Analyzing Miami Dolphins' Best Trade Options with 14th Pick in NFL Draft
Success means never being satisfied with "good enough." Sure, some people might be thrilled that the Miami Dolphins have the 14th pick in the draft, and seven picks overall, but it's like that girl in the AT&T commercial said: "We really like it, we want more."
The way the draft works, it's such an inexact science that it may be better for teams to accumulate picks and give themselves as many chances as possible to get it right—a new twist on the old adage of throwing a bunch of crap at the wall and seeing what sticks.
That being said, there's another adage that goes "less is more," and perhaps the Dolphins feel there's an opportunity to strike now and improve their roster immediately for a run in 2015.
Using this handy draft pick value chart from ProFootballTalk.com, the Dolphins' 14th overall pick is valued at 1,100 points. For perspective, that's worth about the same as the three picks from 20-22 in the middle of the second round.
With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the trade scenarios that could develop on draft day.
14th Overall Pick for 23rd and 54th Picks from the Detroit Lions
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The Miami Dolphins are in a position to use the 14th pick to acquire multiple selections, giving themselves as many darts to throw at the board as possible in hopes of hitting a bull's-eye. On the other hand, the Detroit Lions just got their first taste of the playoffs since 2011 and could be feeling a sense of urgency to make a big move and hopefully get over the hump.
The Dolphins are in need of a few pieces at linebacker—especially if they plan on cutting Dannell Ellerbe or Philip Wheeler—and will also be looking for more help on the offensive line and at cornerback. In order to address those needs, they may need to get a few more picks. This trade would be a good way to start.
The Lions' picks in the first (23rd) and second (54th) round are a combined value of 1,120 points compared to the 1,100-point value of the 14th overall pick, making this trade a nearly perfect match of value.
14th and 47th Overall Picks for 7th Pick from the Chicago Bears
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New coach, new general manager, new direction for the Chicago Bears, and hopefully for the Bears, their direction changes faster and more favorably than a GPS in "recalculating" mode.
One way they may opt to change that direction is by building through the draft, and in order to do that, the Bears will need to stockpile some picks. With that, the seventh overall pick will be a valuable bargaining chip to help net some extra selections.
The Dolphins, on the other hand, may be feeling the heat on the hot seat after another 8-8 season. Joe Philbin can't afford another one of those if he's going to remain the head coach beyond 2015.
The 14th (1,100) and 47th (430) picks are a combined value of 1,530 points, compared to a 1,500-point value for the seventh selection.
14th Overall Pick for 22nd and 56th Picks from Pittsburgh Steelers
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This is another trade-down option for the Dolphins, also involving a team that made the playoffs and may sense an opportunity to strike. The Steelers may not pull the trigger here, simply because they have faith in their scouting department and typically let the draft board fall to them.
But if a particular player of interest begins to fall, that sense of urgency could hit a fever pitch.
The Steelers' first- and second-round picks (22nd, 56th) are valued at a combined 1,120 points, which is slightly above the value of the 14th pick.
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14th, 47th and 78th Overall Picks for 5th Pick from the Washington Redskins
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Let's call this the "Mike Ditka-Ricky Williams school of draft philosophy" trade. The Dolphins aren't likely to mortgage the entire first two days of the draft in order to move up nine selections, but that's the price it would take for them to do so.
The Dolphins are too sorely in need of depth, but so are the Washington Redskins, who would probably jump at the chance to accumulate three picks for the price of one with a new GM leading the charge in Scot McCloughan.
That being said, if the Dolphins want to land one of the top linebacker prospects in the draft in Florida's Dante Fowler Jr., they'll probably need to get into the top five or 10 selections in the draft to do so.
14th and 47th Overall Pick and WR Brian Hartline to Oakland Raiders for 4th Pick
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The Oakland Raiders hold the No. 4 overall pick, but it won't be easy to wrest it away from them if the Dolphins want to move into the top five for a player they really like.
Take nothing away from Dolphins wide receiver Brian Hartline; it does not appear as though his skills are eroding.
Rather, this is simply a case of too many fish in the lake and not enough bait. The Dolphins have a bevy of pass-catching talent with the likes of Mike Wallace, Jarvis Landry, Brandon Gibson, Charles Clay and Rishard Matthews. Hartline was simply not as big a part of the offense in 2014 as he had been in prior seasons, and was only targeted 63 times after hitting 130 targets in each of the previous two seasons.
It wouldn't be the first time these two teams have linked up on draft day, as the Dolphins traded into the Raiders' No. 3 spot in the 2013 draft for the selection of linebacker Dion Jordan.
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