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The NFL Draft is still a month away, but this weekend, the free-agent frenzy took a backseat to draft talk as the top third of the draft order was shaken up by a pair of blockbuster trades.
49ers-Dolphins Trade
The biggest free-agent contract in March went to 49ers left tackle Trent Williams. The biggest trade of the offseason will probably give Williams a new quarterback to protect.
San Francisco moved up to grab the third overall pick in the draft after dealing for the Dolphins' top pick, a pick Miami originally received from the Texans for trading Laremy Tunsil in 2019. In exchange, the Dolphins received the 49ers first-round pick in 2021 (12th overall), a third-round pick in 2022, and first-round picks in 2022 and 2023.
The 49ers claim that they are not moving current quarterback Jimmy Garapolo. But you don't give up two future first-round picks to move up nine spots unless you are taking a quarterback. And now San Francisco is in position to grab one of the big three quarterbacks on the draft board - Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, and Zach Wilson.
Following the trade, online bookmakers slashed the 49ers' Super Bowl odds to +1400.
Eagles-Dolphins Trade
The dealing for the Dolphins was not done when just an hour later, it was announced that they were trading that 12th overall pick they received from the 49ers to move back into the top 10. The trading partner this time was the Philadelphia Eagles, who gave up the sixth overall pick to Miami in exchange for the 12th pick in 2021, a Miami first-round pick next year, as well as a fourth-round pick this year.
The Dolphins get both the sixth overall pick and the Eagles' fifth-round pick for 2021.
Along with the recent signing of Joe Flacco to be the backup in Philadelphia, the trade seems to indicate that Philadelphia doesn't see itself in the market for a quarterback in the draft and will go into 2021 with Jalen Hurts as the clear starter.
As for the Dolphins, they have now parlayed the 2019 Laremy Tunsil trade into four first-round picks, two second-round picks, and a third-round pick.
Miami now has the sixth overall pick in 2021 (Eagles) as well as the 18th overall pick. The Dolphins also have two second-round picks this year, the 49ers' first-round pick in 2022 as well as a pair of third-round picks, plus two first-round picks in 2023.
If Tua Tagovailoa can emerge as a true franchise quarterback in Miami, then this haul of draft picks — 13 picks in the top three rounds over the next three seasons — will set the Dolphins up as a contender for years to come.
The Dolphins have seen their Super Bowl odds improve to +2500, and online bookmakers have them as the second-best team in the AFC East behind the Buffalo Bills.
