The Next Two Dolphins Drafts and the Possibilities

The Miami Dolphins have put themselves in great shape when it comes to the 2023 draft, though there will be slim pickings this year

The headline-grabber of the transaction the Miami Dolphins made Saturday was the departure of former first-round pick DeVante Parker, but there were clear implications when it comes to the draft.

The 2022 and 2023 Dolphins drafts, to be precise.

Let's start with the 2022 draft, where the Dolphins are now down to four picks after this trade and the trade last week for Tyreek Hill, which cost Miami selections in the first, second and fourth rounds.

The Dolphins now have one pick in the third round, one in the fourth and two in the seventh.

While we would expect the Dolphins to make a deal or two to pick up additional picks (likely in the later rounds), they're currently scheduled to have the fewest picks in any draft in franchise history.

The smallest Dolphins draft class to this point was five, which happened in 2002 after the March trade for running back Ricky Williams. That year also was the only time in franchise history the team didn't have a pick in either of the first two rounds, which currently is the case for the 2022 draft.

A First in Dolphins Draft History

Something else that stands out about the Dolphins' 2022 draft — and this will remain a fact no matter what else transpires — is that they have traded every single one of their original draft picks.

-- The first-round pick went to Philadelphia as part of the trade up from 12th to sixth overall in 2021. (The first-round pick the Dolphins sent to Kansas City for Hill was the one they got from the 49ers in the trade down from third to 12th overall.)

-- The second- and fourth-round picks went to Kansas City as part of the Hill trade.

-- The third-round pick went to the New York Giants as part of the trade to move up in the second round last year to draft Liam Eichenberg.

-- The fifth-round pick went to New England as part of the Parker trade.

-- The sixth-round pick went to Baltimore as part of the 2021 trade for offensive lineman Greg Mancz.

-- The seventh-round pick went to the L.A. Rams as part of the 2019 cap-motivated trade that saw Miami acquired CB Aqib Talib (who was on IR at the time and never played a down for the Dolphins) and a 2020 fifth-round pick.

The Dolphins currently are scheduled to have picks 102 (from the 49ers), 125 (from Pittsburgh), 224 (from Baltimore) and 247 (from Tennessee).

While it's hard to speculate on mid-round prospects, the Parker trade created an interesting situation if the Dolphins indeed have an interest in San Diego State punter Matt Araiza, who we profiled during combine week.

Given his performance at SDSU, Araiza is viewed as a rare punter prospect who will merit more than late-round consideration, so if the Dolphins decide to make a move for him, they likely would have to do so — under their current draft situation — no later than pick 125 because he likely will be off the board before pick 224.

One final note on the 2022 draft: If you're thinking the 99 spots between Dolphins picks is big, the Dolphins had a 150-pick gap just last year after they selected tight end Hunter Long in the third round (81st overall) and tackle Larnel Coleman in the seventh round (231st).

Looking Ahead to the Dolphins' 2023 Draft

The benefits of the Parker trade — outside of cap considerations — will come next year when the Dolphins will find themselves (barring other moves) with five or more picks in the first three rounds for the third time in four years.

Remember that the Dolphins had six picks in the first three rounds in 2020 and five in 2021.

Along with the extra third-round pick from New England, the Dolphins will have the 49ers' first-round pick as the result of that 2021 draft-related trade.

Overall, the Dolphins currently are slated to have eight picks in that 2023 draft, including their own selection in the fifth, sixth and seventh rounds.

Their fourth-round pick will be going to Kansas City as part of the Tyreek Hill trade, as will the sixth-round selection the Dolphins got from the Chicago Bears when they traded Jakeem Grant last October.