Dolphins rush in one of draft’s most talented but polarizing quarterbacks before deadline
If the Miami Dolphins don’t end up with Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa and Oregon’s Justin Herbert in April’s NFL Draft, there is another likely-to-be-available quarterback who intrigues them: Utah State’s Jordan Love.
And it was telling that the Dolphins raced to bring in Love to their team headquarters on Friday, hours before the NFL began prohibiting predraft visits because of the coronavirus pandemic.
A neutral source (a person not aligned with another team) said he has been left with the impression from the Dolphins that the organization likes Love, but probably not with the fifth overall pick, unless his visit or some other factors raises his stock in the Dolphins’ eyes, or unless Dolphins officials somehow talks themselves into that.
We’re told there are differing views inside the Dolphins about how high Love should go, with some viewing him as a mid-to-late first-rounder and others as a second-rounder. But there is clearly interest in him, and he’s a consideration as Miami searches for its future quarterback.
It seems doubtful that Love would be available with its pick at No. 18. So if Miami doesn’t end up with Tua or Herbert, there is the possibility Miami could to trade down several spots from No. 5 to take Love.
“He’s going to go much sooner than you expect,” ESPN’s Louis Riddick said recently. “If you looked at Jordan Love’s interceptions as a cut-up real/video edit, you would see: poor decision-making, poor accuracy, poor play calling, poor route finish by wide receivers. If you draft him, do you have the ability to eliminate/reduce severity of those issues?”
The big question with Love is whether his 2018 season (32 touchdowns and six interceptions) or 2019 season (20 touchdowns, 17 interceptions) is the more accurate harbinger of his NFL performance.
ESPN’s Todd McShay said last season’s performance is mitigated in his view because Utah State had nine new starters on offense and a new offensive coordinator.
“He was on an island. I can excuse some of [the 17 interceptions because of that],” McShay said. “From a tool standpoint, his ability to extend plays, is what you’re looking for in today’s NFL quarterback.”
And, McShay said, “If you study two years ago, you see what he can do. He gets the ball out, has good progression reads. If you compare him to Justin Herbert, Love is a better player.”
There are a few scenarios in which Miami could pursue Love, including one in which quarterback-needy teams trade up ahead of Miami to select Tagovailoa or Herbert.
The Dolphins admire the skills of Tagovailoa and Herbert, but there are issues with each: durability in Tagovailoa’s case and uneven accuracy in Herbert’s case.
The Dolphins love LSU quarterback Joe Burrow — the expected No. 1 overall pick — but don’t expect the Bengals to trade the first pick to them.
Beyond those four quarterbacks, the draft’s next tier of QBs includes Washington’s Jaob Eason, Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts, Georgia’s Jake Fromm, Colorado’s Steve Montez, Iowa’s Nate Stanley, Michigan’s Shae Patterson, Hawaii’s Cole McDonald and Washington State’s Anthony Gordon.
The Dolphins also have shown interest in FIU quarterback James Morgan.
Earlier Friday, the Dolphins brought in Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins for a visit, and he’s a top candidate for Miami’s pick at No. 26.
This story was originally published March 13, 2020 at 3:42 PM.
