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Should the Miami Dolphins trade their first round pick?

By Justen Rosenberg

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After signing All-Pro defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh to the richest contract for a defensive player in NFL history, the Miami Dolphins front office believes they came out of free agency as the winners.

From a talent perspective, the addition of Suh should do wonders for the defense, as he Miami expects him to be the best player on the team. As Suh has displayed in the past, this should not be an issue.

Although Suh is a dominant force, his contract will severely eat into the cap space of the Dolphins, which could hinder future contract negotiations.

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With work still needed to be done to improve the quality of the roster, the offseason is far from over.

The next big event is the 2015 NFL Draft, and for the Dolphins, they hold the 14th overall pick.

While there are many options for Miami at 14, general manager Dennis Hickey has made it known that he is looking to acquire more draft picks. This bodes the question: Is the 14th pick up for sale?

If the answer is yes, then who would Miami be missing out on?

One name that has surfaced lately is Louisville wide receiver DeVante Parker. Parker, who has spent the previous months in South Florida preparing for the draft, recently held his first pre-draft visit with a NFL team – which was the Dolphins.

Another area Miami could use an upgrade in is the secondary. They can attempt to do so by selecting from the group of Michigan State’s Trae Waynes, Wake Forest’s Kevin Johnson or Marcus Peters from the University of Washington.

Miami’s biggest need, however, is depth.

It is important for team’s to have depth at each position to succeed. Right now, Miami does not have that.

Along with the obvious needs at receiver and cornerback, there are other areas of concern that must be addressed.

Take the offensive line, for example. Over the last two seasons this group has battled through injuries and mediocre play. During the two years, they have allowed 104 sacks to quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

Or how about at linebacker?

Miami moved on from two opening day starters of the group, and will now rely on an unreliable Koa Misi and Jelani Jenkins; who emerged last season as the team leader in tackles.

Nov 23, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos running back C.J. Anderson (22) is tackled by Miami Dolphins outside linebacker Jelani Jenkins (53) and strong safety Reshad Jones (20) during the game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Fortunately for Miami, Jenkins played well last season, finishing with a team best 110 tackles. However, it was just one season.

And while Jenkins has the skill set to succeed as a linebacker in the NFL, it is unknown if he can sustain a high level of play heading into next year.

Over the last few seasons, Jenkins, along with Ja’Wuan James and Jarvis Landry are the only players drafted by Miami that has shown any real signs of promise. For the most part, Miami has struggled in the draft, with names like Dion Jordan, Jamar Taylor, Jonathan Martin and Michael Egnew failing to live to their potential.

Miami still has a chance to find value, as they hold six draft picks (14, 47, 114, 149, 150 and 191).

But by trading the 14th spot in the draft, they will have the opportunity to move down and acquire more picks, which would go a long way in attempting to round out the roster.

The biggest concern with trading the pick, though, will be finding a partner to trade with.

If they can do so, moving down would be the best move looking forward, as they look to improve upon back-to-back 8-8 seasons and make a postseason appearance for the first time since 2008.

Next: Miami can improve offensive line with Laken Tomlinson

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