Talk of another Dolphins draft trade raises questions
So what do we make of NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport’s tweet that the Dolphins are again considering trading down for a second time?
That Monday tweet, for the 78 percent of America that isn’t on Twitter, was this: “The Dolphins have already made two moves in the NFL Draft and they may not be done yet: Sources say they’ve received calls from teams looking to trade up to No. 6 and it is something they’re considering. Lot of things in play, but Miami could be at it again.”
Rapoport then added this in a TV appearance on Tuesday: “If the Dolphins at 6 like who’s there, let’s say [Florida tight end] Kyle Pitts falls to them at 6, they would have a hard time, I would imagine based on my knowledge, trading out of taking Kyle Pitts.”
Making such a trade down before determining whether Pitts or LSU receiver Ja’Marr Chase is on the board at No. 6 seems foolhardy, and it would surprise me if the Dolphins did that.
But what if Pitts and Chase are gone by 6? Which of the two Alabama receivers the Dolphins would prefer (DeVonta Smith or Jaylen Waddle) in that scenario is the mystery. Smith can play both the slot and boundary. Waddle is more of a slot, and someone who spoke to the Dolphins front office in January said they were determined to find a fast, elite slot receiver this offseason. At least one, if not both, of the Alabama receivers should be available in the 9 to 11 range.
The Dolphins’ initial tradedown from 3 to 12 suggests there wasn’t a player (meaning Pitts or Chase) that they felt they absolutely must have in this draft.
The move up from 12 to 6 suggests they want to position themselves to take the best player on their board that’s left among Pitts, Chase, Smith or Waddle.
The Atlanta Falcons, at No. 4, remain a wild card in all of this. Though Falcons owner Arthur Blank reportedly is intrigued by the quarterbacks in this class, he is deferring to management on what players to pick. And ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported last week that the Falcons are trending toward taking a non-quarterback.
The Bengals could select Chase, Pitts, Oregon left tackle Penei Sewell or Northwestern tackle Rashawn Slater at 5.
NFL.com’s Albert Breer suggested he won’t be surprised if Waddle is Miami’s pick at six. And before some fans flip at that, keep in mind that Waddle caught 86 percent of his targets before his ankle injury last season and that among Power 5 wide receivers with 100-plus receptions since 2014, none averaged more yards after the catch per reception than Waddle (9.8).
And, as NFL Net’s Daniel Jeremiah said, Waddle is “one of the most talented kickoff and punt returners to enter the NFL over the last decade.”
For now, the Dolphins have essentially gained a 2023 49ers first-round pick and a 49ers compensatory pick after the third round in 2022 in exchange for moving from 3 to 12 to 6.
The Eagles now own Miami’s first-rounder in 2022, while the Dolphins’ own the 49ers’ firstrounder in 2022.
A move from 6 to Denver’s spot at 9, Dallas at 10 or the Giants at 11 could net the Dolphins either two second-rounders or a second or third. Extracting another 2023 first-rounder — instead of second- or thirdround picks in that scenario — would be a home run.
If the Dolphins get Pitts, there’s a strong argument to be made for either keeping Mike Gesicki or trading him.
The argument to trade him: There’s position duplication with Pitts. … Miami could save cap space by trading Gesicki for a draft pick instead of paying Gesicki $7 million to $10 million annually in free agency next spring. … And because neither Gesicki nor Pitts is a great blocker, that could reduce the viability of two tight-end sets with those two.
The argument to keep Gesicki with Pitts: As Pro Football Focus’ Andrew Erickson noted, “there’s a clear path for both Gesicki and Pitts to be used without extended overlap. Gesicki has been a glorified slot receiver since 2019, playing roughly 70% of his snaps lined up inside. Pitts played just
26.7% of his snaps from the slot in his final year at Florida, which was the lowest rate of any college tight end with at least 60 slot snaps.”
And Erickson noted that “in 2018 — arguably Tua Tagovailoa’s best season at Alabama — Tagovailoa played alongside future second-round TE Irv Smith Jr. [and] Smith’s passer rating generated when targeted ranks No. 1 among all college tight ends since 2018. Pitts’ 146.2 passer rating generated when targeted in 2020 ranks second.”
What’s more, as Erickson noted, Tagovailoa had a 102.5 passer rating with two tight ends and one running back on the field as a Dolphins rookie, compared with 79.8 otherwise. So
Tagovailoa is at his best with two tight ends and the team’s former tight ends coach (George Godsey) is positioned to be the new play-caller (not official).
CHATTER
Why did Dwyane Wade
join Utah’s ownership group ahead of the Heat’s? He felt a strong connection with Jazz owner Ryan Smith, with whom he had cultivated a friendship, and believed Smith — who is executive chairman and cofounder of Qualtrics, an experience management software company — could mentor him. Heat owner Micky Arison said he offered Wade a chance to become a Heat owner after he retired but Wade wasn’t ready at that point.
Wade isn’t permitted to be involved in Jazz basketball operations as long as he remains an analyst for TNT. And he intends to keep his TV job, at least for now.
Marlins second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. told R2C2 podcast that one of his goals is to homer off Zac Gallen, the pitcher for whom he was traded: “I’m not going to lie to you though, the one thing that I really do want to do is take him deep.” Gallen has a 2.78 ERA in 21 career starts for Arizona.
A Miami-Dade County prosecutor decided not to pursue charges against University of Miami tight end Larry Hodges
after his March arrest for carrying a concealed firearm and possession of 20 grams or less of marijuana. UM hasn’t allowed Hodges to suit up since that arrest and hasn’t said if he will remain on the team.
Barry Jackson: 305-376-3491, @flasportsbuzz