The Dolphins went all in on this rookie class. Their success will define the future

Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores learned a lot from his time coaching for Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots. He uses the same sort of defense they played in Foxborough, Massachusetts. He learned to evaluate like Belichick does. Above all else, he seemed to learn the value of a draft pick.

Every April, the Patriots trade down and trade down some more to stockpile as many NFL Draft picks as possible. During the past year, the Dolphins took the same approach, trading players and picks to have as many choices as possible in the 2020 NFL Draft. They wound up with 11 — more than any other team — and the rebuild was officially on. The Dolphins could potentially start five rookies when they open the season Sept. 13 at New England.

“We play the guys we feel give us the best chance to win,” Flores said last month. “At the same time, there’s a little bit of forecasting and predicting that we need to do as coaches, as an organization and as a personnel department, where a guy may not be better than somebody else Week 1. But the prediction and the forecast is that he may be better in Week 12. Those are decisions we have to make.”

If all works out as planned, Miami will have found its quarterback of the future, the foundation of its offensive line, some new defensive starters and even someone to lock down the long snapper position for a decade.

Of the 11 players the Dolphins selected, 10 remain on the roster as the regular season nears. Their level of contributions in Year 1 will be wide ranging, but collectively they make up one of the most important rookie classes in Miami history. It all starts with:

Tua Tagovailoa

The Dolphins never explicitly said they were tanking the 2019 season because you can’t say things like that. The decisions to trade running back Kenyan Drake, wide receiver Kenny Stills, tackle Laremy Tunsil and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick for draft picks, however, made it abundantly clear: Miami wasn’t trying to win games in 2019. The Dolphins wanted to reset and rebuild through the draft, and then try to truly become competitive in 2020 or sometime after.

Above all else, they had to find a quarterback and losing a lot of games is the best way to ensure you get a good one. Miami lost 11 and won the No. 5 pick, which let them land Tagovailoa — the quarterback the Dolphins wanted all along and were able to get after he sustained a serious hip injury as a junior with Alabama.

Tagovailoa won’t start right away. Ryan Fitzpatrick, 37, is still the No. 1 quarterback and Miami wants to let Tagovailoa develop, then unleash him when a good offensive line is in place, ideally led by ...

Austin Jackson, Robert Hunt and Solomon Kindley

Jackson was the Dolphins’ second pick in the draft — No. 18 overall with the selection Miami got in the Fitzpatrick trade. Hunt was a second-round pick and Kindley was a fifth-round selection the Dolphins traded up to get on the third day of the draft.

They’re the future plan on the offensive line, and they also all have a real chance to start games this season.

Left tackle was a revolving door. Right tackle was mostly occupied by a converted guard. Jackson, who just turned 21 last month, is the most talented option Miami has at left tackle, and Hunt and Kindley are both pushing for a starting guard spot.

The Dolphins weren’t good on either side of the trenches last year, which made it a no-brainer to spend more than a quarter of their picks trying to fix the offensive line. It also made sense to spend two picks on ...

Raekwon Davis and Jason Strowbridge

This group would’ve also included Curtis Weaver if the defensive end hadn’t gotten injured and cut, and landed with the Cleveland Browns. Even without the former Boise State star, Miami added immediate help up front.

Davis was once considered a potential first-round pick, and the Dolphins landed him late in the second round, and now he’s pushing for a starting job at defensive tackle. Strowbridge, from Deerfield Beach High School, gives them a versatile defensive lineman whose size could make him a valuable run-stopper at defensive end.

In 2019, Miami struggled to rush the passer and create any sort of consistent pressure. It also struggled in pass defense, which means the Dolphins also made a defensive investment with ...

Noah Igbinoghene and Brandon Jones

The Igbinoghene selection was controversial when Miami made it. The Dolphins were already spending an unprecedented amount on two cornerbacks and they used one of three first-round picks — this one acquired from the Texans — to further load up at the position.

In training camp, the cornerback exceeded all expectations. The 20-year-old was the youngest player in the draft and had just two seasons of experience as a corner after originally joining Auburn as a wide receiver. It had all the signs of being a long-term, developmental selection.

Except, of course, cornerback Xavien Howard has barely practiced because of knee surgery and a bout with COVID-19, and Flores is preparing for Week 1 as if Igbinoghene will have to start opposite Byron Jones, and Igbinoghene has looked good enough to justify it.

Igbinoghene and Jones, a safety from the Texas Longhorns, round out the core Miami put together in the first five rounds of the draft. They were the first eight selections, all with clearly defined future roles. For the last two picks, the Dolphins got weird, starting with ...

Blake Ferguson

Maybe the most baffling selection of the 2020 draft, Miami took Ferguson, a long snapper, with a sixth-round pick.

Last year, the Dolphins finally parted ways with long snapper John Denney, who had played more games with Miami than anyone not named Dan Marino. The Dolphins fully committed to their youth movement by releasing the 40-year-old specialist just before the season began.

Miami was fine with long snapper Taybor Pepper for one season, but hopes it has found its next Denney this offseason. Long snappers are seldom drafted, so the Dolphins clearly believe Ferguson could be a decades-long fixture like Denney was.

Miami finished its draft in significantly more exciting fashion, using its final pick in the seventh round on ...

Malcolm Perry

Who knows what Perry’s future holds? He was a record-setting quarterback for Navy, announced as a running back on draft day and has mostly worked as a wide receiver since he began practicing in Davie. He has drawn comparisons to New England wide receiver Julian Edelman, another former quarterback, and quickly become a favorite target of Tagovailoa’s.

Belichick coveted Perry throughout the draft process and Flores was able to scoop him up in the final round of the draft, valuing his versatility and character, and knowing the ceiling was high if his production as an option quarterback — 2,017 rushing yards with 21 touchdowns as a senior — could translate to a new position.

Miami is deep in the slot and wide receiver DeVante Parker is maybe the Dolphins’ best offensive player, so Miami won’t have to rush Perry into action. Instead, the Dolphins can spend this year thinking about what Perry — and this whole rookie class — might become.

This story was originally published September 3, 2020 at 11:00 AM.

David Wilson

Miami Herald

305-376-3406

David Wilson, a Maryland native, is the Miami Herald’s utility man for sports coverage.