Miami Dolphins shouldn’t trade up for tackle in first round

The Miami Dolphins have 14 picks to use come the 2020 NFL Draft. No team can match those numbers.

Miami has a stockpile to do whatever it wants, using selections from both this year and next, where it has a pair of first-round choices as well. However, moving up in the draft to land an offensive tackle would be foolish.

General manager Chris Grier has done a nice job thus far. Last year, the team was completely torn down with the trades of left tackle Laremy Tunsil and cornerback/safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Yet those deals laid the groundwork for a vicious rebuild, netting a massive haul of draft picks including three in the first round.

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Using any of those selections to move up would be lunacy unless the Dolphins are going for a quarterback.

Miami has holes across the lineup both offensive and defensive. This remains true even after a free agency that saw the Dolphins sign linebacker Kyle Van Noy, defensive ends Shaq Lawson and Emmanuel Ogbah, guard Ereck Flowers and cornerback Byron Jones.

The needs are many, and the Dolphins have to fill them with young, cheap players. Enter the 14 picks over the next three days.

While left tackle is one of the premium needs of the roster, Grier shouldn’t panic by moving up in a draft loaded with them. Miami currently holds the No. 5 overall pick, along with the 18th-overall selection and the 26th.

Read: 2020 NFL Draft – Saints Should Be Thinking Quarterback Early

There’s a decent chance the New York Giants go with a tackle at No. 4 overall, taking either Tristan Wirfs (Iowa), Andrew Thomas (Georgia), Mekhi Becton (Louisville) or Jedrick Wills (Alabama). Regardless, the Dolphins will have their pick of the remaining three, and could be looking at their highest-rated tackle anyway.

If Miami wants to go with Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert at No. 5to answer the question of quarterback, it could hold firm at No. 18 and likely have a chance to draft Isaiah Wilson of Georgia, Boise State’s Ezra Cleveland or Houston’s Josh Jones. All are believed to be quality starters at the next level.

It’s tempting for Grier to move around the board, use some capital to make sure he lands his top guys and walk out of the draft with his dream haul. However, considering where the Miami Dolphins are in their rebuild, smart money says to hang tight, take the best available and utilize all 14 selections.