The Miami Dolphins need to upgrade at RB: Fake GM Mando’s best value at the position
A cursory glance at the unofficial Miami Dolphins’ offensive depth chart, which I published on Tuesday, might have surprised some folks focused on the running back position. Because Kalen Ballage was not the starter and was not the backup.
And this could be curious considering Ballage was basically inserted as the presumed starter during training camp in 2019 and then started six games during the regular season.
Unfortunately for Ballage he didn’t exactly turn the opportunity into production. He averaged a meager 1.8 yards per carry and that helped him lose his job to Mark Walton. And when Walton got into trouble and was cut, Ballage was given another chance.
And, again, he didn’t get it done because he was injured. Patrick Laird started the final four games after Ballage went on injured reserve.
Thus: Unrestricted free agent addition Jordan Howard penciled in as the starter and Laird penciled in as his backup, even as Ballage remains on the team and is set to play his third NFL season.
But here’s the thing: The Dolphins could use an upgrade at running back.
They know it (if they don’t they’re blind).
Everyone knows it.
And while Howard helps, the Dolphins could certainly afford to upgrade the running back room with at least one draft pick.
This is where everyone else will suggest the Dolphins draft D’Andre Swift or J.K. Dobbins or Clyde Edwards-Helaire or Cam Akers.
And I get it. All those guys have wonderful gifts. They have abilities. And most will go late in the first round or into the second round.
Me? I like big, physical running backs.
I liked what I saw last season with the Tennessee Titans and Derrick Henry, as they wore down opponents and stole the soul of defenses when Henry, at 6-3 and 238 pounds, steamrolled them over and over and over.
And I look at this draft’s “top” running back prospects and they’re mostly not that type of runner. They’re, well, smallish.
Swift is 5-8 and 212 pounds.
Dobbins is 5-10 and 209 pounds.
Edwards-Helaire is 5-7 and 207 pounds.
[Peanut Gallery: Oh, Mando, running backs can be productive at any size. Barry Sanders was not big. Stick to writing about something you know about like Arroz con pollo.]
Thank you, gallery for noticing my expertise in Cuban food, having spent a lifetime honing my knowledge of the topic by eating. But I have also seen some running backs in my 30 years covering the NFL.
So ...
I like bigger backs. To put it in New England Patriots terms — something the Dolphins are very much about these days, if you notice their roster — I want running backs like LaGarrette Blount or Antowain Smith or Corey Dillon on the roster.
So I look at the running back prospects in this year’s draft and I really, really like AJ Dillon from Boston College.
Dillon is not a first day pick. He might not be a second-round pick, either, if the experts have their way.
But I’d take Dillon in the third round all day long. And did I mention he’s 6-foot and 247 pounds?
And runs a 4.54 in the 40 yard dash?
And has a 41-inch vertical?
This is what NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein says about Dillon:
“He’s a disciplined runner who trusts his blocking scheme and follows his rush track. He’s a good one-cut runner with below-average wiggle but natural power to create yards after contact. Dillon will find more space as he faces fewer loaded boxes as a pro, but dropping weight and adding quickness could be the difference between a future as a committee back or starter.”
And here are some highlights, which is not tape of the guy but merely some of his better work:
Look, Dillon has outstanding vision. That plus the fact he does not simply collapse at first contact is a great combination.
He was very productive in that he gained at least 150 yards in 40 percent of the games he started and scored 39 career rushing touchdowns.
The scouting experts say he’s a high mileage guy. This is dumb because he’s 21 years old and he’s going to play in the NFL. And in the NFL, if a team is well run, it drafts a running back, makes good use of him, then moves on to the next drafted running back unless the previous running back is Jim Brown good.
Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
So three years and we’re moving on. I don’t care about high mileage.
Another issue the scouts have is Dillon isn’t supposed to be a natural pass catcher. Wrong. He can catch the ball just fine and he can certainly continue to improve.
And then there’s the idea he needs to lose weight to become quicker. Please, Jesus, help these people!
I don’t want a trim 247-pound back to lose weight to get quicker. I want him to get stronger so that weight will be mostly muscle which turns him into an anvil.
You know how much fun it is to tackle an anvil? Not fun.
And as to the Dolphins’ actual interest in Dillon: He played at Boston College.
Dolphins coach Brian Flores played at Boston College.
That’s all I got to say about that.
This story was originally published April 8, 2020 at 2:07 AM.
