Givanni Damico | April 30th, 2020
The Miami Dolphins entered this draft looking to build this team up even more after spending a lot of money in free agency. They had 14 picks, but after trades, the Dolphins added 11 new players to their roster. So where did they hit? Where did they miss? Let’s get into the Miami Dolphins Draft Review.
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Round 1, Pick 5: Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama
The Dolphins were “tanking for Tua” for over a year, so they certainly could not pass on him when he fell right into their lap. This is a home run pick, don’t overthink it. Yes, he has an injury history, but he seems to be fully recovered, so you have to bet on the healthy player who dominated at Alabama. If Tua ends up being the bust, nobody could blame Miami for taking him, but if they passed on him and he becomes a transcendent star of the sport, Miami would never hear the end of it. Chris Grier knocked it out of the park here.
Full Scouting Report here.
Grade: A+
Round 1, Pick 18: Austin Jackson, OT, USC
I love that the Dolphins recognized the need on the offensive line to protect Tua, but Jackson would not have been my guy here. Here’s my problem: Jackson needs a lot of development. Due to the lack of depth on the Phins’ offensive line, he’ll probably start right away, but he may struggle in pass protection out of the gate. He’s a very raw player, but he has loads of potential. Because of this team’s “rebuilding” status, I don’t mind a developmental pick at all, but it was just a tad bit early for Jackson to go off the board.
Grade: B-
Round 1, Pick 30: Noah Igbinoghene, CB, Auburn
Igbinoghene is a guy that has only played cornerback for two years. He has blazing speed and will be the starting nickel cornerback for the Dolphins right out of the gate. I like this pick, but I just feel that the Dolphins could have addressed a bigger need here. They went out and signed Byron Jones to be their CB1 and still have Xavien Howard at CB2. Drafting a nickel cornerback with a first-round pick was a head-scratcher for me. There were also plenty of other cornerbacks that I liked better than Igbinoghene here, such as Jeff Gladney who went one pick after.
Grade: C+
Round 2, Pick 39: Robert Hunt, IOL, Louisiana
Hunt is a monster. He’ll be a force to be reckoned with on the Dolphins’ line for years to come. I love that Chris Grier attacked a need here and reached down the board just a bit. Hunt was the perfect pick for Miami here to reinforce that atrocious offensive line.
Grade: A
Round 2, Pick 56: Raekwon Davis, DT, Alabama
Wow. This was arguably the worst pick of the draft for the Dolphins. Raekwon Davis does nothing special for me. Nose tackle was a need for Miami, but taking Davis with Justin Madubuike, Neville Gallimore, and Jordan Elliott on the board is awful. Huge miss for Grier here.
Grade: D
Round 3, Pick 70: Brandon Jones, SAF, Texas
After the departure of Reshad Jones, the Dolphins didn’t have much at safety. I really like the Brandon Jones pick to fill a hole. I’m going, to be honest, and say I did not know much about Jones when I heard the pick, but his tape speaks for itself. My only argument here is that I would have preferred Julian Blackmon or Terrell Burgess here, but since the Dolphins missed the run on the more well-known safeties, Jones seems like a good consolation prize.
Grade: B+
Round 4, Pick 111: Solomon Kindley, IOL, Georgia
I cannot find anything wrong with this pick. Chris Grier continues to address the offensive line by taking the best guard left on my board. The value was right where it should be, and of course, a need was filled. Perfect pick for Miami here. Watch out, because their offense is going to be lethal in a year or two.
Grade: A+
Round 5, Pick 154: Jason Strowbridge, DL/EDGE, NC State
Strowbridge was a late-riser in the draft process. Strowbridge had good production as a run-stopper at NC State, but he could use some help as a pass-rusher. He has the tools, but he just has to tap into that potential. This was a pretty good developmental pick here.
Grade: B+
Round 5, Pick 164: Curtis Weaver, EDGE, Boise State
I was one of the guys who was lower on Weaver than the consensus, but I did not expect this kind of fall for him. To pick Weaver in the fifth round is absolutely fantastic value. Weaver put on some sloppy weight last season which likely dropped his stock, but if he can get a little bit leaner, he is a very developable prospect. He has good tools, but he just needs to play less sloppy. I love this pick for a young team like Miami.
Full Scouting Report here.
Grade: A+
Round 6, Pick 185: Blake Ferguson, LS, LSU
With the depth of this class, I don’t know how you justify drafting a long snapper in the sixth round. It’s hard to nitpick a sixth-rounder, but this was easily the worst pick of the draft for Miami.
Grade: F
Round 7, Pick 246: Malcolm Perry, WR/QB, Navy
Perry was very explosive in Navy’s offense, but he can only really be used in certain packages at the next level. I think there were a couple of better picks at the position here, but Perry is certainly an interesting player if Miami is looking for a guy to play a Taysom Hill role.
Grade: C+
Overall
For the most part, Miami drafted very well. They took guys who have loads of potential to develop into stars, but with these kinds of players comes higher risk. Miami did a fantastic job addressing their awful offensive line while also adding their franchise quarterback. They traded a fifth-round pick for Matt Breida, the former San Francisco running back. Breida and Jordan Howard will be a nice thunder and lightning combo. Overall, the Dolphins did what they needed to do to improve.
Overall Grade: B+
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