Sat, Mar 27, 2021
By Jim Vassallo (Veri.bet Writer)
It was a busy day Friday for three NFL teams as the San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, and Philadelphia Eagles administered multiple trades of draft picks related to the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
It all began when the Dolphins traded the number-three-overall pick to the San Francisco 49ers for the 12th-overall pick in the first round. The Dolphins then shipped that #12 pick to the Eagles for the number-six-overall pick in the first round.
At the end of the day, the Dolphins also acquired multiple first-round draft picks in future years and also have the #18 overall pick in this year’s draft.
In the deal with the 49ers, the Dolphins also acquired the first- and third-round picks in 2022 and a first-round pick in 2023.
In the deal with the Eagles, which included the #12 pick, the Dolphins sent Philadelphia the No. 123 pick this year and their 2022 first-round pick. The Dolphins received the Eagles’ #6 pick and #156 pick in the 2021 draft.
According to reports, the 49ers had been attempting to move into the top five of this year’s NFL Draft. The team had spoken with the Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, and the Cincinnati Bengals. After all of the discussions, the 49ers were able to swing a deal with the Dolphins to move to #3 in the draft order.
All signs point squarely towards the 49ers drafting a quarterback at #3 even with sources within the San Francisco organization stating that Jimmy Garoppolo is the quarterback this year.
The trade made by the Eagles could net the franchise as many as three picks in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. It all depends on how much former quarterback Carson Wentz plays for the Indianapolis Colts in the 2021 season.
The move by the Dolphins out of the #3 slot in the draft is a clear message that the team is preparing to build around second-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who split time under center with Ryan Fitzpatrick during the 2020 season.
In January, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie spoke to the media about the state of the team.
“I think we gained from the short-term decision-making, but there was no stage where we weren’t aware that a lot of those decisions and resource allocations and the lack of volume of draft picks wasn’t eventually going to create a real trough, a real transition period, and I think that’s what we’re in.
“We’re in a real transition period, and it’s not unlike 2016. We have to retrench and rededicate and allocate resources to what can make us the best possible team in the mid-term, in the long term, and hopefully, compete in the short term because I think we can, but honestly, that’s really where we’re at.”
As with all trades involving NFL draft picks, it could take years to determine how well these three trades work out for each individual team, especially when it comes to hitting on talent using the picks in the later rounds.
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