How Week 18 can affect Dolphins’ first-round draft pick and 2022 schedule

The Miami Dolphins’ draught presumption successful the archetypal circular of the upcoming draught is not affected by the team’s ain effect successful Sunday’s play finale against the Patriots, a 4:25 p.m. kickoff astatine Hard Rock Stadium.

Remember, determination were 2 trades with the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers past offseason that moved Miami disconnected of the 2021 draft’s No. 3 pick, which was antecedently acquired from the Houston Texans, backmost to No. 12 and past up to No. 6, wherever Jaylen Waddle was yet drafted.

In the trades, the Dolphins’ 2022 first-round prime went to the Eagles, portion Miami’s spot is tied to the 49ers’ finish.

While the Dolphins play against the Patriots, fans tin basal for a San Francisco nonaccomplishment to the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints triumph implicit the Atlanta Falcons successful the aforesaid 4:25 p.m. clip slot. If some occur, the 49ers are near retired of the NFC playoffs.

That would mean San Francisco’s prime going to the Dolphins would beryllium a top-18 choice. If the 49ers suffice for the postseason, the enactment would beryllium upward of that number, and it could spell precise heavy into the extremity of the archetypal circular if San Francisco is past capable to propulsion disconnected a wild-card circular upset. If the 49ers triumph a playoff game, the prime going to Miami volition beryllium 25 oregon worse.

Dolphins’ 2022 opponents

Sixteen of the 17 Dolphins opponents successful 2022 person been settled, with the past to beryllium determined connected the “Sunday Night Football” crippled betwixt the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers.

The loser of the Chargers-Raiders crippled volition big the Dolphins adjacent season. This is due to the fact that AFC East teams play against an AFC West squad that finished successful the aforesaid presumption successful its part adjacent year. Miami is locked successful astatine No. 3 successful the East, and the loser betwixt Los Angeles and Las Vegas volition beryllium the third-place finisher of the West.

The aforesaid conception goes for the AFC South, arsenic the Dolphins volition big the Houston Texans, who finished 3rd successful that division.

The remainder of Miami’s schedule: The yearly home-and-home against AFC East foes New England Patriots, New York Jets and Buffalo Bills; the full AFC North with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns astatine location and Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens connected the road; the full NFC North with the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings astatine location and Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions connected the road; and the other 17th crippled of the regular play volition beryllium a travel to San Francisco to instrumentality connected the 49ers, who finished 3rd successful the NFC West, similar the Dolphins did successful the AFC East.

If Chargers-Raiders ends successful a tie, Las Vegas finishes down Los Angeles and the Raiders big the Dolphins successful a regular play crippled for a 3rd consecutive season.

Dates for each matchups are yet to beryllium announced.