Miami Dolphins not discounting this little discussed quarterback as first-round draft pick
While the two quarterbacks in the coming NFL draft most linked to the Miami Dolphins remain Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert, it might be smart to remember the club is also very intrigued by another likely first-round quarterback.
Jordan Love.
And how do we know?
Well, because an NFL source familiar with the Dolphins’ thinking said the team personnel department gave Love a first-round grade. Because Dolphins coach Brian Flores mentioned Love in the same group as the others this week. And because Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said the Dolphins plan to meet with all the likely first-round quarterbacks, including Love, this week at the NFL Combine.
“[Tagovailoa] is a good player, he’s done a good job and I think everyone, their talents, strengths and weaknesses are different,” Flores said. “He’s good player. [Joe] Burrow is a good player, Herbert is a good player. Love is a good player. There are good players here. We will evaluate them all.”
The thing that makes Love different than the other likely first-rounders is he’s considered something more of a project. That means he’s not likely going to be picked as high as Miami’s first pick -- No. 5 overall.
And why is that?
Because despite his size (6-4 and 225 pounds) and outstanding arm talent that is on par with probably any of the other quarterbacks in the draft, Love turned in a deeply disappointing season in 2019.
After throwing 32 touchdown passes and six interceptions in 2018, Love regressed to 20 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in 2019.
Teams, including the Dolphins, are not turning a blind eye to the statistical crash. They’re asking pointed questions about each miscue in meetings with Love.
“Every team is a bit different,” Love said, “But I’ve definitely had some interception film. You’ve got to break it down and take it step by step. What my read was, and why I threw the ball.”
Love isn’t just stomaching the questions about the interceptions, rather, he’s using the opportunity to help teams understand him better.
“Yeah, it’s a great opportunity,” Love said. “They see it from watching film, but when you give them your perspective, as far as how you read it and what you saw, it’s definitely a bit better.”
Love, by the way, isn’t the first quarterback who struggled his final year in college and was drafted in the first round.
Matt Ryan threw 19 interceptions at Boston College before being drafted the next year by Atlanta. Dan Marino threw 17 touchdowns and 23 interceptions his final year at Pittsburgh before being drafted in the first round by the Dolphins.
Love isn’t guaranteed to follow the career path of those two. But his mistakes at Utah State aren’t career defining.
“The biggest difference for me was obviously the turnovers, they went up,” Love said. “I was trying to do too much and force the ball downfield thinking I could make throws into tight windows. There were situations where I could have checked the ball down, but I was trying to make that play.
“Some of the games, we got into situations where we got down, and I did feel like I had to make those plays. As a team, we knew that – we knew we have to make plays to get back in the game.”
Love says he knows better now. He calls the 17 interceptions 17 learning moments.
“Obviously, that’s what it is – 17 learning moments,” he said. “Things I learned from – you’ve got to go back and break it down and see why I made those mistakes. Some I have to learn from, and I can’t keep letting it happen, and that’s what I tell teams right there.
“They play the game, so they know. You’ve got to learn from your mistakes.”
This story was originally published February 26, 2020 at 11:18 AM.
