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Dolphins, 49ers, Eagles trades for the 2021 NFL draft: Nine teams that are affected -- now and in the future

Well, if you thought NFL free agency was ho-hum, it only took a few days for the future of the league to flip dramatically. The Dolphins used the latest first-rounder they received from the Texans in the Laremy Tunsil trade to move around the draft board. First, they sent the No. 3 overall pick to the 49ers for the No. 12 overall selection and a third-round pick in 2022, plus San Francisco's first-rounders in 2022 and 2023. Next, the Dolphins sent the Nos. 12 and 123 picks and their own first-rounder in 2022 to the Eagles for the Nos. 6 and 156 picks in next month's draft.

To recap the pick changes in Round 1 of April's draft: The 49ers moved up nine spots (to No. 3), while the Dolphins dropped three spots (to No. 6) and the Eagles six (to No. 12).

Whew. This impacts a handful of quarterbacks and just about every team in the top 15 of the draft, so no big deal. Let's run through the ramifications of the NFL's busy Friday, see why each of the teams involved made these trades, and what it means for the impacted players and organizations:

Jump to a section:
How the Dolphins could help Tagovailoa
The Eagles could make a run ... in 2022
The 49ers clearly have a plan, right?
How the Patriots could improve now
Five more teams that are affected

Miami Dolphins

Let's start with the Dolphins, who were the primary drivers of today's action. Their decision to trade down tells us a few things about their plans for the future and how they view this draft ...