Realistic Draft Trade Possibilities for the Miami Dolphins
NFL draft season is trade season, and if you're the Miami Dolphins, a trade would be a good idea.
Whether it's trading up for a playmaker in order to add more weapons, or trading down to add depth to key positions, the Dolphins should be movers and shakers in the draft.
There's history to suggest that some kind of draft movement is afoot, and that history lies with Dolphins executive vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum. While he was general manager of the Jets, Tannenbaum traded up in 2009, and the results were mixed (that's the best way I can put him trading up for Mark Sanchez).
In 2008, Tannenbaum traded into a second first-rounder that would be used on Dustin Keller.
He isn't afraid to deal, but what deals are available for him? Here's a look at some trades the Dolphins could make in this year's draft, trades formulated based on this NFL draft trade value chart on Ourlads.com.
Miami Trades Up with Chicago, Acquires the 7th Pick
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Miami gets: 7th pick in first round
Chicago gets: 14th pick in first round, 149th and 150th picks in fifth round, 2016 third-round pick.
It was Will Brinson of CBSSports.com who floated a Dolphins trade-up to Chicago's seventh spot. I just added the terms of the trade.
If the goal is to add a playmaking wide receiver, this is a good route to go. Based off of my experience with the Bleacher Report community mock draft, there's a good chance that in between the sixth and 12th spots there will be a run on wide receivers, and if Miami's dead set on one of the top three receivers, this will have to be the move.
There have been rumors circulating of such a trade, per Rob Rang of CBSSports.com:
"The Dolphins appear to be targeting another playmaking wide receiver with West Virginia’s Kevin White ranking highest on their board, sources suggest. If it happens, Miami’s trade could mimic a similar move as the one division rival Buffalo completed a year ago, jumping up to No. 4 overall to land Sammy Watkins.
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I'm usually not a fan of trading up, and the Dolphins are fairly light on draft picks as it stands. However Kevin White, Amari Cooper and DeVante Parker are future stars and might warrant such a trade.
Miami Trades Dion Jordan, Acquires Evan Mathis and a 6th-Round Pick
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Miami gets: Evan Mathis, 196th pick in the sixth round.
Philadelphia gets: Dion Jordan
The inevitable has to happen at some point.
Dion Jordan and the Miami Dolphins are headed for an ugly divorce.
The offseason started terribly for Jordan, who decided to skip voluntary workouts, per Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald.
If Cameron Wake wants to skip a voluntary workout, I wouldn't begrudge him; he's earned that right.
Dion Jordan has only earned the right to not be trusted. That happens when you are suspended twice (once for performance-enhancing drugs, once for substance abuse) and have only sacked the quarterback three times.
Now, Jordan has made an impact when he's on the field, and the coaching staff's decision to make him a defensive end instead of an outside linebacker has had a lot to do with his on-field issues.
At the same time, there's no excuse for his behavior, and based off of last Friday's press conference, the Dolphins coaches and front office are fed up.
"Hickey & Tannenbaum asked if Dion Jordan has passion for the game, what it takes. They paused, said this is a pre-draft press conference.
— Andrew Abramson (@AbramsonPBP) April 24, 2015"
On the Philadelphia side, the Eagles have been attempting to deal Evan Mathis since last season despite him being one of the best guards in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus.
It's even possible that the Eagles could release Mathis, per Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
So you have a team whose head coach is familiar with an edge-rusher that has a guard they want to give up. On the other side is a team fed up with said edge-rusher that needs a guard.
Have Philadelphia chuck in a sixth-round pick to help account for the extra million Miami will have to pay Jordan if they deal him and consummate this trade, a trade that's just too perfect to not get done.
UPDATE: 1:37pm 4/28/2015
On second thought, this trade is no longer realistic in any sense.
"Dion Jordan, 3rd pick in 2013, is being suspended for 2015 season for another substance abuse policy violation, league sources told ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 28, 2015"
Just pretend this slide never happened.
Miami Uses Its Two 5th-Round Picks to Trade Back into Round 3
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Miami gets: 80th pick in the third round.
Kansas City gets: 114th pick in the fourth round, 149th pick in the fifth round, 150th pick in the fifth round.
The best possibility for talent in any draft is in the first three rounds.
Miami only has two picks in those rounds and needs to get back into the third round in the worst way.
We'll discuss Miami trading down in Round 1 in a little bit, but say Miami is satisfied with who is on the board at 14 and picks him (one of the top three receivers, La'el Collins or Todd Gurley). What does it do then?
Its best option might be to ask one of the teams with multiple third-round picks about a swap involving Miami's fourth-rounder and its two fifths. I looked at Kansas City as that team and figured if the Dolphins can get that pick, they'd find their future starting linebacker in Denzel Perryman.
Perryman fits as Miami's middle linebacker well, and it would allow the Dolphins to kick Koa Misi out to weak-side linebacker again, his more natural position.
Risks have to be taken, and I can live with giving up a fourth-rounder and two fifths to plug a hole in Miami's defense.
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Trading Down in Round 2 to Get a 3rd-Rounder
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Miami gets: pick 63 in Round 2, pick 95 in Round 3, pick 181 in Round 6.
Seattle gets: pick 47 in Round 2, seventh-round pick in 2016.
The other path to a Round 3 pick. No guarantee on Perryman here, but there's plenty to choose from at cornerback and safety in Round 3.
As for Round 2, Miami likely will have a shot at Perryman at the end of the second round and could use the third round to find secondary or offensive line help.
The Todd Gurley Smokescreen
5 of 5Miami gets: pick 27 in first round, pick 60 in second round, pick 127 in fourth round, pick 236 in seventh round.
Dallas gets: pick 14 in first round, pick 150 in fifth round.
As Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald reports, the Dolphins are coveting Todd Gurley, which is the worst-kept secret this year in the NFL draft.
Another team coveting Gurley, as this video points out, is the Dallas Cowboys, a team that's never afraid to make the big deal in order to get the player it wants, and a team that Mel Kiper Jr. says is the "best fit" for Gurley, via ESPN Dallas' Todd Archer.
It was Omar Kelly of The Sun-Sentinel who first proposed such a trade, pointing out that said trade is feasible:
"The realest trade partner I've heard for Miami is Dallas, which has pick No. 27 in the 1st, No. 60 in the 2nd, and No. 91 in the 3rd.
— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) April 24, 2015"
"For Dolphins to move down 13 spots in a trade to Dallas it would probably take the Cowboys 1st (680 pts), 2nd (300) and at least their 4th
— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) April 24, 2015"
I added a seventh-rounder to Miami's haul while giving Dallas one of its fifth-round picks to Omar's proposal.
What would a trade like this do for Miami?
Plenty.
It would give Miami ammunition to trade up in the first round if there's a run on the draft's second-tier wide receivers (Jaelen Strong, Nelson Agholor, Dorial Green-Beckham and Breshad Perriman). If no run occurs, it'll be in a very good position to pick one of them up at 27 and will still have two second-round picks to work with.
Those second-rounders can be used to fortify the secondary, linebackers or guard, or one of them can be traded back into a third- and fifth-round pick.
This would be the best possible trade Miami could make on draft night, as well as the real reason why Miami loves Todd Gurley so much.
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