On a wild Friday, news broke on two trades involving 2021 NFL draft picks within minutes of each other. First, the San Francisco 49ers altered their future by trading up to No. 3 overall, sending the Miami Dolphins their No. 12 overall pick, a 2022 first-rounder, a 2022 third-rounder and a 2023 first-rounder in return. Shortly after, the Dolphins jumped back up to No. 6 overall. The Philadelphia Eagles sent Miami that sixth pick and a fifth-rounder in exchange for the No. 12 pick, a fourth-rounder and a 2022 first-rounder.
The swaps significantly changed the scene for Round 1 of the draft, which begins April 29 in Cleveland. The Niners now have the chance to select one of the top quarterbacks in the class, while the Eagles acquired extra assets that will help them rebuild their roster. The Dolphins, meanwhile, managed to do a little bit of both, staying in the top six while also adding a first-rounder for down the road.
So how did each team do? We asked our NFL experts, NFL Nation team reporters and NFL draft analysts to grade each team's moves. Which teams won big, and which teams still left plenty of room for skepticism? We also took a quick look at what the nine-pick jump for San Francisco means for current QB Jimmy Garoppolo. Let's dive in, starting with the very active Dolphins.
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Dolphins | 49ers | Eagles | Garoppolo
Grade the Dolphins' move from No. 3 to No. 12 and then up to No. 6.
Matt Bowen, NFL analyst: B+. After both moves, the Dolphins are now in a position to draft an offensive playmaker with dynamic traits at No. 6, whether it be Florida tight end Kyle Pitts, LSU receiver Ja'Marr Chase or Alabama receiver DeVonta Smith. And with the future draft capital from the 49ers, Miami has flexibility to upgrade its roster.
Mike Clay, NFL analyst: B. It's easy to look at the "net profit" and grade it an A, but this is two separate trades in my opinion. The trade with the 49ers was terrific considering Miami wasn't going to take a QB, but the follow-up with the Eagles is confusing. I'm not sure many would agree that moving a future first-rounder and dropping 33 spots on Day 3 is worth jumping up six spots for a non-quarterback, assuming that's the plan. That's especially the case considering Miami is not a lock to be a playoff team in 2021, and that future first-rounder could very well be in the early-to-mid portion of the 2022 draft. But overall, yes, it's a net profit.
Dan Graziano, national NFL writer: A. Miami is playing with house money. When the Dolphins made the Laremy Tunsil trade with Houston, there is no way that they or the Texans imagined the 2021 first-rounder they got in return would be as high as No. 3. They now spin it into still more picks while dropping back only three spots. Committed to Tua Tagovailoa and not looking to draft a QB, they now can be sure that at least three players from the group that includes Oregon tackle Penei Sewell, Chase, Smith, Pitts and Alabama receiver Jaylen Waddle will be there when they pick. And they'll be able to take someone who instantly makes their young QB better.