The Dolphin
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- Mar 19, 2019
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Since Brian Flores took over as the Dolphins head coach in 2019, Miami has made several trades to maximize their opportunities in the first round of the draft.
The club had three first-round picks last year, has a pair this year, and will have two in 2023 following the blockbuster trade with the 49ers for the No. 3 overall pick. Miami has San Francisco’s first rounder next year, but sent its own top selection in 2021 to Philadelphia in exchange for Thursday’s sixth pick.
During an appearance on the Dolphins’ Drive Time with Travis Wingfield podcast, Flores said the primary objective with General Manager Chris Grier wasn’t necessarily to acquire early selections. But that’s still the way it’s worked out to this point.
“I wouldn’t say the goal is necessarily to accumulate first-round picks. I think it’s to put the best team together,” Flores said. “I think there’s a variety of ways you can do that. Trade, free agency, waiver-wire transactions, obviously the draft. And I think Chris and his staff have done a great job of using all those different avenues to bring in players and I think we’ve brought players in through those variety of ways — I think we’ve used them all. But it’s to put the best team together, not necessarily a team full of first-round picks.
“And look, we’re looking for guys who are tough, who are smart, who are competitive, and who love to play, and are team-first. And that’s kind of the criteria we look for and as we look through those different avenues to acquire players, that’s really always at the forefront.”
Though the Dolphins trades with San Francisco and Philadelphia put them at No. 6 overall, they still have a pair of selections slated for Thursday — the other coming at No. 18. Miami has four selections in the top 50, which should help the team go from a contender to a postseason berth if they work out as rookies.