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Folks, there are sometimes days where it feels like the offseason of the NFL is more exciting than the day-to-day of the regular season. Today was absolutely one of those days. In the span of 26 minutes the entire course of the 2021 NFL Draft changed forever. That also means that the direction of all 32 NFL franchises will feel the ripple effect of all of these moves. Here’s a perfect example of what I mean by that:
It’s crazy how much of an impact just one move can make on the course of the entire NFL. Today we had three teams getting in on the mix to change their franchises forever and it certainly will get even weirder. So let’s break down these trades and what they all mean.
Trade 1: San Francisco 49ers move up and trade with the Miami Dolphins
The first trade of the day that was reported at 1:04PM EST.
Full Trade Details:
49ers Receive: Pick 3 in the 2021 NFL Draft
Dolphins Receive: Pick 12 in the 2021 NFL Draft, 2022 1st Round Pick, 2023 1st Round Pick, and a 2022 3rd Round Pick
What this Trade Means:
- The 49ers are moving up to get a quarterback this year and they sold the farm to do so.
- Tua Tagovailoa is absolutely the Dolphins quarterback at least for next season
- One would assume that the 49ers likely offered this same deal to the Jets to move up to number 2 and the Jets presumably declined. The Jets are absolutely going to take a quarterback at number 2
Questions this Trade Poses:
- With the 49ers trading up to take a Quarterback, what happens to Jimmy Garoppolo long term? San Francisco may not be trading him tomorrow but his days in San Francisco are limited.
- Where does Sam Darnold play next season and beyond?
- It appears that the Jets really like Zach Wilson, so who will the 49ers take? Will the 49ers go Trey Lance or Justin Fields? I think it is a lot closer than people may realize.
Trade 2: Miami Dolphins move back up into the top 10 by trading with the Eagles
Full Trade Details:
Dolphins Receive: Pick 6 in the 2021 NFL Draft, Round 5 (Pick 157) in the 2021 NFL Draft
Eagles Receive: Pick 12 in the 2021 NFL Draft, Dolphins 2022 First Round Pick, Round 4 (Pick 124) in the 2021 NFL Draft
What this Trade Means:
- The Eagles are comfortable heading into 2021 with Jalen Hurts as their Quarterback
- With the Eagles out of the Quarterback race in 2021, they have the potential to have three total first round picks in 2022 with their own first round pick, the Dolphins first round pick, and potentially the Colts first round pick if Carson Wentz plays 75% of snaps for them
- The Dolphins still have a ton of draft capital and only ended up moving back three spots from their original selection
- I would think that the there will be four quarterbacks taken in the top 10 of this draft: Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Zach Wilson, and Trey Lance
Questions this Trade Poses:
- As we stated in our most recent mock draft, there could absolutely be 4 quarterbacks taken in the top 10. Which team moves up for Lance or Fields? Does either one of them fall?
- Does this trade put the Dolphins in position to take one of the elite pass catchers in this class? If so, who do they take?
We will get answers to these questions and even more over the course of the next month. It’s gonna be a fun ride!