In one of the more interesting NFL off-seasons in quite some time, the Miami Dolphins have been steady if unspectacular.

With the signing of Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Dolphins likely addressed their starting quarterback position for at least one year.

A growing stockpile of picks in the 2020 NFL Draft gives the team newfound flexibility to find their next franchise signal caller.

Growing consensus from media experts and prognosticators has Kyler Murray going to Arizona with the first pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

So what dominoes will fall next?

Does Miami need to push their chips to the middle now to get their guy?

The timeline to find the future of the franchise could get moved up a year if those dominoes cascade the right way.

Let’s take a look at the teams ahead of Miami in the upcoming draft and explore the possibilities.

It’s not as Crazy as you Think

We’ve covered the first pick in the upcoming draft in Arizona. Next on the clock will be the San Fransisco 49ers. They signed Jimmy Garoppolo to a 5-year, $137,500,000 contract so he’s their guy.

The Jets and Raiders follow, and with Sam Darnold and Derek Carr in place, they are not going to take a quarterback this high.

It gets a little interesting with the fifth pick, which belongs to Tampa Bay. Jameis Winston is the holdover there and will likely have this year to prove he’s worth keeping. The Bucs may bring in someone to push Winston, but that likely won’t be a first round pick.

Giant Questions Looming

Now we have reached the New York Giants at pick number six, and they have a dumpster fire to extinguish. Giants General Manager Dave Gettleman has come under fire for the haul he received for Odell Beckham Jr., so this is a massive selection for the G-Men.

Gettleman is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. His questionable trade of Odell Beckham, Jr. and public endorsement of Eli Manning as the starting quarterback have the media and fans wondering what their plan is.

They cannot blow this draft and, despite their public wavering, their initial links to Dwyane Haskins may resurface. I have them taking the Ohio State quarterback with the sixth selection.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have pick seven and for a while they seemed destined for one of this year’s top quarterback prospects. With the Jags throwing four years/88 million at former Eagles QB and Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles, they are going a different route in 2019.

Next in line are the Detroit Lions at eight and the Buffalo Bills at nine. With Matthew Stafford and Josh Allen in place respectively, a first round quarterback does not seem a likely selection.

Almost There…

After Buffalo is Denver at pick 10, and there has been quite a lot of talk about Drew Lock going here. With newly signed Joe Flacco entrenched for a least a couple seasons and set to make about 22M per year, Denver is in a interesting position.

Does Dan Marino’s old pal John Elway do him a solid and pass on Lock?

I’m leaning yes. Denver has a ton of needs on defense and, in this draft, it makes a lot of sense for them to go that route.

On the clock at 11 are the Cincinnati Bengals who have Andy Dalton under center. Andy Dalton is an average quarterback on a team friendly deal.

New head coach Zac Taylor cut his teeth coaching quarterbacks (and played QB at Nebraska) and if Lock is on the board, it may be too much to pass up.

Not to mention Taylor was the former quarterbacks coach and interim OC for the Dolphins before leaving after the 2015 season.

He may have a slight motivation to keep his former team down a peg.

Conclusion

With all that being said, do the Dolphins get their franchise quarterback in the 2019 NFL Draft?

Unless they are willing to trade up, either in front of the Giants or Bengals, the answer could be no.

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