Dolphins Draft rumors 2015: Looking to trade up?

Three weeks from today, the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft will kick off from Chicago. Two years ago, when the Miami Dolphins were scheduled to pick 12th, the team jumped up to the third overall selection to grab defensive end Dion Jordan. The move was aggressive, but came at a decent price as they sent the Oakland Raiders the 12th pick and the 42nd selection for the ability to grab Jordan.

Two Drafts later, and the team could be looking to do it again. Currently holding the 14th overall pick, the Dolphins could continue their aggressive attack on the offseason with another trade when the Draft begins at the end of the month. Having already signed the top free agent in this year's class, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, as well as salary cap space in moves that sent off wide receiver Mike Wallace and linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, receiving wide receiver Kenny Still from the Saints in the Ellerbe deal, and cutting players like Brian Hartline, Brandon Gibson, and Philip Wheeler, Miami could be looking to solidify the team right now. According to CBS Sports' Rob Rang, the Dolphins have been reaching out to teams with selections in the top ten picks to judge the asking price to move up in the Draft.

Rang suggests the Dolphins could be looking to acquire wide receiver Kevin White from West Virginia, who he describes as "ranking highest on their board." White, at 6-foot-3, could give Miami the bigger wide out target they need, and he has the speed to go with that size, running a 4.35-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.

The Dolphins could also be looking to surprise people, picking one of the other top ten prospects including defensive tackles Leonard Williams from USC or Danny Shelton from Washington, offnesive tackles Brandon Scherff from Iowa or La'el Collins from LSU, or safety Landon Collins from Alabama.

The report from Rang is interesting, given a report two weeks ago from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Omar Kelly, which discussed the Dolphins looking to add draft picks, rather than spend additional picks in a trade up scenario. Currently, the Dolphins have six picks, with no scheduled third-round selection, and would like to obtain more. As Kelly wrote, "The Dolphins' goal in the 2015 draft is to replenish the team's depth, which explains why General Manager Dennis Hickey wants more draft picks and insinuated that Miami is open for business regarding a possible trade of the No. 14 selection."

Kelly continued, quoting Hickey who said, "'"We'd like to be able to massage the board to acquire more picks to get more chances at players. It always takes two. I would trade down, but it has to present itself. There have been many times when you want to trade down and the phone never rings. You're always prepared to trade up, or trade down.'"

Miami could be considering trading 2016 selections in a move up the Draft board this year, if Rang's report is true. The team could also just be trying to gauge the asking price for the picks a few ahead of them, so they can get the most value out of the 14th pick, if they were to trade back. It could simply be a matter of doing their due diligence in working out all scenarios before the Draft begins. Whatever the case, it looks like Miami will be active when the Draft begins.