Also remember this
According to the
Boston Globe, the
Patriots considered signing Welker to an offer sheet that the 'Fins wouldn't be able to match, but instead opted to offer it to a second- and seventh-round draft pick. Miami accepted.
It was a deal the Dolphins could not refuse. Nobody realizes how unproductive Welker was with the Dolphins. In two seasons, he caught a combined 79 passes and one touchdown.
That's it.
He was not a superstar for Miami. Their game plan did not suit his skill-set like the Patriots' has. How could the Dolphins turn down a second-round pick for a player with one touchdown in two seasons? It would be the equivalent of a team offering a second-round pick for a player like Brian Hartline (who has actually surpassed Welker's Dolphins stats already).
Just because Welker was a fan favorite and has enjoyed great success since leaving Miami does not mean it was a bad trade at the time. In fact, it was a pretty awesome deal.
Obviously this was written back when Hartline was on the team but it still makes a lot of sense to me.