I've got to admit, this is fun and geeky. I'm sure you've seen this before but it's a fun tool that allows you to operate as GM and even do some trades: https://www.profootballnetwork.com/mockdraft/ Here's my draft: Traded back to 8 and picked up CAR's 2nd and 3rd rounders, then selected Ja'Marr Chase I then traded back to 23 for another 2nd rounder and picked Rashawn Slater for value and to bolster our OL I used the 3rd rounder and one of the 2nd rounders to move up with Pitt to draft Najee Harris. 39. Nick Bolton 50. Daviyon Nixon 54. Kadarius Toney
As of now, my wish for the draft would be trade out of 3 get Parsons/Chase/Smith, get Waddle with our pick and move up to the end of the 1st round to get Harris. That would be my dream but Waddle probably will be gone when we pick and I think Harris gets picked earlier come draft day. Not sure about the rest yet, have to do my research.
My first attempt with that app was Zach Wilson, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Terrace Marshall Jr and Alex Leatherwood. In my second, I traded up with Denver and got Penei Sewell at 3 and then Devonta Smith at 9. Then Terrace Marshall Jr at 50.
No trades since it's so hard to simulate, just picked the 1st two rounds as they fall on the board- 1a. Chase (WR) 1b. Pitts (TE) 2a. Harris (RB) or Etienne (RB) 2b. Trask (QB) Note, I fully expect we'll trade back from #3, but those are the four I'd hope for anyway in those picks. Hopefully we grab one extra pick in there as well.
I don't think we will trade back from 3. Not that we don't WANT to, but I don't think we're going to get a good enough offer.
The trade simulator on the program I was using was throwing out some crazy offers- like Carolina's #8 and next year's 1st for #3, New England offering this year's first and next year's 1st/2nd....it didn't feel realistic though so I decided not to play that game. I do think we'll get some offers if NY doesn't take a QB (or if they don't trade back themselves- which would be the smartest move for them). I ran 3 or 4 simulations and WR's were flying off the board, so I couldn't get one where we grabbed two of the elites. In most scenarios, Pitts was gone in the top 15 as well. But who knows if that's actually realistic.
I did another draft and went crazy with trades. Got Sewell, Waddle and Etienne in exchange for all the rest of our 2nd and 3rd and 4th round picks and a 3rd and a 4th next year. Yeah, I know, we wouldn't do it, but it was fun.
I think we will trade out of the 3rd spot, there will be offers come draft day by a team that needs a QB especially if 2 QBs were taken with the first 2 picks.
Yeah, those top receivers go quick which i assume comes down to their rankings and team needs. I wonder about that second tier of receiver like Rondale Moore and Rashard Batemen out of Minn. If we can get a game changing LB or OT with 1 and still improve our skill position with our 2nd 1st rounder or 2nd round picks, that's a win.
Fun to play with this, but some crazy trade offers: I ended up with the craziness of #18 Najee Harris, #35 Terrace Marshall Jr WR, #36 Alex Leatherwood OT, #50 Amon-Ra St. Brown WR, and #52 Creed Humprey OC. This was with several trades that get Miami THREE extra 2022 first rounders from Atlanta, Detroit, and Chicago.
Man doing these early mocks and it's hard to not take Sewell. The more I think on it, the more I think a WR at #3 is just too much. QB, OT and Passrushers are the generic top three types because of their value. We likely won't do QB despite what many think of Tua's year, and there is no wrecking ball at DE, which leaves OT by default, and dang Sewell is a heckuva player. Whether you play him at left and try to swap AJ to the right, or move AJ to guard, or just stick Sewell in at LG ... lots of options. I think the best is going to be to trade out. We will see either Justin Fields or Penei Sewell at 3, find the teams that NEED one of those dudes and work the phones.
I completely agree with you on several points, especially who you should be drafting that high. I'd be willing to trade back, even if we didnt quite get what the trade value charts indicate that we should be getting. Would love to trade with Det, Car or SF for their 1st, 2nd and a mid round depending on where they are in the draft.
Okay, so I finally had a little free time to play around with the simulator with trades. My draft is: #32 overall, Najee Harris #47 Kadarius Toney, WR Florida #50 Amari Rodgers, WR Clemson #64 Kyle Trask, QB Florida I also traded back 5 times, picking up: 2022 Cinci 1st rounder 2022 Denver 1st rounder 2022 Chargers 1st rounder 2022 Tampa 1st rounder 2022 KC 1st rounder 2022 KC 2nd rounder I have to admit, this would be the best draft in the history of professional sports. We land our elite RB. We get two very good receivers; Toney is the poor man's Chase. Then we still get our developmental QB with six 1st rounders and two 2nd rounders next season.
My favorite one so far is: 7. Chase 20. Rousseau 28. Najee Harris 40. Toney 52. Moses Denver 1st Traded the 3rd rounder next year
I think that this is circumventing the real question here. WR is our most obvious need. This free agency class is an exceptional class. I think that we should be discussing names AND prices. It is super easy to go say, "Go get player x," all you need to do is state get the best player at each position, but this is the very reason that we have been so bad for so long. These guys often came at overinflated prices that came with expectations so great, it made it nearly impossible for these players to live up to the expectation dictated by their salary. Essentially, they were destined to be a bust before they ever walked onto the field. First and foremost, we need to think about "walk away prices" for these guys, and we have to stop saying Player X was a good signing. We need to start saying, Player X at Salary Y was a good signing. I love, love, love Allen Robinson. I think he would be true WR1 for Tua, but the closer we get to a $20 mil per year salary, the less I like the acquisition. This is where I begin to shift my thinking. Okay, if Robinson, gets $20 mil, what would Godwin cost? Is he a lesser player? Yes. But hypothetically, if he was $5 mil a year cheaper, I think it would be better signing because I don't think it is a $5 mil per year difference between the two. Then throw in a guy like Marvin Jones who supposedly wants to play in Miami. What if he was willing to do a deal at a discount? That is worth considering. Finally, the question is how much we are willing to put into WRs. 1 WR? 2 WRS? Once we see the amount and names, THEN we should start thinking about the draft.
I’d be fine with signing someone that isn’t the top FA where we break the bank and handicap ourselves. If we could find a solid #2 or #3 and then draft for a #1.
If we look at historically good teams, they build through the draft, win a lot of football games and then sign veterans at a hometown discount so they can be part of a championship contender. I personally wouldn't sign anyone in free agency except for players on their rookie contracts that have yet to fully prove themselves (like Rosen/Perry) OR steady journeymen who won't command a premium (like Van Noy). Because once you start throwing $15M and $20M contracts to outsiders who don't know "the Flores Way", you quickly start to have a culture problem where you're probably not getting that 2nd contract because others are being overpaid. And that's not saying Robinson isn't worth $20M....but when you have Parker, Grant, Williams, etc that's bought into our team philosophies and suddenly some outsider is making 3x-5x your salary, that's a message that hard work does not pay off in Miami. We've done that over and over again, thinking we just needed one more piece and it's fine to overpay...only to realize that the one piece prevents us from having three other pieces that would make a much bigger impact. We have to continue building and promoting from within to build a true dynasty.
Honestly, I haven’t seen who’s available. I just don’t like breaking the bank for the top player. It’s just hard to get value out of it but of course there are exceptions. I like what we’re doing. Build the foundation through the draft and add some key pieces through FA.
If cheap, Marvin Jones would be a great signing. He's got a decent nose for the end zone and making big catches. He's not the playmaker and consistent threat he once was, but he's a good and savvy vet who could really help out. Definitely not worth a premium salary, but for a good price, I'd absolutely bring him in. I'd also strongly look at bringing in both a high end (Robinson, Smith-Schuster, Godwin) WR from the free agent pool and drafting a good player in the first. If Parker has played his last game as a Phin I won't be sad, but he can be an OK 2-3 as well. Williams I am done with, and Bowden and Perry are 4-5. We need reliable playmakers on offense. I wonder if Godwin's injuries this year may put a damper on him, whereas a Robinson might be worth the money being on the field more.
If we don't go WR with our 1st pick and if Waddle is gone come pick 18, what do you guys think of Rashod Bateman with our pick? He looks quite impressive, from what I saw from him.
Ideally I would trade down... 1a Sewell or Parsons 1b Waddell or Slater 2a Weaver or Ford. 2b C Surratt or Rondel Moore. 3 Javonte Williams or WR
This is pretty addicting and also probably not very realistic but... Traded back our #3 twice for 3 additional 2nd round picks and 2 3rd rounders Took Jamar Chase at #12 Traded 18 back to 21 for swapping a 2nd and 3rd and took Zaven Collins 36. Etienne, RB 38. Basham, Jr DE 41. Eichenberg, OT 43. Marshall Jr, WR 48. Dickinson, C 50. Holland, S
1.3: Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon 1.18: Zaven Collins, OLB, Tulsa 2.4: Najee Harris, RB, Alabama 2.18: Creed Humphrey, OC, Oklahoma Add some proven talent at WR through free agency and this offense will be ready to fly.
I'll do you some more: #6- Self explanatory #18- Flores and Co. are going to want to improve their 4-man rush, and Ojulari is a good out-of-the-box prospect for what the Dolphins want. He's got coverage skills, and can serve as an eventual replacement for KVN, or someone who lets you move AVG to more of an off the ball role. #36- Need runningback, I think this is the more value-centric move than taking Najee Harris in the 1st. #37- You need a Center, and Landon Dickerson I think is unique in terms of his strength and power. He's not Frank Ragnow, but he fits the model the Dolphins have set on the OL very well. #50- Elijiah Molden- I think it's almost a given the Dolphins are going to take some sort of CB/S hybrid relatively early. #81- They're going to want to start grooming a replacement for Lawson/Ogbah, and I think Odighizuwa is an interesting option- especially w/ the idea he ameliorates some of your issues with neither Lawson or Ogbah given much when they're lined up inside of the OTs. A 6'2" DE with 34"+ inch arms and experience inside is something that's going to get the Dolphins attention. #123- He had a bad final year with Michigan, but he looked like a very promising chase linebacker when last coached by Dolphins LB coach Anthony Campanille. I think that's as good a kind of target as any for the Dolphins MLB position.