NFL Draft live updates: Dolphins keep Jaelan Phillips in Miami, take DE with No. 18 pick
The rumors, reports and speculation are finally almost over: It’s time for the 2021 NFL Draft.
For the second year in a row, it’s shaping up to be a pivotal NFL Draft for the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins have two picks in the first round Thursday, starting with the No. 6 selection before they pick at No. 18 later in the day.
The Draft begins at 8 p.m., but the Miami Herald will be here all day to provide updates on those final trades and tidbits of information before things get started in Cleveland.
10:30 p.m.: Jaelan Phillips is staying home.
The Dolphins take the Miami Hurricanes defensive end with the No. 18 pick.
Obviously, keep it at MiamiHerald.com. We’ll have this covered from all angles.
10:27 p.m.: The Dolphins are back on the clock.
All the top running backs and defensive ends are still available.
10:15 p.m.: The top five quarterbacks are off the board. The top three wide receivers are gone. Most of the top-ranked offensive linemen have been picked.
The Dolphins have a pick approaching, though, and we’ve hit the unpredictable part of the NFL Draft. Miami has some really good options still around, though, particularly at running back.
Najee Harris and Travis Etienne are still available.
There are plenty of defensive players still available, too. Could Miami Hurricanes defensive end Jaelan Phillips be in play for the Dolphins?
We’ll know soon. Miami should pick in the next half hour.
Dolphins take Waddle at 6
9:05 p.m.: The Dolphins are reuniting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with Jaylen Waddle.
Miami picks the Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver with the No. 6 selection of the NFL Draft.
The Dolphins passed on Alabama wide receiver Devonta Smith. They passed on Oregon Ducks tackle Penei Sewell. They missed out on Florida Gators tight end Kyle Pitts and LSU Tigers wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.
Keep it locked to MiamiHerald.com for much more analysis on how the first six picks of the Draft fell.
8:57 p.m.: The Cincinnati Bengals go with LSU Tigers wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase at No. 5, so two potential Dolphins picks go before they select at No. 6.
Miami is on the clock and still has its choice of star Alabama Crimson Tide wide receivers. Devonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle are both available, as is Oregon Ducks tackle Penei Sewell.
The pick will be one of those three.
8:49 p.m.: Kyle Pitts is off the board.
The Atlanta Falcons took the Florida Gators tight end with the No. 4 pick, opting to find help for Matt Ryan rather than his replacement.
It’s a bummer for the Dolphins, who are hoping to find help for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the NFL Draft. Pitts is arguably the best receiver in the Draft.
Miami will still have its pick of wide receivers, though. At least two of Devonta Smith, Ja’Marr Chase and Jaylen Waddle will be available at No. 6.
The Cincinnati Bengals are on the clock and could take one of those wideouts.
8:41 p.m.: The San Francisco 49ers, with the pick they got from the Dolphins that originally belonged to the Houston Texans, select Trey Lance with the No. 3 overall pick of the NFL Draft.
It’s the first real surprise of the Draft. Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Mac Jones was the favorite to go third for a long time, but Lance, who was a star for the FCS North Dakota State Bison, winds up as the pick.
The Atlanta Falcons are now the clock for a pick with major implications for Miami. If the Falcons take a quarterback, Florida Gators tight end Kyle Pitts may well fall to the Dolphins at No. 6.
8:35 p.m.: As expected, the New York Jets take BYU Cougars quarterback Zach Wilson with the No. 2 pick.
The Dolphins have a new quarterback to deal with in the division.
8:25 p.m.: No surprise: The Jacksonville Jaguars select Clemson Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
The New York Jets are poised to take BYU Cougars quarteback Zach Wilson second, then the Draft truly begins with the No. 3 pick.
8:15 p.m.: After a Kings of Leon set that went two songs too long and an extremely awkward introduction by commissioner Roger Goodell, the Jacksonville Jaguars are finally on the clock.
The NFL Draft is officially underway.
A draft-day bombshell
3:45 p.m.: The Green Bay Packers have told anyone and everyone who’s asked that they are not trading MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Aaron Rodgers either doesn’t believe them or thinks he can change their mind.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter:
Wow!
This is seismic news and has the potential of upending the entire draft.
The Dolphins were one of a slew of teams that had inquired about Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson before he was accused by nearly two-dozen massage therapists of inappropriate behavior.
So it stands to reason they’ll at least make a call to see if the Packers are rethinking their stance.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport added some context shortly after Schefter’s report:
More to come as this story develops, but first, let’s get Patrick Mahomes’ thoughts:
A trade down from 18?
3:20 p.m.: The No. 6 pick is under the spotlight, for obvious reasons, but the No. 18 pick is just as fascinating.
There’s a thought the talent drops off significantly after the top 15 or so, which could set up the Dolphins to trade down from the 18th pick.
A running back makes a lot of sense, but Miami is also exploring a trade down, Sports Illustrated reported. The Las Vegas Raiders and Chicago Bears, who sandwich the Dolphins at Nos. 17 and 19, are also discussing the possibility of trading down.
A first-round running back
1 p.m.: Beyond their sheer need, there’s a sidebar reason the Miami Dolphins could be tempted to select a running back in the first round, probably with the No. 18 overall selection if they keep it:
Think fifth-year option.
NFL teams all must sign their first-round selections to four-year deals but have the option to exercise a fifth-year option on any player selected in the first round prior to that player’s final contract season.
And why is that important, especially with a running back?
Because the option effectively keeps the team from having to do a second contract with player at a position considered more expendable and who’s average career span rarely extends beyond five years.
The Dolphins could actually keep the running back contractually tied for six years without offering a second contract because they can always use a franchise tag on the player. Again, most running backs typically don’t last that long or begin a decline after five or six years.
The fifth-year option year is fully guaranteed. In the past, it was guaranteed for injury only. The values of the option are dependent on performance metrics and range from being the equivalent of a franchise tag, without actually being a franchise tag, to an amount that is the average of the third to 25th highest-paid player at the position.
This is obviously not the primary reason to pick a running back in the first round. But it’s an added reason.
The latest mock drafts
Noon: The last round of mock drafts are out Thursday and everyone agrees the Dolphins are looking for an offensive playmaker.
Take a look at who analysts have Miami taking with the No. 6 pick:
ESPN.com: WR Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
CBSSports.com: Waddle
NFL Network: WR Ja’Marr Chase, LSU
USA Today: Waddle
Sporting News: Waddle
The Athletic: Waddle
Associated Press: Chase
The best mock available is right here. It predicted the trade of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater from Carolina to Denver -- a day before it happened.
11 a.m.: The Dolphins made one of their most important picks of the last decade in the first round last year, taking quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with the No. 5 pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. Their top-six selection this year won’t be quite as momentous, but it could still go a long way in determining how successful this era can be.
The No. 6 pick is a gift for Miami, which just barely missed out on the 2020-21 NFL playoffs and still got the No. 3 pick from the Houston Texans because of a trade sending tackle Laremy Tunsil to the Texans in 2019. The Dolphins traded down to get an extra first-round pick in 2023, then traded back up to land the No. 6 pick from the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s the perfect chance to build up a supporting cast around Tagovailoa.
The easiest selection to make would be Kyle Pitts — assuming the tight end falls. Pitts caught 43 passes for 770 yards and 12 touchdowns last season for the Florida Gators, and finished 10th in Heisman Trophy voting. He’s potentially a generational receiver and the Atlanta Falcons are honing in on him, ESPN reported.
If Pitts isn’t around, the Dolphins will still have a number of potential star wide receivers to take. Receivers DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle and Ja’Marr Chase all project as top-12 picks, and at least two of the three should still be around at No. 6. Chase is widely considered the No. 1 wideout on the board, but Smith did win the Heisman last year, becoming the first wide receiver to take home the award in nearly 30 years, and Waddle, Smith’s teammate with the Alabama Crimson Tide, was actually outperforming Smith before he went down with an injury midway through the 2020 college football season.
Tackle Penei Sewell could also be in play after Miami traded guard Ereck Flowers to the Washington Football Team on Monday. The offensive lineman is an option for the Dolphins at No. 6, a source told the Herald.
This story was originally published April 29, 2021 at 11:05 AM.
