2021 NFL draft: Winners, losers of Dolphins, Eagles and 49ers trades
We’re still a month away from the 2021 NFL draft, but the chaos is already underway, as a pair of blockbuster trades Friday turned the top of this year’s event upside-down.
The Miami Dolphins were involved in both trades, sending the No. 3 overall pick to the San Francisco 49ers in return for three first-round picks and a third-round pick, then trading back into the top 10 with the Philadelphia Eagles. Miami moved up from No. 12 to No. 6, sending their first-round pick in 2022 to Philly.
Both of these deals will have an impact far behind these three teams, so here are the winners and losers after the dust has settled:
Winner: Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The most obvious winner after these two deals, the Dolphins continue to turn the Laremy Tunsil trade into even more draft capital with which to continue their rebuild. At the end of the day, Miami moved down just three spots, and added additional first-round and third-round picks in future drafts. They're still picking high enough to land a top prospect to help Tua Tagovailoa, whether it's a pass-catcher or offensive lineman. The Dolphins barely missed the playoffs last year, have some promising young talent already on the roster, and are loaded with premium draft capital over the next three drafts.
Loser: Carolina Panthers
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Any hope the Panthers had of landing one of this year's top quarterback prospects just went up in smoke. Currently sitting at No. 8 overall, the Panthers were likely angling for one of the top four passers to fall to them, but that possibility is long gone now. In fact, they might be lucky if a fifth quarterback isn't off the board at that point in the draft. If the Panthers want an upgrade over Teddy Bridgewater, they'll have to make a bold move up the board themselves, or find another solution via trade elsewhere. If they sit at No. 8, they'll come away from the first round empty-handed at the game's most important position.
Winner: 2021 QB class
(AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)
We already expected quarterbacks to come off the board with the first two picks in this year's draft, and likely another one at No. 4 overall. After Friday's moves, we might see four straight quarterbacks drafted to kick off this year's event. Clemson's Trevor Lawrence is expected to take the top spot with the Jacksonville Jaguars, while Zach Wilson seems to be the current favorite to land with the New York Jets at No. 2 overall. With the 49ers presumable targeting the next-best passer on the board, and the Atlanta Falcons needing an eventual successor to Matt Ryan, this year's quarterback class could make history by filling the first four picks. If that happens, a bidding war could easily take place for the fifth-best quarterback in this class, with teams looking to jump up and land a franchise passer for themselves before the shelves are bare. North Dakota State's Trey Lance, Ohio State's Justin Fields and Alabama's Mac Jones all appear to be destined for the top 10 at this point.
Loser: Jimmy Garoppolo
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Considering his injury history and cap number, it already didn't seem like Jimmy G was long for San Francisco. After Friday's big trade, the writing on the wall became more of a megaphone message delivered at point-blank range. The 49ers clearly have plans for the future at quarterback to start sooner than Garoppolo would prefer, which means he'll have to find another team to take a chance on him elsewhere. He's not likely to find many trade suitors with his current contract, and considering the 49ers would have a fairly small dead cap hit if he's released, that appears to be the more likely eventuality.
Winner: Jalen Hurts
(AP Photo/Rich Schultz)
How does Hurts win by having his team end up with a lower pick in this year's draft? Well for starters, it means the Eagles don't appear to be hunting for a quarterback at the top of this year's draft. And while having the No. 6 pick would have landed them a top playmaker to help Hurts, there's still a strong chance Philly can land a solid value at No. 12. Florida tight end Kyle Pitts will be long gone, but either of Alabama's explosive receivers (DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle) could still be on the board. This move means that Hurts is the clear-cut starter for at least the 2021 season, the Eagles have two first-round picks in next year's draft, and should still land a difference-maker with their top pick this year.
Loser: Denver Broncos
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If there was a surprise team lurking in the top 10 when it comes to the quarterback conversation in this year's draft, it may have been the Broncos, who probably aren't convinced by the early returns on Drew Lock. Currently sitting at No. 9, the Broncos could have made a draft-day deal to move up ahead of the Panthers at No. 8 if a top quarterback prospect made it that far down the board. That's highly unlikely now, which means the Broncos will either have to pay a much higher price to move up for that kind of passer, or roll with Lock for at least another season. This offense is loaded with talent at the skill positions, but consistency at quarterback is what they need most. Lock hasn't given it to them yet, and it doesn't look like they'll have a chance to upgrade over him in the draft.
Winner: Every team in the top 10 that doesn't need a QB
Syndication: The Enquirer
If you're a team picking in the top 10, and you already have the quarterback situation figured out, Friday's developments are a huge positive for you. As mentioned above, we could easily see quarterbacks selected with the first four picks, and a fifth could go at No. 8 overall, at the latest. That means teams like the Cincinnati Bengals (No. 5 overall), Dolphins (No. 6 overall) and Dallas Cowboys (No. 10 overall) will have plenty of top prospects to choose from at the positions they actually need. You might put the Detroit Lions in that group, as well (No. 7 overall), as they appear be confident in Jared Goff for the time being. All of these teams will end up with fantastic value because of yet another team picking ahead of them that will be targeting a quarterback.
Loser: New England Patriots
(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
There might have still been a slim chance that the Pats could make a short move up the board to grab whatever quarterback prospect tumbles out of the top 10, but that's not happening now. At this point, the Pats would be lucky to land someone like Alabama's Mac Jones by jumping all the way up from No. 15 overall to No. 7 (ahead of the Panthers), but that's not gonna be cheap. No, I would expect New England to remain at No. 15 now, hoping that a top pass-catcher like Smith or Waddle falls to them. Cam Newton can still get the job done when healthy, and while he may not be the long-term solution a first-round pick would be, giving him another explosive weapon would be a decent consolation prize.
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