The Miami Dolphins kicked off Night 2 with the selection of Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez in the second round. Still needing help at wide receiver, though, signs pointed to Miami hitting the position heavy in Round 3. One team at least seems to have picked up on that possibility and did something about it.
The New York Giants did not have a third-round pick, but they pulled off a deal to move in front of the Dolphins at No. 74 overall. In order to do so, the Giants sent a considerable haul to the Cleveland Browns, strongly indicating they made this move in front of Miami for a reason.
To move all the way up to 74, New York sent Cleveland picks 105 and 145 this year, as well as a 2027 fourth-round pick. Following the trade, the Giants took one of the top WR prospects heavily linked to the Dolphins this offseason: Notre Dame's Malachi Fields.
Giants move up to snag Malachi Fields, Dolphins take Caleb Douglas one pick later
Needing WR help, things were looking good for the Dolphins on Day 2. Up to this point, only four receivers had come off the board on Day 2: De'Zhaun Stribling (33), Denzel Boston (43), Germie Bernard (47), and Antonio Williams (71).
The Giants' move took away a top prospect from the Dolphins, but several other high-quality wide receivers remained. Surprisingly, though, Miami landed on Texas Tech's Caleb Douglas, a late Day 3 prospect according to many outlets.
Soon after, Georgia's Zachariah Branch and USC's Ja'Kobi Lane went 79th and 80th overall, respectively, hinting that a run on wide receivers could be coming.
It's very possible that the Giants got word that the Dolphins were looking to add Fields and moved a haul to prevent that from happening. However, the Douglas selection is quite puzzling to say the least.
It's the latest perplexing move made by Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan. To his credit, he's hitting on all the positional needs Miami has; it's the prospects he's choosing, though, that have some fans concerned. Dolphins fans were ecstatic over the Rodriguez pick, but were even further underwhelmed than they were from Night 1's selections.
Sullivan still deserves the benefit of the doubt until these prospects show what they can do on the field. However, one has to wonder how much of an impact, if any, the Giants trade had on Sullivan's strategy. If Fields had been the pick for Miami, most would've praised it. Instead, they're left perplexed as to why they would've taken a guy they likely could've gotten tomorrow.
Add us as a preferred source on Google