On the eve of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins are trying to make a first-round trade with the Detroit Lions — and that could throw a wrench into the Giants’ draft day plans.
“The Dolphins have called the teams in front of them for a possible trade up from No. 5 and are gauging the price to come up to No. 3 to potentially take an offensive tackle,” according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, ”
The Dolphins own a league-high 14 picks in this year’s draft, including three first-round picks (No. 5, 18 and 26), which means they have more than enough capital to make an intriguing pitch to the Lions at No. 3. Detroit then could theoretically land Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah at No. 5.
The report comes as a shock in that Miami would place a higher priority on filling the left tackle void left by Laremy Tunsil than drafting a much-needed quarterback following months of Tua Tagovailoa-Justin Herbert hype.
The Dolphins parted ways with Tunsil as part of a trade with the Texans.
Trading up to No. 3 also could imply that despite the four blue-chip tackles in this year’s draft projected to go in the first half of round one — Alabama’s Jedrick Wills, Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs, Georgia’s Andrew Thomas and Louisville’s Mekhi Becton — general manager Chris Grier and the Dolphins organization are enamored with a particular tackle whom they think Giants’ GM Dave Gettleman could take at No. 4.
With a bevy of teams, including both the Giants and Jets, in need of offensive line help, “we could see a run on tackles in the Top 10 like never before,” Rapoport wrote.
The 2020 NFL Draft will kick off via video conference on Thursday, April 23 at 8 p.m. ET.