The Miami Dolphins are the second team in the NFL Draft queue that is definitively hungry for a quarterback. The first? The Cincinnati Bengals, who will be picking 1st-overall and will have the chance to draft LSU quarterback Joe Burrow. It’s a match made in heaven, given that Burrow is initially an Ohio kid and his skillset figures to project quite well into young coach Zac Taylor’s offense.
Good for the Bengals. Next in line is Miami at 5 — but that’s far enough down the order when the team is probably going to sweat a bit. Because while Miami is 5th in the draft order, there are several threats looming close by that could potentially leapfrog the Dolphins to draft their own quarterback of choice — whether that be Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, Oregon’s Justin Herbert or Utah State’s Jordan Love. Where do they fall, how far behind the Dolphins are they and how aggressive can we expect them to be?
Los Angeles Chargers – #6 overall
Chargers QB Philip Rivers looks to be on his last legs — leaving a talented Chargers roster in prime position to take advantage of unusually high draft position. Here’s the good news for the Dolphins: the Chargers own three top-75 selections. The Dolphins own double that many. And with Miami’s pick sitting one spot ahead of the Chargers, the Dolphins will realistically be able to block any offer the Chargers put on the table to move up to 3 with the Detroit Lions, which feels like the pick where the draft actually starts.
Carolina Panthers – #7 overall
Like the Chargers, the Panthers are here despite having an established quarterback. At least Carolina has the excuse of Cam Newton being hurt the last two seasons, although that may prompt this team to make a change. Carolina is undergoing new management as new team owner Dave Tepper flexes his muscle with the organization — he’s known to be a bold businessman and it shouldn’t be considered out of the realm of possibility that Carolina looks to make a splash. But, also like the Chargers, the Panthers have half the ammunition of the Dolphins in the top 75 picks to try to swing a deal.
Jacksonville Jaguars – #9 overall
Jacksonville definitely needs to move on from QB Nick Foles, but financials make that an issue for 2020. And this team also has Gardner Minshew’s promising rookie season to reflect back on before deciding they want to draft a quarterback with a top-10 pick. This feels like a long-shot for a trade up based on this coaching staff’s need to win now and the potential of Minshew on the roster as cheap rookie labor at quarterback.
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