How far would you be willing to slide down the draft board?
The Miami Dolphins are stuck bargain shopping in free agency, as salary restrictions prevent them from fully replenishing the roster. Even with 10 draft picks to work with, the key is finding players that can hit the ground running in year one.
Offensive linemen Armand Membou and Kelvin Banks have been mocked to the Dolphins, and either first-round Georgia defender, Jalon Walker or Malaki Starks, would instantly improve the defense. Given multiple ways to upgrade the roster in Round One, would trading back be the best move for the Dolphins?
Fox Sports NFL reporter David Helman took a jab at a post-free agency mock draft that included three round-one trades. Not only did the Las Vegas Raiders trade with the New England Patriots to select Shedeur Sanders, but Cleveland also climbed back into the first round for Jalen Milroe, and the Dolphins moved down seven spots, allowing the Denver Broncos to take Ashton Jeanty at No. 13.
Helman doesn’t include trade details, but a seven-spot jump in the middle of the first round could be worth a mid-second to early-third round pick, according to NFL Draft trade value charts. In addition to a likely Day 2 pick, Miami lands Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron at No. 20 overall.
An Associated Press All-America First-Team cornerback, Barron started 16 games last season with 67 total tackles and 16 passes defended while leading the SEC with five interceptions. At 5’11” and 200 pounds, he’s logged 227 tackles, 32 passes defended, eight interceptions, and two sacks across 57 games with the Longhorns.
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“I bet the Dolphins would be devastated to see Tyler Booker go off the board two picks in front of them, but that’s the risk of trading back,” Helman wrote. “No matter, Miami needs a viable starter opposite Jalen Ramsey in the secondary. Barron’s measurables aren’t ideal, but nearly everything else about his game looks first-round caliber.”
Barron would address a need at cornerback, and Starks would be available until pick No. 24, where the Minnesota Vikings select him in this mock draft. Taking Booker, a long-term solution at guard, isn’t a perfect fit for Miami’s scheme and wouldn’t necessarily improve the roster as much as Starks or Barron.
If the top linemen — Membou, Banks, and Will Campbell—along with Walker and Michigan cornerback Will Johnson are all off the board when Miami is on the clock at No. 13, adding a mid-Day Two pick might be enough to seal the deal on a trade down.