The Miami Dolphins are facing a critical offseason this winter — if they hit on a majority of their moves, this team will be on the rebound quicker than you can wave goodbye to 2018 Dolphins being traded away this season. And if they don’t, well — then Miami fans will find themselves in familiar waters: floating around in mediocrity. With so much ammunition in the 2020 NFL Draft at the team’s disposal, Miami has the mobility to move up or down as they please.
So long as they find their guys, the team can do whatever they’d like. But what might that blueprint look like? We decided to run through the early portions of the 2020 NFL Draft to come up with a hypothetical scenario for the Dolphins’ draft class.
1st-round
4th overall – QB Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama Crimson Tide
This may come as a bit of a surprise, but the Dolphins are still in favorable position to draft Tua Tagovailoa. The competition for the first quarterback taken, the Cincinnati Bengals, may gravitate towards LSU QB Joe Burrow with the top pick, given his transcendent season and how he may fit into head coach Zac Taylor’s offensive system. That leaves the Dolphins as the next team in line based on the current order to need a quarterback.
15th overall (via Pittsburgh) – RT Jedrick Wills, Alabama Crimson Tide
What better player to pair with Tagovailoa than his college teammate and blind side protector in Wills? Wills is a hot name in draft circles right now and would be an obvious fit for the Dolphins, given their offensive tackle status and the chemistry he’ll have already established with Tagovailoa.
26th overall (via Houston) – DE/OLB K’Lavon Chaisson, LSU Tigers
Remember this summer when the Dolphins pursued Houston’s Jadeveon Clowney? Chaisson is cut from the same cloth — he’s raw as a pass rusher but a moveable chess piece on defense that makes all kinds of sense for the Dolphins as the centerpiece of their exotic pressure looks. He had an elite showing against the Alabama Crimson Tide this past weekend.
1st Round – 2nd Round – 3rd and 4th Rounds
2nd-round
38th overall – IOL Tyler Biadasz, Wisconsin Badgers
Speaking of chemistry along the offensive line, Biadasz played next to Dolphins left guard and rookie Michael Deiter in 2018 as the Badgers’ center. He’s a mauler but also nimble, a nice blend that would fit nicely in the heart of Miami’s offensive line and help fortify protection for Miami’s new franchise quarterback.
59th overall (via New Orleans) – CB Jaylon Johnson, Utah Utes
Brian Flores has stated he likes corners who are physical and can tackle. Johnson checks both those boxes quite well and has a lot of length and power to play in coverage and reroute receivers in coverage. With Johnson and Howard, Miami has a pair of long, physical corners to man the outside and hunt the ball.
1st Round – 2nd Round – 3rd and 4th Rounds
3rd and 4th-round
69th overall – WR Justin Jefferson, LSU Tigers
Miami has promising size at the receiver on the outside with DeVante Parker and Preston Williams, but Jefferson has size and works inside in the slot — where Miami has some questions with the health and cost of Albert Wilson. Jefferson has great hands and is versatile enough to play inside or outside: a great fit for Miami’s diverse offense.
129th overall (Compensatory Pick for Ja’Wuan James) – DB Antoine Brooks Jr, Maryland Terrapins
You know the Dolphins are going to continue to use a ton of defensive backs on defense based on the trends we’ve seen thus far this season. Few defensive backs are as diverse as Brooks — who makes a lot of sense as a nickel defender and play the run or match up against slot.
