If the Miami Dolphins are intent on drafting LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, they’re suddenly going to need a lot of help. For all intents and purposes, the only way the Dolphins will sniff the 2019 Heisman Trophy winner is if the Bengals ultimately fall in love with another quarterback to open the door.
It’s not impossible, but it doesn’t look like the most realistic outcome at this point in time. For the Dolphins, that’s perfectly fine. All assumptions at this point lead to the Dolphins targeting a different quarterback anyway — Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa.
But if the recent report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter is true, the Dolphins can officially remove the “trade up to the 1st-overall pick” option off their list of draft strategies.
The Bengals are either posturing for a mammoth trade package, or they’re indicating they’re closed for business. Miami’s leverage with the 5th overall pick becomes increasingly important as less channels for targeting young quarterbacks become available for teams, as they have the proverbial “high ground” in a race to jump up and acquire a new quarterback via the draft.
It’s been a fun pursuit of LSU’s Joe Burrow — but it’s probably also time to close the book on these hopes for good. The Bengals have a good thing going for them and they’re apparently intent on not letting anyone pull them off of their spot — even with other good quarterback prospects available in the class. For the Dolphins, that just means more thorough vetting of Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, Jordan Love and the rest of the group.
