The Miami Dolphins’ fortunes heading into the 2021 offseason will provide the team with ample opportunities to make a splash and add another massive wave of talent to their young roster. Miami, with three picks inside the top-40 and four picks inside the top-50 of the 2021 NFL Draft, could go any number of different directions. They could trade for an elite talent, they could sit tight with their current embarrassment of picks or, alternatively, they could trade back and add even more selection opportunities into the fray.
That is the path chosen for Miami in ESPN NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay’s latest 201 NFL mock draft.
In McShay’s mock, the Dolphins opt to trade out of the No. 3 overall pick and fall back to No. 8, where they select Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith to help bolster Tua Tagovailoa’s pass catching weaponry. Such a trade would presumably net the Dolphins significant selections, including presumably a future 1st-round pick from Carolina — making it three consecutive seasons with at least two first round picks for the Dolphins.
That proposition is an easy one to get behind. And at No. 18, McShay takes another popular route with Dolphins fans, selecting USC offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker to help further reinforce the Dolphins’ trenches and protect Tagovailoa. That investment would give Miami two first round picks from USC on their offensive line, plus the addition of right tackle Robert Hunt inside the top-40 picks last season.
How Miami chooses to handle free agency starting in the middle of the month will be massive for setting the tone in April’s draft. But the early indications, thanks to the decision to part ways with LB Kyle Van Noy, seem to indicate that Miami is going to once again be an aggressor and reshape the roster via free agency so that they’re able to be as flexible as possible with their draft strategies.
