Aside from selecting a head coach, the single most important decision the Dolphins face this offseason came into focus Monday, with Ohio State's Dwayne Haskins _ the draft's top quarterback prospect _ announcing he will turn pro.
Here's the question that confronts Dolphins football operations czar Chris Grier: Do you: 1) offer a ton of appealing assets to try to move up from 13th in the draft in order to select Haskins or 2) bypass selecting a quarterback with the plan to tank next season and select one of several top quarterbacks in next year's draft; or 3) stay where you are in this year's draft and select a quarterback who is far from a sure thing in the first three rounds?
If Miami takes the long view, it could (wink-wink) tank this season and try to position itself to get a top two pick next season, which would mean a chance to select Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa and Oregon's Justin Herbert or as consolation prizes, perhaps Georgia's Jake Fromm or Stanford's K.J. Costello.
But if Grier becomes enamored with Haskins, then Miami might aggressively try to trade up in April to get him.
At least four teams picking ahead of Miami could be looking for quarterbacks to develop as a potential starter: the Giants (picking sixth), Jacksonville (seventh), Denver (10th) and Cincinnati (11th). It would easier for any of those teams to move up than it would be for the Dolphins at No. 13.
What the Dolphins have going for them, should they try to move up for Haskins, is the fact the top three teams in the draft either drafted or traded for their starting quarterbacks in the past two years _ Arizona (first pick), San Francisco (second) and the Jets (third).
The Raiders, at No. 4, have Derek Carr, unless they try to trade him, and Tampa Bay (fifth) already has said Jameis Winston is returning.
Haskins is "going to be in contention to go No. 1 overall," Mel Kiper Jr. said Monday on ESPN.com, noting that the Giants, Jaguars and Broncos are all teams to watch for trade-ups (with all picking ahead of Miami).
Kiper noted that two teams have moved into the top 10 to draft quarterbacks each of the past three years, and Haskins "is a guy maybe teams will look to move up (to get). He's the single entity as a top-five, top-10, maybe No. 1 overall pick."
The best example of what the Dolphins might need to give up to move from 13 to 1: In 2016, the Rams moved from No. 15 to No. 1 in the first round (giving them a chance to draft quarterback Jared Goff) by trading to Tennessee the No. 15 overall pick in that 2016 draft, two second-round picks (2016), a third-round pick (2016), a first-round pick (2017) and another third-round pick (2017).
The Titans also sent their fourth- (No. 113) and sixth-round (No. 177) picks in 2016 to the Rams, along with the No. 1 overall pick.
Miami has one pick in each of the seven rounds of April's draft.
The Jets, in moving up from sixth to third to select quarterback Sam Darnold last April, gave the Colts their No. 6 overall pick, two second-round picks _ No. 37 and No. 49 overall _ as well as a 2019 second-round pick. Moving from 13th to a top pick assuredly would take even more.
As for Haskins, "at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, he can make every throw," Kiper said. "He has an effortless and compact release, and that shows when he's launching balls across the field on out routes, and when he's hitting receivers in stride on go routes. He's accurate, shows great anticipation on throws and takes care of the ball. He's athletic, but he's not a runner.
"Haskins shows poise and never gets rattled. He loves the spotlight and craves pressure _ just look at how he stepped up and torched Michigan, one of college football's top defenses. The high ceiling is there, and that's what NFL teams want."
