Piece by: Tyler Deakin
The 2021 NFL Draft received quite the shakeup on Friday when the NFL announced a pair of draft pick trades involving the Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers, & Philadelphia Eagles. The Dolphins traded their 3rd overall pick to the 49ers in exchange for their 12th overall pick, 3rd round pick, 2022 1st round pick, & 2023 1st round pick. Immediately afterwards, the Dolphins traded their 12th overall pick & 2022 1st round pick to the Eagles in exchange for their 6th overall pick. That was a lot to digest, so did you catch all of that? Here’s the breakdown on how it affects the ’21 draft: a) the Dolphins moved down in the draft order from No. 3 to No. 6, b) the 49ers moved up from No. 12 to No. 3, & c) the Eagles moved down from No. 6 to No. 12. So, what does all of this mean in the grand scheme of current & future NFL Drafts?
MIA sets up for the long haul
The Dolphins have six 1st round picks, four 2nd round picks, & four 3rd round picks over the next 3 years as the fruits of their labor from their wheeling & dealing over the past couple of years. They will set the tone of the draft for the next few years if they keep all of these picks in-house. That’s an impressive feat for a team coming off a 2020 season in which they finished with a 10-6 record. Their current focus is to upgrade the supporting cast around QB Tua Tagovailoa. Wide receiver & offensive line are amongst the positions the Dolphins could address at No. 6.
SF will draft a quarterback at No. 3
There’s no way that the 49ers make this type of aggressive move up the draft board for anyone other than a quarterback, right? The assumption is that 3 QBs will go back to back to back in the first 3 picks. That means that the 49ers will select from amongst the 3rd best QB candidates of a crop that could include Zach Wilson, Justin Fields, Trey Lance, & Mac Jones. These QBs have different styles, so it will be interesting to see who the 49ers select. This trade also means the end of the road for 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo, who is now a trade candidate. Reuniting Jimmy G with the New England Patriots would make sense for both teams.
PHI continues rebuilding
The Eagles are officially rebuilding after trading QB Carson Wentz & trading down to No. 12 in the draft this year. These moves come following a disappointing 2020 campaign where the team finished with a 4-11-1 record. This rebuild makes sense for the Eagles, as they entered the offseason with an aging, underperforming roster. It’s likely that the Eagles aren’t done making moves either, as TE Zach Ertz out of Philly. Multiple different positions (wide receiver, offensive line, cornerback, etc.) are in play for the Eagles at pick No. 12 this year.
ATL is interesting at No. 4
I’m an Atlanta Falcons fan, and I have no idea what their plans are with the No. 4 pick. Here are their options: a) draft a franchise QB, b) draft the best non-QB player available (OL Penei Sewell, TE Kyle Pitts, LB Micah Parsons), or c) trade down to acquire picks. I believe that the value in trading down has decreased after the 49ers moved ahead of us in the draft order; however, if a team (Broncos, Patriots, Bears) wants to draft the No. 4 QB on the board, they must move past the Panthers at No. 8 in order to do so. This makes the Falcons a valid trade partner for these teams, who are desperate to find their franchise QB. The Bengals, Dolphins, & Lions could also make trades, but they all seem comfortable in current their draft positions. Could we see another blockbuster trade involving the Falcons before the 2021 NFL Draft?
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