With 11 picks in this year's NFL Draft and seven in the first 100 picks overall, you would think the Miami Dolphins are set up perfectly for the first two days of the event. They are, but there is a gap that is hard to overlook.
The talent in this year's class is good and deep at positions of need for the Dolphins. Miami has two picks in the first round, one in the second, and four in the third. It's the gap between pick 43 and pick 75 that is a problem.
Despite having four picks in round three, the talent does start to dip after round two. Miami picks early in the round before having a long wait until their next selection. Jon-Eric Sullivan knows this, and it is a reason to speculate that when the draft begins, he won't have to wait long to make a deal.
Jon-Eric Sullivan has to find another second-round pick in this year's Miami Dolphins draft
The best option for the Dolphins to add more value to the draft without losing capital is to trade the 11th overall selection. Sullivan needs to be absolutely enamored by a player at that point, as he will have options to trade down.
The further he trades down, the more draft picks he will get in return. Adding an additional second-round selection shouldn't be too difficult if he is willing to trade that pick. He could potentially add draft picks for the 2027 class as well.
Why is the second round so important for the Dolphins? They are trying to fill gaping holes on the roster. These are not depth roles; they are starters. Two CB spots, at least one WR, a safety, an edge-rusher, and a guard/tackle as well. The best players are in rounds one and two.
Sullivan doesn't need one big name with a bunch of other holes; he needs playmakers, as in more than one or two.
Recently, we took a look at a series of mock draft simulations. We took Spencer Fano at 11, moved around, and tried players at edge, WR, and CB with the second pick in the round. Then balanced that with the selection at 43. In all of these run-throughs, the available talent in round three was good, but there were players Miami could use but never had a shot at without trading up.
Many have speculated that the 30th overall pick could be the Dolphins' best option to trade. I don't entirely disagree. If you can give up the 30th for a 2nd and a 1st next year, it makes sense, but the 11th overall pick will bring more, and you don't lose the draft pick, just the position of it.
A simple trade down into the mid-20s could bring back an additional 2nd round pick in the middle of round two, and that would increase the chances for Sullivan to land starting-caliber players in his first draft while also filling needs.