The Miami Dolphins currently own three picks in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Those picks, scheduled to come 5th, 18th and 26th in the order, are the Dolphins’ best hope for a bright future — Miami has spent the last several months exploring all of the possible combinations of upgrades with rookies that could be picked. As things currently stand, Miami may be interested in a blend of players that isn’t currently feasible.
Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel has reported that the Miami Dolphins are looking to trade up in the 2020 NFL Draft — but not to come up from the 5th overall pick, like so many have imagined as the team hunts to secure their quarterback. Instead, Kelly has reported that Miami is looking to jump up from the 18th overall pick instead.
“The Miami Dolphins are aggressively working to move up in the first round of this week’s NFL draft, but it’s not the No. 5 pick that general manager Chris Grier is trying to improve upon,” wrote Kelly.
“According to league sources, the Dolphins have had preliminary discussions about moving up from the No. 18 pick — with the goal of putting the franchise in position to land one of the top-four offensive tackles in the draft.”
This would be a fascinating development for Miami, especially in trying to determine what the cost would be for Miami. Jumping from 18 to 7 would almost certainly cost a 1st-round pick in 2021, but jumping to No. 10 or No. 13 in a trade up to strategically leapfrog some tackle hungry teams would likely come at a reduced cost. And if the Dolphins were somehow able to secure a deal ahead of making their pick at No. 5, it also opens the door for Miami to preempt the offensive tackle position and draft the tackle at 5 to ensure they get the best of the bunch.
That would be an unorthodox decision, but an understandable one if (a big if) the Dolphins grade multiple quarterbacks similarly in this year’s class. If the Dolphins are indifferent on the difference in landing Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert or Jordan Love, they could use that as the justification for prioritizing the tackle — knowing full well that at least one (but probably multiple) of these quarterbacks is likely to be there when Miami comes back on the clock after a potential trade up.