The focus of all NFL organizations and fans is the 2016 Draft on Thursday April 28th.
Due to a rush on QB’s, what top talent could realistically fall to the 13th pick?
The Dolphins originally had the eighth pick overall, but after the trade with the Eagles they now sit at thirteen. There lingers a concern that Miami may lose out on a top tier player because of the trade. But the success of the trade will be based on more than that. The trade evaluation with have three parts: the success of Alonso and Maxwell’s, the player picked #13, and the player missed in the trade back from #8. Of the three, Miami now only has control of one part – who they pick. So what top talent could realistically fall to the 13th pick?
Florida Cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III was a starter for the Gators since he was a Freshman, and his cover skills are already compared to some of the top Corners in the league. Many sports gambling fans are saying that he is already better than most of the Corners already playing in the NFL. Hargreaves is a stud that excels from press or zone coverage – which is perfect because it appears that Miami will run a press zone defense this year. Gase has stated they need backs and corners – this likely would be the best case scenario for them at the 13th pick.
However, I believe a team in the 9-12 range is going to jump on Hargreaves, and Miami has a strong chance to miss out on him.
If Hargreaves becomes unavailable it might mean that Notre Dame Offensive Tackle Ronnie Stanley has fallen and could be in striking distance. Stanley has it all, he is quick, long, and athletic, and many draft pundits believe he has the ability to be Pro-Bowl Left tackle in the NFL. In the last couple of years Miami’s starting Left Tackle Branden Albert has struggled against injuries, is already 31 years old, and has a $10.6 million dollar salary cap number in 2017. Stanley probably won’t make make it past the Bears and this could also open up the possibility of Conklin (T) who PFF has given a higher grade to. The only negative with Conklin is he more suited for a man-blocking, power system like up in Buffalo and not as much with Miami’s zone-stretch. Selecting Stanley or Conklin immediately upgrades one of the team’s weakest units and gives them more flexibility because either player can be moved to Guard and then get kick back out to tackle next year.
A trade back would offer Miami shots at a good player while netting more picks.
If these two players are already taken they might have paved the way for Ohio State Running Back Ezekial Elliot to fall to the 13th pick. He is by far the best running back in the draft, and while Miam needs someone to pair with Ajayi. This would be an excellent situation for Miami as they could either keep the top running back or use him as trade bait for another team.
While a trade back would allow Miami to grab more picks, it could also put further strain on them drafting who they want. However, while a trade would add risk to the reward, depending on how far they moved back, Miami could still have shots at William Jackson III, (CB), Eli Apple (CB), Reggie Ragland (ILB), and Mackensie Alexander (CB), or Cody Whitehair (G). And anyone of them would help Miami’s roster while also fetching them extra picks.
And lastly, to bring it full circle, the Eagles might very well be selecting Elliot. But by not selecting Hargreaves, they would be helping Miami get a better chance at acquiring the CB. I’d be willing to bet dollars to donuts that Tannenbaum had an invisible clause in his trade with the Eagles that he needed to know if Hargraves would be their pick.
What are the rest of the Miami Dolphins News fans thoughts about the 13th pick?
