Dan Graziano Says First-Round Pick Could Have Moved Devon Achane
devon achane made it through the NFL Draft without a trade, but Miami’s stance was not as fixed as it looked. Dan Graziano said the Dolphins’ view of the running back might have shifted if another team had put a first-round pick on the table.
“All I'll say on that is if a team offered a first-round pick for Achane, as the Broncos did for Waddle, the Dolphins' opinion of the standout running back as part of their future might have wavered a bit.”
Miami’s Draft Line
That was the threshold. Graziano was not saying there were offers for Achane, only that a first-round pick could have changed how Miami weighed him during the draft window. A move was not going to happen unless another team could finish a contract quickly or already knew it could.
Jon-Eric Sullivan has said the Dolphins’ position has been to extend Achane and keep him in Miami. That makes the draft silence more than a delay; it points to a team that was holding its line on a player entering a contract year while still listening to where the market might go.
Achane’s Price Range
The money attached to that market is not small. The Dolphins can expect to pay him in the $12 million to $14 million per year range, a figure that puts a clean floor under any extension talks and gives Miami a number to compare against any trade scenario.
Breece Hall recently received an extension, and Dallas’ Javonte Williams is one of the contracts being used as a comparison for Achane. Those deals do not settle Miami’s choice, but they give the team a narrower band to work in as it sorts out whether the back belongs in the future or becomes a leveraged asset.
June 1 And Beyond
The calendar still matters. The Dolphins could have more financial options after June 1, which gives them another point of flexibility if they decide to push toward a deal instead of carrying the uncertainty deeper into the offseason.
For now, the clearest number is the one that might have changed everything: a first-round pick. If a team had been willing to pay that, Miami’s view of Achane might have wavered. Without it, the Dolphins kept him, kept the extension talk alive, and kept the price in the $12 million to $14 million range.
