We have no idea what the Miami Dolphins 2021 NFL Draft board will look like this afternoon. But what we do know is that the consensus top tight end in this year’s draft is Kyle Pitts of Florida and the seemingly consensus top recipient in this year’s draft is LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase. How good are their resumes? Thanks to the Atlanta Falcons and the Cincinnati Bengals, there’s a real chance neither of these two players will hold up to the No. 6 overall pick – when the Miami Dolphins hit the clock.
That is the bad news.
But the good news for the Dolphins is that a recent report by Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer appears to indicate that the Miami Dolphins could avoid a potential ‘doomsday’ scenario in the 2021 NFL Draft, where neither the top-tight ending nor the top-wide lasts until the number 6 overall choice. The report is from Breer’s weekly MMQB column and highlights the intentions of the Atlanta Falcons, who are currently slated to rank at number 4 overall.
“The first three choices are discussed. And that leaves the Falcons as a team to watch – one that has to make a choice with some complicated finances at the quarterback (due to all of Matt Ryan’s restructuring), and a team that needs cheaper young talent to play with. . surround the core, ”wrote Breer.
“I suspect the Falcons will stay at number 4 and take a quarterback because I don’t think they want to count on getting caught that high again and this happens to be a very strong year in the position. But I know they are open to the idea of trading the choice and have had exploratory talks with other teams about a deal where someone else would move up to number 4. “
Exploratory talks with other quarterback-hungry teams are certainly something to note – although the Carolina Panthers’ decision to trade for QB Sam Darnold may affect the urgency of the trade market for this year’s draft. And if it does, Miami could come under pressure and see the Falcons draft TE Kyle Pitts on a “best player available” principle. But if enough teams want to fight each other for a quarterback and the Falcons get a deal sweet enough to force them to act and follow up on the calls they’ve already had, the dolphins would be guaranteed to see at least one. from TE1 & WR1 on the board for them at number 6 overall.