It has been widely assumed that the Miami Dolphins are going to be drafting a quarterback with their first selection in the 2020 NFL Draft. But as the NFL Draft creeps closer, the continued exploration of all the scenarios has some Dolphins fans calling for an audible. What they’d like to see? The Dolphins take the best player available with their 5th overall pick and then follow that up with a trade up to go get a quarterback.
Whether the target of their trade is Justin Herbert or Jordan Love, some Miami fans are apprehensive to see the Dolphins just draft a quarterback at 5 and instead would like to see the team get the best value possible with each pick.
That’s an understandable position to hold and, as is the case with all things about the NFL Draft, we should never say never. There’s of course a chance the Dolphins could take Clemson LB Isaiah Simmons or Louisville OT Mekhi Becton with the 5th pick and then look to pivot and identify their quarterback from there.
But it is unlikely. Because if Miami likes a quarterback enough to trade up for him in the 1st-round, they should probably just take him at 5. Trading up with a quarterback in mind almost always results in paying a little extra to get a deal done — Miami would be opening the door to pay more to secure their quarterback. If the Dolphins want to be aggressive with their second pick, it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea. This team will be stressed to get a top tackle if they stay put at 18. But if they find the Carolina Panthers (who pick 7th) or some other team in the top-10 is looking to add picks, Miami could have a pathway to get the best of both worlds.
But either way, it will almost assuredly come with the quarterback first and not the other way around.