Dolphins trade-up would be for tackle, not Tua Tagovailoa
By John Buhler
The Miami Dolphins are considering moving from No. 5 in the 2020 NFL Draft. Apparently, it wouldn’t be for Tua Tagovailoa, but for an offensive tackle. Why?
The Miami Dolphins may look to trade up, but it might not be to draft Tua Tagovailoa.
Wait, what? Yes, according to The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, “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.”
Everybody and their brother knew the Dolphins were going to take a quarterback with their top-five pick. Whether it was for the Alabama Crimson Tide signal-caller or Justin Herbert of the Oregon Ducks, that remained to be seen. But to trade up for an offensive tackle when you don’t even have a franchise quarterback yet would be beyond shameful. What are you doing, honestly?
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 last time Dan Marino threw a meaningful snap in a football, Tagovailoa was a toddler living the dream out in Hawaii. In the 20 years since Marino was the man in South Beach, there’s been a lot of Jay Fiedlers, Chad Penningtons, Ryan Tannehills in Miami.
The Dolphins could have had a future Pro Football Hall of Famer in 2008, but they drafted a left tackle named Jake Long over some guy named Matt Ryan who went No. 3 to the Atlanta Falcons. Ryan is still starring in Atlanta, while Long only had a few great years before injuries caught up to him.
So what if this is the best offensive tackle draft we’ve ever seen? Didn’t we say the same thing in 2013 when Eric Fisher, Luke Joeckel and Lane Johnson all went in the top five? Fisher has been serviceable with the Kansas City Chiefs. Joeckel busted catastrophically with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Though Johnson has had the best career with the Philadelphia Eagles, he’s only a tackle!
If the Dolphins do trade up to No. 3 with the Lions to draft some overhyped tackle prospect, they deserve to lose to the Los Angeles Chargers or whoever ends up drafting Tagovailoa every single time they play him. Tagovailoa may have his injury concerns and he didn’t have a stellar Wonderlic score, but guess what? Neither did Marino, and he was incredible!
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Don’t be stupid and trade up for an offensive tackle when there are potentially four franchise quarterbacks going in the first round, Dolphins. Show us you actually learned something from your gaffe made back in 2008. Otherwise, you won’t fool anybody. Everyone will crush you if Tagovailoa becomes a superstar and this offensive tackle you traded up for is only a two-time Pro Bowler.