Examining How Much Draft-Weekend Trade Activity to Expect from the Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins are scheduled to have 11 picks in the 2026 NFL draft, but that number very well might change before the end of the proceedings April 25.

In fact, it probably is more likely than not to change.

The reason obviously is that new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan very well might work the draft board with some trades to move up or down at certain spots, maybe doing both over the course of the three days of the draft.

There are trades throughout every draft weekend, and the Dolphins and Green Bay Packers have been participants on a regular basis over the past 10 years, so there is precedent both in South Florida and Wisconsin, where Sullivan and new head coach Jeff Hafley each worked before coming to Miami.

WHAT PACKERS HISTORY SUGGESTS

Sullivan's job history in Green Bay included becoming director of college scouting in 2016, co-director of player personnel in 2018 and finally vice president of player personnel in 2022.

During those 10 years, he saw the Packers consummate 16 draft-weekend trades, with a high of three in 2018.

The only time the Packers didn't make a trade on draft weekend in the past 10 years was last year.

For those looking for a pattern on whether Green Bay typically moves up or down in the draft, well, there isn't one.

The 16 trades involved nine moves up in a round, as opposed to seven moves down.

One of the moves up came in a 2020 trade with the Dolphins where the Packers gave up a fourth-round selection to move from 30th to 26th in the first round to select Jordan Love, 21 spots after Miami had selected fellow quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

WHAT DOLPHINS HISTORY SUGGESTS

That 2020 trade with Green Bay was one of five made by the Dolphins during that trade, which is a team record according to our research.

Along with that move the Dolphins, traded up in the fourth round using that Green Bay pick, traded a fifth-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers for running back Matt Breida, moved up in the fifth round, and then traded a pick in the seventh round for a 2021 late-round selection.

Yes, it is somewhat surprising that the Dolphins never had five draft-weekend trades under Jimmy Johnson, who was well known for his wheeling and dealing.

But even when the Dolphins wound up with 14 picks in the 1997 draft, they made only two trades during the draft. The other extra picks came from prior trades and there also were three compensatory picks — all in the third round — after heavy free agent losses that included Troy Vincent, Irving Fryar and Bryan Cox.

The Dolphins made two trades during the 2025 draft, Chris Grier's last as the team's GM, starting with the move up in the second round to take Arizona offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea.

The other came in the fourth down when the Dolphins traded a pick to the Houston Texans for a third-round selection this year — one of the reasons Miami currently sits with four third-round picks.

If we're looking at the first two rounds, the Dolphins have made five draft-weekend trades over the past 10 years, three times moving up in the second round, once moving down in the first round (the Love deal that ended with Miami taking Noah Igbinoghene 30th overall), and once moving down in the second round.

The trade-ups in the second round were made to select, in addition to Savaiinaea, offensive lineman Liam Eichenberg in 2021 and cornerback Xavien Howard in 2016.

If the Dolphins do make that kind of move again in two weeks, they obviously will be hoping for another Howard success story.

Either way, don't be surprised to see the Dolphins move up and down the draft on April 23-25.