What Will The Dolphins Do With The No. 3 Overall Pick In The NFL Draft: Exploring The Most Logical Scenarios

(Brian Flores consoling his starting quarterback/photo Getty Images courtesy of WPLG News 10)

With the NFL season ending in less than a week, the next few months will be full of mock drafts and projections for where soon to be free agents will land. One of the more intriguing draft storylines this year is what the Dolphins will do with the third overall pick that they received from the Texans in a 2019 trade for Laremy Tunsil. The Dolphins can go many directions with this pick and their decision could be franchise altering.

Draft Devonta Smith

(via usatoday.com)

This is the most likely scenario at the moment. The Dolphins number one receiver is DeVante Parker, who is a solid receiver, but they need another big time weapon for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (if they stick with Tua). Devonta Smith could be that game changing player that transforms an offense with an already stellar running back committee led by Myles Gaskin. Smith was the first wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy since Desmond Howard in 1991. In his 2020 campaign, Smith put up an absurd 1,856 yards receiving and 23 touchdowns. A player like Smith is exactly what the Dolphins need for their offense to take the next step.

Draft Ja’marr Chase

(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Although Smith had the best season this year, recency bias isn’t always a factor for some teams. That could be the case for Ja’Marr Chase, who chose to opt out of the 2020 season to focus on his professional career. Chase had a season to remember with the 2019 CFP champion LSU Tigers where he had 1,780 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns. Some draft experts say Chase is the best receiver in the draft, so the Dolphins may decide to take him instead of Smith. The Dolphins need someone opposite Devante Parker and like Smith, Chase could be the impact offensive player the Dolphins need.

If the Dolphins don’t take him, look for a team like the Bengals who have his pal and former LSU teammate Joe Burrow at quarterback to potentially take Chase.

Draft Penei Sewell

(via The Athletic)

The Dolphins offensive line was far from pretty this year. Pro Football Focus had them as the 28th ranked offensive line for the 2020 season, which is never good for a rookie QB. Drafting a player like Sewell will immediately improve the offensive line. Sewell opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19, but like Chase, had a phenomenal 2019 season. Sewell had the highest offensive line rating and the highest in PFF history at 95.5. He also had the highest run block grade at 95.3 and the third highest pass block grade at 91.1. 

Sewell didn’t allow a sack in over 926 snaps and allowed only seven pressures and two quarterback hits. Many analysts say Sewell is the best tackle prospect of the last decade and probably should be a top three pick, but the Jaguars and Jets are most likely taking quarterbacks. If the Dolphins feel they don’t need a receiver, then they will almost certainly take Sewell with the third pick, or at least they should.

Trade for Deshaun Watson

(Deshaun Watson talks to Houston Texans teammate JJ Watt after the final game of the 2020 season. Courtesy of Eric Christian Smith/AP)

Deshaun Watson has made it clear that he has no desire to be a part of the Texans organization. He has also publicly stated his preferred destinations are the Jets and Dolphins. The Dolphins certainly have enough capital to make this trade. They would probably have to give up both of their first round picks this year, a couple future first rounders, and maybe a few mid round picks. If this were to happen, it would be an obvious sign that the Dolphins don’t trust Tagovailoa, which means he would probably be included in the trade. The Texans will still likely want to pull the trigger on one of the quarterbacks in this draft such as Zach Wilson or Trey Lance. It would take a king's ransom for Watson, but for a generational talent, it’s probably worth it. 

Trade back with the Lions or Panthers

The Dolphins could feel like they need to secure as many draft picks as possible, so they might trade back with teams that need a quarterback like the Lions and Panthers. With Jared Goff having two years left on his massive four year contract worth $134 million, the Lions still need to find a replacement and may feel inclined to take the best quarterback available. The same can be said of the Panthers. Teddy Bridgewater was far from steller and the Panthers may feel it’s time to choose a franchise quarterback with second year coach Matt Rhule at the helm. The problem will be Bridgewater's contract, which has two years left on it worth $39 million. I don’t think the Panthers would want to pay that much for a backup, so it would be difficult for them to get the Dolphins to absorb that contract. 

A lot of scenarios could play out from the 3rd overall pick and there will be a ton of speculation over the next two months til draft night. For now, spend the Super Bowl with your friends and family as we look forward to Brady/Mahomes round five, a matchup we may never see again.