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News out of Miami has been scant as to what they are looking to do with their 5th overall pick, but 24 hours before the draft, rumors are leaking out. They are looking to trade up, not to secure Tua Tagovailoa, but instead to draft a tackle, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Sources: 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. We could see a run on tackles in the Top 10 like never before.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 22, 2020
The Dolphins have been tight-lipped about their intentions and this leak comes a day before the draft, which should give us pause in considering it’s validity. There are a nice core group of offensive lineman in the draft and if they want one, they’re getting a top player at No. 5 without giving up any draft capital. If the report turns out to be true, the Dolphins stand a good chance to make a mistake with their first pick.
This report could also be a complete smokescreen, as the Dolphins and Chargers and maybe even a wildcard team could look to trade with the Lions for their third overall pick to secure Tagovailoa. The Lions don’t lose much if they drop from third to fifth, so they might give up the pick relatively cheaply if there isn’t a bidding war. The Dolphins could also be trying to drive down interest by saying they want a lineman there instead of quarterback.
Of course, this is all speculation and nearly impossible to parse, as there is too much riding on such a high pick to trust any reports fully at this point in the process.