Miami Dolphins’ first-round haul more about careful development than instant bounce
If the exercise is about traveling a road to a better tomorrow, perhaps even at the expense of today, then the Miami Dolphins were absolutely fantastic in the first round of Thursday’s NFL Draft.
Because the three first-round picks the Dolphins made might have a great future. And they might help the team turn a corner some day.
But this talent haul doesn’t feel like it’s about today. Or even this season.
The Dolphins didn’t pick plug-and-play guys in the first round of this draft. And they would probably admit they weren’t really looking for that.
These guys seem more like redshirts.
The redshirt first round.
The Dolphins picked quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with the No. 5 pick overall, left tackle Austin Jackson with the 18th overall selection and cornerback Noah Igbinoghene with the 30th overall selection, after trading down from the 26th pick.
And these three, for varying reasons, probably need a season of, well, seasoning, before they can be expected to begin blossoming.
So hold off on assigning Tagovailoa that starting QB job with protection from Jackson as the starting left tackle. Resist the idea Igbinoghene immediately becomes Miami’s nickel cornerback.
That’s not a criticism. It’s just a fact the Dolphins are comfortable discussing openly.
“You’re talking about starting positions, these guys have never been in an NFL locker room,” coach Brian Flores said after the first round. “I think that’s asking a lot. We’re going to take it day to day. That’s the message I’m going to send our players, especially our young players.”
That’s not the complete message. The rest includes this:
“There’s a lot to learn,” Flores said.
Correct. Much knowledge must pass between ears before we start reconfiguring Miami’s depth charts with these first-rounders.
Start with Tagovailoa. He comes to the Dolphins from as close to a professional football atmosphere as you can get in college. Alabama is more than a college program; it’s really a Triple A team with a bunch of future NFL stars on the roster.
So those players, especially their stars such as Tagovailoa, often contribute immediately.
Well, maybe. But that probably won’t be Tagovailoa’s course.
“We haven’t even seen him,” Flores said “Obviously with the pandemic and all that’s going on, our doctors haven’t seen him. So we have a long way to go before we say who’s doing what and in what year.
“We just want to get with him and have a meeting first. I think it’s way too early to speculate on this year and how this is going to go.”
Tagovailoa seems enthusiastic about the idea of playing in 2020. He says he’s physically capable, which is the first question anyone who saw that hip injury last November should ask.
“I think what makes me confident in the aspect of me being able to play is what the doctors have told me,” he said. “As far as rehab, the medical rechecks, I checked off all the boxes. That’s what I’ve been standing on and what I’ve been going with.
“I’ve been really encouraged to say I’m able to play if need be.”
And Tagovailoa says he’s going to take the correct, professional approach to the matter. I believe that means he’s going to try like the dickens to win the starting job — even if the Dolphins are more likely to keep presumed starter Ryan Fitzpatrick at his post until something drastic changes.
Something more drastic than this draft, anyway.
“I’m going to go out there and compete as if I’m preparing to be the starter even I’m not going to be a starter right away or the entire season,” Tagovailoa said. “But I think that has to be the mind-set. Competition is usually always healthy. You get better and get the entire quarterback group better.”
If you’re wondering what kind of competition Jackson will be facing before he earns that starting tackle spot, perhaps a slowing of one’s roll is in order.
Because despite obvious physical tools and abilities, the strapping 6-foot-5 and 310 pounder won’t be 21 years old until next month. So he’s raw. And perhaps a little immature.
There’s stuff that needs addressing and honing there that might not translate to instant greatness. By the way, Laremy Tunsil was a better player in college and a better prospect coming out of the 2016 draft and even he didn’t start at left tackle right away.
He played a year at guard and then he filled the cornerstone job the following season.
It would be surprising if Jackson follows the same path with the same immediacy and impact.
Igbinoghene comes to the Dolphins from another premier Southeastern Conference school, and he also has a bright future. And, truth is, he might contribute sooner than either of the other two first-rounders because his athletic skills scream great special teams player.
But immediately becoming Miami’s starting nickel cornerback?
That’s going to require polishing his ball skills. That’s going to require some development.
So here we are, past the Dolphins first round and the coach is setting the bar low and the situation suggests patience will be required.
That’s not terrible. But you should be aware so as to not be surprised:
The Dolphins first-round haul is more about a bounce perhaps in 2021 and beyond. But probably not so much this coming season.
This story was originally published April 24, 2020 at 2:46 AM.
