Why Trade Down Is Best-Case Scenario for Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins currently hold the 13th overall selection in the 2025 NFL draft, but could an use additional early pick

Miami Dolphins GM Chris Grier | Alain Poupart/Miami Dolphins On SI

The Miami Dolphins currently sit with the 13th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft in a first round that has seen not one single selection change hands yet.

But it says here, and this has been a constant for the past several weeks, that they absolutely, positively should do everything in their power to trade that 13th overall pick, specifically trade it for a later pick in the first round in order to improve their overall draft capital this year.

The Dolphins do have 10 picks in the 2025 draft, but only two of those will come before the 98th overall selection toward the end of the third round. And then we should remember that three of the picks come in the seventh round, where expectations always have to be tempered in terms of what a player could contribute.

So when NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah mocked on air a hypothetical trade of the 13th overall pick along with one of the Dolphins' fourth-round choices (116th overall) to the Denver Broncos for the 20th overall pick and the 51st pick in the second round, we can't help but nod in approval.

The reason is simple: The Dolphins have so many needs heading into the draft, they more than likely should be able to find a good pick to fill one of those at 20 and then greatly would improve another selection by moving up 65 spots (if our quick math is correct).

For Denver, the goal would be to land Michigan's Colston Loveland, consider one of the two elite tight ends in the draft along with Penn State's Tyler Warren. The Indianapolis Colts are believed to be interested in drafting a tight end and they pick at 14th, right after Miami, hence the desire to jump to the 13th spot.

THE MULTITUDE OF DOLPHINS OPTIONS

As it stood around 1:30 p.m. Thursday, the list of good Dolphins options at number 13 would include offensive linemen Kelvin Banks Jr., Armand Membou and Grey Zabel; safeties Malaki Starks and Nick Emmanwori; defensive tackles Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, Walter Nolen and Derrick Harmon; and cornerbacks Will Johnson and Jahdae Barron.

Yes, some of those players are not going to be available at 13 and maybe 13 is too high for others, but what are the chances that all 10 of those prospects would be gone by 20?

By all accounts, the list of players who clearly look like top 20 picks, outside of those Dolphins potential targets include Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, Abdul Carter, Ashton Jeanty, Will Campbell, Jalon Walker, Warren, Loveland, Jihaad Campbell, Matthew Golden, Tyler Booker and Tetairoa McMillan.

Add the two lists of players we mentioned, and that's 23 prospects.

So basically the Dolphins could drop down to 23 and be assured of one of those prospects, any of whom could make an immediate impact for the franchise.

So unless the Dolphins have a very strong conviction on a particular player and only will get that player at 13, it says here (again) that moving down should be the move Thursday night.

ANOTHER TRADE-DOWN SCENARIO

Jeremiah wasn't the first draft analyst to propose a Dolphins trade down because NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter recently suggested six trades of first-round picks that he believes would benefit both teams involved, and one of them featured the Dolphins.

In Reuter's hypothetical scenario, the Dolphins would move down from 13 to 16 in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals that would also bring Miami a third-round selection.

Moving down three spots would mean the Dolphins would lose the chance at the three players selected 13th, 14th or 15th, and the danger there is losing out on the one player who could make the biggest (and most immediate) impact for the team.

But again, what works in the Dolphins' favor is that they have so many needs that the chances of running out of good options to fill one of those needs at 16 seem slim.

Logic would suggest that before they make that kind of move, the Dolphins likely would want to see how the draft is unfolding and which of their targeted prospects remain available.

DOLPHINS HAVE TRADED DOWN BEFORE

The Dolphins stayed put last year before selecting Chop Robinson and didn't have a first-round pick in either 2022 or 2023, but they did a trade down in the first round in 2021 that had an interesting twist.

That, of course, was the year the Dolphins moved from No. 3 to No. 12 in a deal with the San Francisco 49ers before moving back up to No. 6 after another deal, this one with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Dolphins also traded down in 2020, sending the third of three first-round picks to the Green Bay Packers while moving from 26 to 30 and picking up an extra fourth-round selection. They selected cornerback Noah Igbinoghene with that new first-round pick.

And we should point out that one of the times the Dolphins made the 13th pick, it came after a trade down.

That happened in 2016 when the Dolphins initially were scheduled to select eighth before sending that pick to the Eagles for the 13th pick as well as linebacker Kiko Alonso and cornerback Byron Maxwell, who both would end up playing big roles for the Miami team that ended the longest playoff drought in franchise history.

And with the 13th overall pick in 2016, the Dolphins drafted Laremy Tunsil, and we all know how that turned out.