build a young nucleus.
Reason 2: Most of the difference makers that are coveted will be off the board by the time Miami selects. This doesn’t mean that Miami can’t hit a home run with the Day 2 picks. I have been hearing the buzz around the scouting community that about 100 players are NFL-ready while others will need time to develop. It’s clear that there are some special players in this draft but being on the board in round two would be a stretch.
Reason 3: The Miami front office needs to continue finding depth and building around the starters in place. While we have some spots to fill on a few spots on the team, Miami needs to commit to the future in some way with aging players. We have several spots that need depth and have players that are on the other side of the best play. The ideal way is to find proven players who have lots of experience and need time to adjust to the NFL speed. Trading down not only gives Miami some extra draft capital but gives some late-round picks more time to develop as expectations are not nearly high compared to a high draft pick.
In closing, the Miami Dolphins only have 4 picks so far in the draft this year. Clearly, we committed to now and winning now which is great but we also need to be thinking about the future as well. The reasons we should trade down are, protecting cap space, many of the 2023 difference makers are off the clock, and we need to find depth in many spots and protect the future with high expectations.
What are your thoughts on what Miami should do this year in the draft? Should we keep our picks? Trade up? Trade down? I would love to hear your feedback! Follow me on @drwscout on Twitter!