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The NFL Draft is less than a month away and as free agency slows, the focus turns more and more to the Draft and the prospects who could be selected during the three day event. At NFL.com, draft analyst Chad Reuter published a four-round mock draft on Thursday, projecting the picks for all 32 teams throughout the first two days and into the third.
He starts the Miami Dolphins’ four-round mock with a trade, seeing the team move up to the ninth-overall pick to select Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins. He writes of the selection, “If the Giants pass on Haskins at No. 6, the Dolphins can find their future starter and have bridge quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick run things in 2019 (or until the team thinks Haskins is ready).”
The move does make sense as it gets Miami a quarterback now, and the trade jumps them in front of the Denver Broncos, who would likely be the next team after the Giants to select a quarterback. The trade feels odd because it is with the Buffalo Bills, meaning it is an AFC East division rival with whom Miami is trading. Do the Dolphins like Haskins enough to make that move? Would the Bills fall back while allowing a division rival to select their quarterback of the future?
Just to close the swap of picks, the Bills, according to Reuter, would then use the 13th pick to select Houston defensive lineman Ed Oliver. If Miami stays at 13 and both quarterbacks, Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray and Haskins, are off the board, Oliver would become a potential target for the Dolphins.
In the second round, Reuter has Miami using the 48th pick on Michigan edge rusher Chase Winovich. He explains the pick, writing, “Miami’s pass-rushing contingent is undergoing major changes this offseason with Cameron Wake and Andre Branch no longer on the team and Robert Quinn being traded to the Cowboys. Winovich could pair with 2017 first-round pick Charles Harris on the outside.”
The Dolphins’ third-round pick, the 78th overall selection, belongs to the Bills in this scenario, with Buffalo adding Notre Dame tight end Alize Mack here. To move from 13 to nine in the first round, the Dolphins would need - according to the infamous “draft pick value” chart - to provide 200 points for the teams to equal out (pick 13 is worth 1,150 points, pick nine is 1,350 points). The 78th pick in the draft is worth exactly 200 points, so, at least according to the chart, this would be exactly the compensation needed to make the trade.
After no third-round selection, Miami uses their fourth-round pick, number 116 overall, to add USC tackle Chuma Edoga. Reuter writes, “Edoga lacks the height and pure athleticism that some NFL offensive line coaches desire, but he has the length and want-to to get the job done on the edge.” Miami lost right tackle Ja’Wuan James in free agency this year, and in a year when the team is expected to focus on their foundation as they rebuild, adding a tackle here could make sense.
According to Reuter, Miami’s first four rounds of the 2019 NFL Draft would look like:
- First round - 9th overall - Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State (Trade with Bills)
- Second round - 48th overall - Chase Winovich, Edge, Michigan
- Third round - 78th overall - No pick (Trade with Bills)
- Fourth round - 116th overall - Chuma Edoga, T, USC
How would you react to those picks? Did Miami make the right move to trade up for Haskins?
Poll
How would you grade the Miami Dolphins’ performance in Reuter’s four-round mock draft?
This poll is closed
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10%
A
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16%
B
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22%
C
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24%
D
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25%
F