The Miami Dolphins have more draft capital than anyone else in the NFL — and it isn’t particularly close. At least right now it isn’t. But what if the Dolphins decide that the sweet spot for this 2020 NFL Draft is within the first round? If Miami wanted to maximize their picks in the 1st-round of the 2020 NFL Draft, they could create a fourth 1st-round pick fairly easily — by trading up from 39th overall selection.
This isn’t to say that the Dolphins should trade up from 39. But if they did, where could they go? And for what cost?
Miami owns picks 39, 56 and 70 on Day 2 of the NFL Draft at this point in time. Those picks, according to the Jimmy Johnson NFL Draft Trade Value Chart, are worth the following:
39th overall – 510 points
56th overall – 340 points
70th overall – 240 points
Those three picks combined would equate to roughly the 14th overall pick in the Draft — not that the Dolphins would need to trade up that high and not that the Dolphins should be considering flipping all of those picks in one shot anyway.
But if Miami wanted to jump up, they’ve go the ammo. Never mind all of the 2021 picks Miami has (two picks in each of the first two rounds). It’s a fascinating scenario to consider, especially since the discussion to this point has been exclusively about trading up from 5 overall. If the Dolphins sit tight, odds are pretty good that the team would have the ability to make several aggressive moves elsewhere on the board.
One that might make sense if Miami wanted to get back into the 1st-round again? The San Francisco 49ers. They were a team pegged by Daniel Jeremiah as a likely trade back candidate.
Jeremiah: Trading back from No. 31 makes a lot of sense for the Niners. Could find good options among DB's on Day 2. #2020NFLDraft
— Chase Goodbread (@ChaseGoodbread) February 21, 2020
And doing so might actually net the Dolphins more picks for 2021, as well. The 49ers pick 31st and then don’t pick again until the 5th-round as it currently stands.
San Francisco could swap pick 31 (600 points) and their first 5th-round pick (29 points) for Miami’s 39th pick and 70th pick (750 points) — leaving the swap in a deficit in favor of San Francisco. The best way to bridge that gap? Perhaps a 2021 3rd-round pick, which will come 12 months later and will be presumably closer to the bottom of the round as compared to the top. San Francisco’s 3rd-round pick, which belongs to Denver? It’s worth 120 points, which would bring the pick values to a dead heat.
It’d be a big win for Miami. Move up into the 1st-round for another top tier prospect and simultaneously add additional draft capital to the 2021 pile to ensure optimal flexibility moving forward.
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