Miami Dolphins 2012 NFL Draft: Trade Partner Possibilities

Jeff Ireland has not been shy about trading out of his team's draft slot in the past and that may be a real possibility this season. Miami won the coin toss for the eighth pick, a small consolation after a bitter season.

Here is a look at how they might use this pick.

Trade Up with St. Louis

The Rams have officially put their pick on the market, hoping Robert Griffin III's fantastic combine performance will stay fresh in the minds of general managers around the league. It will takes a Griffin's ransom to trade up for the Heisman winner and the Dolphins have been mentioned as a potential suitor.

While trading up for the dynamic playmaker is intriguing, the Dolphins lack the firepower the Browns have and the recklessness Dan Snyder and the Redskins have shown in the past. The Rams are using the Eli Manning trade from the 2004 draft as a blueprint—the Chargers received the Giants' 2004 first and third round picks and 2005 first and fifth round picks.

If the Dolphins were to give up that exact trade, it would be well worth it for a franchise quarterback. It would have the added benefit of better cap flexibility for the Dolphins, should they go this route over signing Matt Flynn or Peyton Manning.

Not only will RGIII be much cheaper with the new rookie wage scale in place, the loss of other draft picks will mean less money committed to rookies and more available for established veterans. Of course, that comes at the expense of mortgaging the farm to a certain extent.

The sense is it will take much more than that to make a deal with St. Louis, however, so this pick may be out of reach for the Dolphins. The Browns' two first-round picks alone put them in the driver's seat for Griffin.

Trade Down with Kansas City

Dontari Poe was a star at the combine. Indeed, the massive defensive tackle's impressive display of athleticism may be enough to vault him into the Top Ten come draft day. Kansas City was a chief team named as a potential landing spot for Poe after his great combine day, but he may not be there for them with the 11th pick. 

The Panthers have a big need at defensive tackle as well, and losing the coin toss to Miami puts the Dolphins in a good position here. The Chiefs may need to move up to ensure they get their man and that would mean a bit of a windfall for Miami.

The Dolphins could get the Chiefs' third round pick and perhaps a 2013 late-round pick in the deal and still draft 11th.

Trade Down with Dallas

Dre Kirkpatrick is right up there with Morris Claiborne as a top cornerback in this draft and the Cowboys need secondary help. He may not be there at 14 for Jerry Jones and Rob Ryan. Enter Jeff Ireland, proud Dallas Cowboys graduate.

This trade makes sense for many reasons. Kirkpatrick is a position of need in a passing league and the Cowboys have not been gun-shy about draft-day trades in Jones' tenure as owner. Miami would not be moving terribly far down in the first and dealing with his former team may give Ireland a leg up in negotiations.

Trade Down with Cincinnati

The Bengals may be the best fit for Trent Richardson, but he may not last all the way to the 17th pick. If they are really keen on drafting him, the Dolphins are in an excellent position to cash in.

Cedric Benson has performed admirably in Cincinnati over the past couple of seasons, but the reality is he is a plodding, aging running back and Bernard Scott has not shown he can be anything close to the man. 

Richardson is the best back to come out since Adrian Peterson and with the Bengals perhaps exhibiting the most need at that position, they may have an itchy trigger finger when it comes to trading up. 

Miami could net both first round picks owned by the Bengals (17 and 21) along with a mid or late round 2012 pick and perhaps a late 2013 pick. That would be a coup for the Dolphins, who could then address several positions with high draft picks, perhaps filling out a roster around a certain Manning.

Trade Down with San Diego

Jeff Ireland has dealt with A.J. Smith in the past, back when the Chargers really wanted Ryan Mathews. That trade netted the Dolphins a second-round pick they had previously lost in the Brandon Marshall deal. Perhaps San Diego feels they need to move up once more. Draft picks are more valuable this year than back then, so the Dolphins should receive more than one second round pick in this case.

I cannot think of any player the Chargers would want so badly they would feel the need to move up to Miami's draft slot, but the Mathews trade was a bit of a surprise when it happened. This scenario is a case of "familiar territory" with San Diego and Miami consummating a draft-day trade in the past more than anything.

Other Trade Down Possibilities

There could be a number of teams who view themselves as one or two pieces away from a Super Bowl run, or they just have to have a certain Top-Ten player. The farther back the Dolphins move, though, the less impact their first round pick is going to make, so they must be careful to obtain proper compensation.

Tennessee, Detroit and Houston strike me as potential trade suitors from the back end of the first round. All have specific needs and could be targeting a player in the top ten to address them. At this point, the Dolphins should be asking for a 2013 first round pick on top of any 2012 picks they would be receiving.