This is the time of year where the rumors start spiraling out of control. With the 2021 NFL Draft right on our doorstep, the misinformation that hits the airwaves reaches a fever pitch in the hopes of scrambling the picture for each of the NFL’s 32 franchises and ensuring teams aren’t onto each other’s scent for intentions in the draft. You’ll get some pretty crazy headlines as a result.
A crazy headline wouldn’t do it justice. Neither would any adjective that comes to your mind — including “crazy”, “insane” or any other more extreme selection of the English language. Because in Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest mock draft, which released today, Kiper Jr. projected the Miami Dolphins to — wait for it — trade back up to the No. 4 overall spot in the 2021 NFL Draft order to draft tight end Kyle Pitts.
The selection of Pitts itself is perfectly fine and would be an exciting selection. But for the Dolphins, who just turned the NFL Draft order on its head at the end of last month with a trade back to the No. 12 overall pick from No. 3 overall before rebounding to come back up to No. 6 overall, to trade up again for the No. 4 overall pick would be, quite frankly, a complete waste of everyone’s time. The Dolphins included.
Kiper projected the Dolphins to surrender 2022 2nd- and 3rd-round choices to move up two spots from No. 6 to No. 4 overall and secure Pitts. If Miami were going to be that aggressive to land Pitts, would they not have just sat at No. 3 and taken him there? Because the whole appeal of a trade back is to pick up extra draft capital. Miami secured future 1st-round picks in 2022 and 2023 (plus a 2022 3rd-round pick) for their trade from No. 3 to No. 12 with the 49ers.
But the subsequent move back up to No. 6 cost the Dolphins ground in this year’s draft order — they moved a 4th-round pick and returned a 5th-round pick from Philadelphia — plus a 2022 1st-round choice. So in Kiper’s eyes, the Dolphins would have moved back one spot in the draft order when it was all said and done and all they’d have to show for it would be a later pick at their disposal on Day 3 of this year’s draft and a 2022 2nd-round choice being converted into a 2023 1st-round choice.
So effectively nothing.
The NFL Draft is a crazy affair — but it is hard to believe things will get as crazy as Kiper’s mock draft when the real deal starts in a few weeks.