Phin Phanatic
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With only six picks, Dolphins need to accumulate more assets with first round pick

Miami should trade out of the first round and acquire more draft choices with a board chock full of plug and play starters

By Scott Alan Salomon

Chris Grier needs to play Trader Jack and use the 21st pick in the first round to acquire more picks on day two. Dolphins only have six picks and three are at the back end of the draft.
Chris Grier needs to play Trader Jack and use the 21st pick in the first round to acquire more picks on day two. Dolphins only have six picks and three are at the back end of the draft. / Joel Auerbach/GettyImages
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The Miami Dolphins are draft-poor. They are looking at working with only six picks at the NFL Draft in April. This is problematic as Miami has so many holes to fill.

That is why they should look to parlay their first-round pick into multiple-day second-day picks when the second and third rounds of the draft take place. Fourth-round picks can even be profitable for Miami in this year's draft which is extensively deep.

Jackson Powers-Johnson
Jackson Powers-Johnson, shown here snapping the ball in live NCAA action last season, could be the best center in the draft and adds versatility as he can move to either guard position. / John E. Moore III/GettyImages


Miami has one selection in the first and second rounds. They lost the third-round pick for allegedly tampering with Tom Brady. Their fourth-round selection was traded to Denver as part of the Chubb trade. They finish with two sixth-round selections, theirs and Chicago's, and one final pick in the seventh round.

Miami needs a corner to start opposite Jalen Ramsey if they cut Xavien Howard as they are projected to do in a cost-cutting move.

If Miami cannot sign re-Connor Williams in free agency they are going to need a starting center in the draft. Liam Eichenberg was a good experiment, but he is clearly not the answer as he has a tough time with fundamentals, such as snapping the ball back to Tua Tagovailoa.

There were too many bad snaps after Williams was injured for my liking. It is time to put an end to the Eichenberg Express and bring in a true center and a better guard that can come in and start right away. Miami needs to rebuild the offensive line.

Jackson Powers-Johnson from Oregon State stands 6-foot-3 and weights 335 pounds fits the bill and should be on the board early in the second round. He can play center and both guard positions and was the standout offensive lineman at the Senior Bowl in Mobile. Javion Cohen, from Miami, can play guard or tackle and also had a good week of practice at the Senior Bowl and handled Braden Fiske from Florida State very well. Cohen will still be on the board in the fourth or fifth round where I project him to go, but he can come in and compete right away.

Javion Cohen
Javion Cohen from the Miami Hurricanes would be a good fit to play either guard or tackle. He started his career at Alabama and was All-SEC before transferring to Miami for his final season, where he was named an All-ACC selection. / Megan Briggs/GettyImages

The Dolphins' top two edge rushers will start the year on the PUP list as Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips were sidelined with season-ending injuries last season and will not be ready for training camp.

The Dolphins edge rush was abyssmal once Chubb went down against Baltimore and Miami was forced to bring in street free agents like Bruce Irvin and Justin Houston. Miami could use two new edge rushers that can fill in immediately. They need to find one in free agency and one in the draft. The assets just are not there to plug all the holes.

Miami also lost production at the tight end position with Mike Gesicki leaving in free agency after the 2022 season.

Miami could use a pass catcher like Texas' Ja'Tavion Sanders or Ohio State playmaker Cade Stover. Both are good pass catchers and blockers. Miami has no one that is of high-enough caliber to start opposite Durham Smythe when they go to two-tight end sets. Again, Miami should acquire two tight ends and refill the room.

They should get the best available free agent and the best available college player, not known by the name of Brock Bowers who will be off the board early in the first round.

Chargers selected wide receiver Quentin Johnson with last year's 21st selection

Theoretically, I would like to see Miami trade their first round pick for second, third and fourth or fifth round picks. That might be pricey, but if a team is looking to move up, the value is definitely there. It is possible to attain a quality player at the number 21 slot who is capable of starting out of the gate. Last season the Los Angeles Chargers used the 21st pick to acquire wide receiver Quentin Johnson.

Johnson had a serviceable first season in the league with 38 receptions for 431 yards on 67 targets. We will have to see how he pans out with new head coach Jim Harbaugh. Johnson has tremendous upside and was Max Duggan's favorite target at TCU.

Jaylon Johnson, Quentin Johnston
Quentin Johnson fighting for the ball with Bears defensive back Jaylon Johnson in a game last season. He was the 21st pick of the first round, the pick that Miami needs to trade down to accumulate more picks. / Kevin Sabitus/GettyImages

The Cleveland Browns for example have no first-round pick. Perhaps they would like to acquire the 21st pick and surrender their second, third, and one of their fifth-round picks. The Green Bay Packers have two second-round picks and two third-round picks. They have the assets to acquire the pick if they so desire.

With all of these needs, and only six picks, three of which are in the sixth and seventh rounds, Miami definitely needs more picks earlier in the draft. Trading their 21st pick in the first round is a great place to start to accumulate more picks.

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