As it currently stands, Hickey and the Dolphins will go on the clock some time in the 10 p.m. hour. The problem: the elite players will have been off the board by then, and much of the second tier will probably be gone, too.
That’s why there’s a growing belief in league circles that the Dolphins will package a deal and go get someone they truly like Thursday night. And that player is probably versatile Notre Dame lineman Zack Martin.
The Dolphins, historically bad in pass protection a year ago, covet four offensive tackles – Martin, Greg Robinson, Jake Matthews and Taylor Lewan.
Miami’s dream scenario is Martin falling to No. 19. If so, he would be the Dolphins’ starting left guard if the oft-injured Jason Fox (a free agent acquisition this offseason) can hold up physically, and their right tackle if he cannot.
But draft expert Mel Kiper, like most, expects the top tackles to get plucked up long before the Dolphins pick.
The conventional wisdom has been that in that scenario, the Dolphins trade back and target Ja’Wuan James or Morgan Moses. And that could still happen.
But at the 11th hour Wednesday, there were renewed signs that, should the draft fall right, Hickey will go get Martin if he’s available.
The sense in league circles Wednesday was that, with the top quarterbacks expected to slide, several teams will try to move up in the draft to get wide receivers and offensive linemen. The Dolphins are believed to be one of those teams. A jump into the top 10 would presumably require giving up a second-round pick in arguably the best draft in a decade.
Is Hickey the type of GM to make such a costly trade? We simply don’t know.
Hickey, always guarded with the media, perhaps intentionally planted a seed last week, saying: “I always want more picks.”
The only way to get those additional selections is to trade down.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/05/07/4103813/options-abound-for-miami-dolphins.html#storylink=cpy