One of the biggest challenges for the Miami Dolphins in the 2021 NFL Draft is to find the right value with their premiere asset, the No. 3 overall pick. A hotly contested debate will continue to rage as fans weigh out the options — including a potential trade back out of that spot for a team hungry for a quarterback.
Miami’s most attractive option for a quarterback deal, the Detroit Lions, have already addressed the position with the swap of Matt Stafford for Jared Goff and picks — making them now an unlikely contender in the quarterback market. What made Detroit such a great fit for Miami as a potential partner was the distance the Dolphins would have to move: the Lions sit just four spots behind the Dolphins in the order at No. 7 overall.
But with Detroit seemingly out of the picture, Miami’s trade back market becomes more and more risky with further moves down the board. Carolina at 8 is a viable contender but feels destined to have one less wide receiver on the board with the Lions picking ahead of that spot in the order. Perhaps Denver at 9 is in the market and San Francisco at 12 is for certain. But does Miami want to push their way outside the top-10?
If not, the team can rest easy with the knowledge of a new contender for a trade back scenario: the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Eagles are currently engaged in a standoff to move veteran quarterback Carson Wentz, who has seen his relationship with the team erode presumably to the point of no return. And with the Eagles looking to ship Wentz to the midwest (the leaders in the clubhouse for his services are rumored to be Indianapolis and Chicago), Philadelphia will be adding some Day 2 picks to their collection of assets in the near future.
And Philadelphia, who picks at No. 6 in the NFL Draft order this year, will apparently be reassessing their quarterback situation and at least one Eagles beat writer, Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Enquirer, seems to think the team will be in the market for a quarterback at the top of the draft order.
Spoke with NFL management source (not from Eagles) about the Wentz melodrama. His viewpoint: If Wentz doesn’t want the Bears, Bears aren’t gonna trade for him. Eventually the Eagles take whatever Indy is offering, maybe a second plus something. Also, Eagles draft a QB 6th overall
— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) February 17, 2021
If the Eagles move Wentz and expect a top-flight quarterback to be on the board, they’ve got a rude awakening coming their way. Trevor Lawrence is a presumed lock at No. 1, while either Zach Wilson or Justin Fields appear destined for a pick in the No. 2 hole to the Jets (or another team). Miami shopping their pick keeps the threat of three quarterbacks in three picks a very real possibility and Carolina will be breathing down the Eagles’ necks unless there’s a major development with QB Deshaun Watson or someone else across the league.
So, Philadelphia: any interest in replicating the Sam Darnold trade from 2018? That year, the Jets sent three 2nd-round picks to the Colts to move up from No. 6 to No. 3 overall and draft Sam Darnold. After the Eagles move Wentz, the team could theoretically send the following package to move up three spots:
- No. 6 overall
- No. 37 overall
- No. 52 overall or No. 54 overall (assuming trade with either Chicago or Indianapolis for Wentz)
- A 2022 2nd-round pick
This may seem like a high price to pay, but remember that the Jets did this exact same trade with the Colts in 2018. That deal sent picks No. 37 & 49 of the 2018 NFL Draft and a 2019 2nd-round pick (No. 34 overall).
With that in mind, Dolphins fans everywhere should be rooting for the Eagles to close a deal with Wentz and kickstart the next step in the process of exploring trade options to move back from the No. 3 overall pick.