First of all, take anything you see and read as reports at this time of year, at face value. The dynamics of the NFL Draft will lead to a lot of misinformation and game play between teams through media sources. The goal is simple: let the other teams guess. And while the Miami Dolphins are among the teams that are typically effective at ‘smoke screens’ from the competition, the team still unmistakably has a type and it was no surprise to see which direction the dolphins asked in each of the last two went. NFL Drafts (at least in the top 20).
Miami has two more top-20 selections to come next Thursday. And while the team ideally tries to optimize the value of both squads, the pressure from other teams in the queue can force Miami to take advantage of their proverbial “high ground” if they feel they need to have a player in a specific position .
Take Alabama, for example, which is going back after Harris. By most accounts, Harris’s line up at number 18 is a bit rich overall for the price of a backlash these days. But there are reports that heavily link the Pittsburgh Steelers to Harris – which will pop up in the dolphins’ minds when they hit the clock.
The latter comes from Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, who reports that Pittsburgh expects to add a feature that will roll back in the second round at the latest – but most likely in the first round. Meanwhile, Harris spoke to ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Schefter’s podcast and spoke glowingly about his interview with Pittsburgh in the preliminary draft.
Perhaps this is all a way to be smoke, a player who really wants to push Pittsburgh in their lap if they can persuade Miami to take a different direction. But knowledge of the Pittsburgh interest rumors will no doubt linger in Miami’s minds when they hit the clock next Thursday with the No. 18 overall roster.
We’ll see if the pressure comes on Chris Grier and his company or if the dolphins decide to roll the dice.