Trade drama in draft?

Dolphins might need to deal to land top QB prospect.

DAVIE — The last time Mike Tannenbaum pulled off a blockbuster trade that involved a firstWhen round pick he was running the New York Jets’ front office, and that organization desperately needed a quarterback.

So Tannenbaum, who has pulled off more trades than any other NFL executive during his three-year run as the Dolphins vice president of football operations, sent the Cleveland Browns pick No. 17 and three players — defensive end Kenyon Coleman, safety Abram Elam and quarterback Brett Ratliff — to move up to pick No. 5, which the Jets used to select Mark Sanchez.

While history will show Sanchez was a disappointment as a starter for the Jets, the ability to move up 12 spots for three veterans resembles a work of art, one that Tannenbaum probably hopes he can replicate again someday soon, like next week during the NFL draft.

asked Wednesday during Miami’s pre-draft availability how many trade discussions he’s had this offseason,

Tannenbaum sidestepped the question by making a joke.

“My wife didn’t say yes the first time,” Tannenbaum said, referring to his proposal to Michelle. “So I’m used to asking more than once.”

And Tannenbaum will be looking to play let’s make a deal with teams picking ahead of Miami and behind the Dolphins in the week leading up to the start of the draft, which begins next Thursday and concludes on April 28.

“I think it’s a little misunderstood. For every 10 calls you make, you may get one trade done,” Tannenbaum said. “But very rarely does a trade actually start when you’re on the clock.”

The Dolphins are comfortable having the No. 11 pick, but to land one of the half dozen or so elite prospects in this draft Miami might need to move up a few picks, especially if the organization covets one of the four quarterbacks who are projected as first rounders.

One of the worst kept secrets about this draft is that Miami is fond of Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, and to land the Heisman Trophy winner the Dolphins might have to get ahead of the Jets, who have pick No. 3, and the Denver Broncos, who own pick No. 5.

Either of those teams could pick Mayfield, or any of the three other quarterbacks — USC’s Sam Darnold, UCLA’s Josh Rosen and Wyoming’s Josh Allen — who are projected as first-round talents.

The Dolphins would likely have to give up at least a second-round selection, if not more, to swap with a team that possesses a topfive selection.

Miami must decide if their target, whether it be Mayfield, or a defender like Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith or Virginia Tech linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, is worth it.

“I think there is,” Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said when asked if Miami has the resources to move up. “You can always make a deal to move up. It all depends on how much you want to give up. You see some deals with some teams, we may think that they gave up a lot to get up there. And then other times, you’re like, ‘Wow, they didn’t give up enough.’ ”

Grier then mentioned the Dolphins’ 2013 draft, which he was part of as former general manager Jeff Ireland’s director of college scouting. In that draft, Miami moved up from pick No. 12 to No. 3 to select defensive end Dion Jordan, and all they gave Oakland was a second-round pick in that same draft.

The Jets traded three second-round picks to the Indianapolis Colts to move up three spots in this draft, and the belief is they did it to ensure that franchise would land one of the quarterbacks that organization prefers.

“Sometimes trades before the draft have one set of criteria, whereas once you’re in the heat of the moment [things change],” Tannenbaum said.

“My view of that is the trade chart is a great guideline, but at the end of the day, if two teams want to get something done, they’re going to get something done.”

Miami’s draft board is already set, and the team is doing mock scenarios to prepare themselves for what could happen, making calls to gather information, and figuring out their strategy, one that must remain fluid because it is unclear where Miami will be picking on Day 1 of the draft.

“At the end of the day, I think you can move up or down fairly easily,” Grier said, “but you also still need someone to want that player, or move out of that spot.”

“You can always make a deal to move up. It all depends on how much you want to give up.” Chris Grier, Dolphins general manager

JAMIE SQUIRE/GETTY IMAGES It’s perhaps the worst kept secret in the NFL that the Miami Dolphins covet quarterback Baker Mayfield, above, but they might have to move up from their No. 11 spot in order to have a shot at him.

USC’s Sam Darnold