The 2023 NFL season is officially over after the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl. so all 32 teams have mocked into offseason mode.
Now, in just a couple of months, the league will descend on Detroit, Michigan for the 2024 NFL draft, where teams will have the opportunity to make massive improvements to their rosters that could increase their chances of winning a Lombardi Trophy.
This week, Draft Wire’s Curt Popejoy released his newest mock draft, and he predicts that the Miami Dolphins will take Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims in the first round and UConn guard Christian Haynes in the second round.
Mims. the two-time national champion, has an impressive combination of size (6-foot-7, 340 pounds) and speed, making him an incredible prospect for any team looking for an offensive tackle.
While the Dolphins currently have two under contract for 2024, there are some doubts about Terron Armstead continuing his career, as he’s been non-committal since the end of the season.
If he were to walk away, offensive tackle would certainly become one of Miami’s top priorities, but there are more pressing needs if he does decide to return.
Guard is one of those.
Isaiah Wynn and Robert Hunt, who manned the two starting guard spots in 2023, are both set to be unrestricted free agents, and even backup Robert Jones, who played 38.1% of the team’s offensive snaps this past year, is a pending restricted free agent.
This would leave the Dolphins with just Liam Eichenberg, Lester Cotton and Chasen Hines as the interior offensive line options on the current roster. Having to start two of those three would be a nightmare scenario for Miami in 2024.
Haynes, considered one of the best interior offensive line prospects in the draft, would be a nice fit to fill one of those spots next to either Armstead or Jackson. He started 49 straight games for UConn over his final four seasons, earning AP Third-team All-American honors in 2022 and 2023. He also had an impressive showing at the Senior Bowl, which could mean he’s gone by the time that the Dolphins are back on the board in the second round.
UConn IOL Christian Haynes has looked DOMINANT at the Senior Bowl and is one of my top interior prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft, a scouting report:
✅ Quickness
✅ Movement
✅ Functional strength
✅ Consistency
✅ Solid anchor❓ Length
❓ Postional versatility
❓ Competition* pic.twitter.com/7Ngyrdtgnb— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) February 1, 2024
As noted in the above tweet, he does have some questions, but considering how big the need is, Miami should be willing to consider bringing in the Husky, should he be available.
