NFL Draft Rumors: Miami Dolphins Would Make Huge Mistake by Trading Up to No. 3

Sitting at the No. 8 overall spot, the Miami Dolphins are in prime position to make a big improvement for the 2012 season.

The addition of Ryan Tannehill would certainly suffice, as his former college head coach—Mike Sherman—is Miami's offensive coordinator. It is, however, a risk to not only hope Tannehill is available at No. 8 but it's a pickle with the Cleveland Browns sitting at No. 4.

And, in an article by Kevin Seifert of ESPN, former NFL executive Bill Polian believes the Dolphins should trade up:

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The most likely competition for Tannehill is the Cleveland Browns at No. 4 overall. That means, in order to assure themselves of selecting Tannehill, the Dolphins would need to move up to the No. 3 pick in a trade with the Vikings. In my mind, this is a trade you must make if you're the Dolphins.

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Although this isn't the worst of ideas for Miami, it's a move the Dolphins must defer in the 2012 NFL draft. Now, Tannehill is a great fit but although they may have to trade up to snag him, the quarterback is quite a risk even at No. 8 overall.

Tannehill is always going to have durability concerns until the pads go on this fall and last season, Matt Moore proved he deserves a shot to start in 2012.

If Miami decides to try and move up to No. 3 overall, the Minnesota Vikings are going to look at what the St. Louis Rams got from Washington and demand almost as much. Moving up just five spots to select a quarterback with durability flags and inexperience isn't worth giving up multiple early-round future draft picks.

And regardless if Tannehill's available at No. 8 overall, the Dolphins would be improve even more with an offensive lineman like Stanford's David DeCastro. In 2011, Miami allowed 52 sacks and didn't get the running game working until the final weeks.

DeCastro would significantly boost the pocket protection for Moore and elongate the running lanes for Reggie Bush. In turn, this makes the play-action pass more relevant for defenses to honor and the Dolphins field a balanced attack.

Moving up to Tannehill at No. 3 overall would add size, mobility and arm strength to the quarterback position, but none of that matters without a consistent offensive line. Not to mention, but potentially giving up another 2012 selection and future selections only slow the rebuilding process even more.

At least if the Dolphins risk waiting to get Tannehill at No. 8 they'll have the rest of the draft to build around him. Plus, it would be surprising to see Cleveland select him at No. 4 overall with guys like Trent Richardson and Justin Blackmon expected to be available.

The best-case scenario for Miami, though would be if Tannehill is available at No. 8 and the Dolphins then look to trade down. Doing so would add draft picks and create a better opportunity for Matt Moore next season.

In Round 2 and thereafter, other quarterbacks like Kirk Cousins, Brandon Weeden and Nick Foles have promise and make an excellent backup/potential starter alongside Moore. Obviously the main issue is whether Moore has the ability to be the future under center.

Still, taking Tannehill in the top 10 is already a big enough risk. Trading up to take a quarterback with roughly 1.5 years experience in a non pro-style offense at Texas A&M only puts Miami at greater risk for failure.

John Rozum on Twitter.