This year’s draft starts with a QB

The debate inside the Miami Dolphins hasn’t just been how to structure a trade with Cincinnati for quarterback Joe Burrow, if they can get past quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s frail nature or whether quarterback Justin Herbert’s loud talent will conquer his quieter personality.

It’s whether to take a quarterback at all with their fifth overall pick.

It’s if they should get the less risky talent with their three first-round picks, build out the roster infrastructure and draft a quarterback later in the draft or even next year.

There’s some sense to this. Some rational thought. There’s also this question:

What was last sacrificed season for? That’s a question some high officials in the franchise were asking after that win in New England closed the season with an unfortunate five wins and the fifth draft pick. That day said good things about coach Brian Flores and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

It also pushed them further from the prize the season was built on. Didn’t they trade young talent to either get the top draft pick or enough trade flexibility to finally get a franchise quarterback?

If the Dolphins don’t get that quarterback with one of their top picks, it underlines what a wheel-spinning year they’ve had. It charted a bold path, as has been plowed over many times. Call it “tank.” Call if “rebuild.” But the verb that best fits is that last season was “sacrificed.”

And now there’s an internal debate on whether to pass on a quarterback with the top picks and go the best-player-available route. There’s a way to do that. Draft the best-player with the fifth pick, trade back up with the 18th and 26th pick to get, say, Jordan Love.

But you do know the positions the Dolphins could likely take with the best-player-available scenario. It could be tackle and safety — and they could be pressed to get better than the very players they traded last year to get that

quarterback in tackle Laremy Tunsil and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.

Merely replacing them would take the Dolphins back to where they were this time last year if they don’t add an early quarterback. It would re-set the clock on this regime’s big decision again.

I heard whispers the Dolphins might not take a quarterback with one of their top picks a few weeks ago. I discounted them. I hoped them away as a smokescreen from the real idea. But respected voice Peter King said the same on Pro Football Talk on Friday.

“I heard a few things about the Miami Dolphins in the last few days,” he said. “No. 1, there are people in the building who are madly in love with Joe Burrow. They would love to be able to go up and get him. They’re probably not going to be able to go up and get him.

“But there are other people in the building who believe this is the draft we use to rebuild and restock our franchise. Not just with free agents who are going to be come-and-go guys. But with cornerstone players who they are going to keep for the long haul.”

Trade for Burrow? Yes, even if it’s against high odds, make Cincinnati an offer it loses sleep over. Three No. 1’s and a No. 2? Sure, that’s the Dolphins’ fifth pick and the booty from the Tunsil trade. Make it four No. 1’s if the alternative is to come out of the first day of the draft without a quarterback.

Look, it’s hard to find a great quarterback. It’s a dart throw in most cases. Throw out the too-soon 2019 draft and

there were 22 quarterbacks drafted in the top 12 over the previous decade. The list of franchise quarterbacks: Matthew Stafford (2009), Cam Newton (2011), Andrew Luck (2012), Carson Wentz (2016), Patrick Mahomes (2017) and Deshaun Watson (2017). That’s grading loosely, too.

Of those, only Wentz, Mahomes and Watson weren’t the first pick. Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson (32nd) and Russell Wilson (third round) were cheaper finds in that time. All that would point to the Dolphins building the roster’s infrastructure in the first round and throwing a dart at a quarterback later. Or what if Jordan Love fell like a fantasy to their 18th pick?

You can talk yourself dizzy on why not to pick a quarterback with the fifth pick. The Dolphins did just that the past three years by not going after Mahomes and Watson, not trading up for Josh Allen like Buffalo did and fearing Jackson might not only get hurt with his style but require a new offense.

They did, however, trade for Josh Rosen. It was a smart trade no matter how it ends. You’ve got to keep taking shots. That’s been the forever idea in football, right from when the Dolphins started in 1966. The first pick overall was Kentucky quarterback Rick Norton. The next year’s pick at No. 4 was Bob Griese.

The general manager, Joe Thomas, was asked how he could take another quarterback.

“I’m going to keep taking one until I get one,” he said.

It’s the only way. It’s why the Dolphins sacrificed last season. It should be quarterback or bust for the Dolphins with the fifth pick — even if that delivers a bust.

Dave Hyde