Could the Miami Dolphins trade up in NFL Draft? GM Chris Grier says he's discussing it

MIAMI GARDENS — Dolphins general manager Chris Grier had more picks in the first two rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft than he has, total, this year.

As much as Grier loves to trade picks (maybe more than any other GM), he doesn’t have much ammunition.

That doesn’t mean it won’t happen.

Grier said Wednesday that he has had discussions about the possibility of trading up into the latter portion of the first round. Currently, Miami’s first pick is in the second round, No. 51 overall. And the Dolphins have only four picks. Nothing is imminent, but the fact a potential trade-up has crossed Grier’s desk is of note.

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“We’ve had a couple of teams in the bottom half of the first round reach out about saying they would be interested in coming down possibly if their guys aren’t there, and if we’d be interested in moving,” Grier said.

Grier added he’s always open to such discussions, but these have not been “serious conversations” to date.

“We’ll keep those options open,” Grier said.

Could the Dolphins trade Cedrick Wilson?

Sticking with trade talks, Grier said the Dolphins fielded inquiries about receiver Cedrick Wilson, who arrived with solid credentials from Dallas last year but finished with just 12 receptions.

Grier said “we’re not shopping him” but he has received calls, especially after the Dolphins added receiver Chosen Anderson this week.

“He’s a really good guy and I’m trying to do right by him because of how he handled himself on and off the field,” Grier said.

Grier appreciates the difficult situation Wilson was in last season.

“We signed him here to be No. 2 at the time and then we made the trade for Tyreek (Hill),” Grier said. “But how he handled himself — he’s an incredible professional, like volunteering to return kicks for us at the end of the year. He saved us and won some games with some key returns that probably people don’t even really give him credit for.”

Grier lays out his vision for offensive line

Miami’s offensive line has three players whose names you can write in ink: left tackle Terron Armstead, center Connor Williams and right guard Rob Hunt. The Dolphins are moving forward with the idea the other spots are filled by Austin Jackson (right tackle) and Liam Eichenberg (left guard).

“We’re excited for him,” Grier said of Jackson, who played only two games in 2022 primarily because of an ankle injury. “I know he was frustrated with some of the injuries last year, but he’s been working hard.”

Grier said Armstead, the line’s leader, “will be tremendous” as a mentor for Jackson.

The Dolphins could fill the right tackle spot by simply sliding Hunt over since he has experience at tackle, but they’re not inclined to do that.

“We’d like to see Robert stay at one position right now,” Grier said. “You’ve heard me say it here many times: I think he has tremendous potential.”

Dolphins ‘working through’ negotiations with Christian Wilkins

Defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, coming off his best season, will be a free agent next year unless the Dolphins sign him to an extension. Grier said he has had “good talks” with Wilkins’ agent.

“We’re still working through it, but hopefully we can get him here and keep him here for a long time,” Grier said.

Grier ‘very excited’ to complete Jalen Ramsey trade

In his first comments since trading for Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey, Grier said the Rams called the Dolphins and talks stretched over multiple weeks before Miami agreed to send Los Angeles tight end Hunter Long and a third-round pick.

“We’re very excited to add him,” Grier said. “He’s been a very good player in this league and we still think he’s a very good player and he has a good relationship with Xavien (Howard). Xavien texted me right away when he saw it.”

Jalen Hurts’ deal has no immediate impact on Tua Tagovailoa 

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts just landed a five-year, $255 million contract, with $179 million guaranteed, which eventually could affect the Dolphins, should they extend Tua Tagovailoa’s deal.

Grier said he once visited Alabama and told Hurts he was proud of him for sticking with the Crimson Tide after Tua Tagovailoa had beaten him out.

“A lot of these kids transfer out and go places,” Grier said. “So I’m happy for him. For us, at the end of the day, it’s a piece of information. We monitor it. But there’s going to be other quarterbacks here coming up still (for renewal). Who knows how soon, but the market will fluctuate based off those. … It doesn’t really move our needle until we have to do something.”

Dolphins could land a quality tight end in Round 2

Trying to figure out whom the Dolphins will draft after other teams have plucked 50 players off the board is like trying to get a bull’s-eye blindfolded, but predicting Miami will go for a tight end makes sense. Durham Smythe is the presumed starter. Mike Gesicki is gone and the Dolphins recently added Eric Saubert to go with second-year player Tanner Conner.

“We’re happy with the guys there,” Grier said.

They have to be happy with the tight end draft class. The consensus is it’s the deepest in years.

”So we feel good about having an opportunity to grab a good football player if he’s available,” assistant GM Marvin Allen said.

Dolphins knew Ezukanma, Tindall were projects

The Dolphins’ top picks last year were linebacker Channing Tindall, taken in the third round, followed by fourth-rounder Erik Ezukanma, a receiver. But Tindall played almost exclusively on special teams and Ezukanma finished with just one catch.

“When we selected them, we knew the progression for both of them would be in the future,” Allen said. “So you get guys and you want to give them a chance to sit back and learn and do some things on special teams, but knowing that fair value would be much more down the line.”

Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at  hhabib@pbpost.com and followed on Twitter  @gunnerhal.

2023 NFL Draft

April 27-29

Union Station, Kansas City, Mo.

Dolphins draft: Round 2, pick 51; Round 3, pick 85; Round 6, pick 199; Round 7, pick 240 (draft order subject to trades)

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins GM Chris Grier has talks about trading up in NFL Draft