Who were the best and worst Dolphins draft picks, aside from the QB? Scouts weigh in
A six-pack of Miami Dolphins notes on a Thursday:
▪ We asked a couple of NFL scouts and a longtime NFL executive to identify, in their view, the best Dolphins draft pick this year (aside from Tua Tagovailoa) and the worst.
The first scout identified Robert Hunt as the best, predicting he will become a Pro Bowl-caliber player if he moves to guard and very good if he’s at right tackle.
The worst? Guard Solomon Kindley in a fourth-round trade-up.
“His tape wasn’t good and he made a massive mistake to come out,” the scout said. “To me, he was a late-round guy. There’s not enough athleticism. He’s dumpy and overweight and doesn’t have the feet to be a starting NFL guard. He was horrible as a freshman. His ‘18 tape was a little better. This year’s tape wasn’t very good. I couldn’t understand that pick.”
The second scout said Hunt and Alabama defensive tackle Raekwon Davis were Miami’s best picks, excluding Tagovailoa.
“I really like Hunt; he’s quick and strong and tough,” the second scout said. “He can play guard, but to me he’s a right tackle. I know people talked about [the declining sack numbers with] Davis, but I like his ability to get off the ball, his agility. He’s active inside.
“And I liked the Brandon Jones pick. I like him better than [ex-LSU safety and Cleveland Browns 44th overall pick] Grant Delpit. He’s a better tackler. I like the person; really impressive when I met him.” Jones, a safety out of Texas, was Miami’s third-round pick, 70th overall.
And the worst pick? That second scout cited North Carolina defensive lineman Jason Strowbridge: “He’s OK, nothing special. I’m not sure he’s an end or a tackle.”
The longtime NFL executive said Auburn cornerback Noah Igbinoghene was potentially Miami’s best post-Tua pick “from the standpoint that if you hit on a corner, that’s big. He’s a developmental guy, but he has tools and there’s a lot to like long-term.”
The worst? “Raekwon Davis, because he’s a second-round pick with as much downside as upside. Boom or bust guy. Big, athletic guy, but you didn’t see the production always” match the talent.
▪ NFL Network’s Mike Giardi reported Wednesday night that the Dolphins have received calls inquiring about quarterback Josh Rosen, but that they are in no hurry to trade him. Our understanding is that the Dolphins are not trying to shop Rosen, and there are four reasons keeping him makes sense:
1) He’s cheap; he’s owed $2.1 million in 2020 and $2.9 million in 2021.
2) The belief is that he might improve under a new offensive coordinator.
3) He could be an effective backup to Tagovailoa in 2021, if Ryan Fitzpatrick isn’t re-signed.
4) Because of COVID-19, a strong case could be made to keep three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster this season. Say, hypothetically, one of a team’s top two quarterbacks tests positive for coronavirus in the days before a game and goes into quarantine for 14 days. Teams with an experienced, skilled third quarterback would benefit in that scenario.
▪ One moral of the Dolphins’ offseason: Don’t read too much into the team’s official roster.
Rookie Malcolm Perry has been given No. 10, which is odd, because the Dolphins are listing him as a running back, and yet, as ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe alertly noted, NFL rules say that players whose primary position is running back wear 20 to 49.
Our understanding is that the Dolphins plan to use Perry at running back and slot receiver and potentially as a return man.
And keep in mind that players can change their numbers after preseason, so 10 won’t necessarily be Perry’s number if he makes the team.
Also, the Dolphins have listed Hunt as a tackle and Jesse Davis as a guard/tackle. Davis, the starter at right tackle most of last season, had not been definitively told what position he will play, as of a week ago. The likelihood is the two players will compete at right tackle, with the loser of that competition playing right guard.
The Dolphins see Hunt having the skills to be a long-term right tackle but also are comfortable with him playing guard this season if that’s the best fit for the team.
And more evidence not to fret over the Dolphins official roster: Eric Rowe is still listed as a cornerback, though he has played safety since last October and said he will remain there.
▪ If the Dolphins had been able to move up for a tackle, the players they wanted were either Georgia’s Andrew Thomas or Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs. Miami explored moving up to the early teens for Wirfs, but nothing materialized and the Dolphins were content drafting Austin Jackson, who has great upside but isn’t as polished a player as Wirfs.
▪ We hear the Dolphins really like undrafted rookie Donell Stanley, the offensive lineman from South Carolina, and believe he has a chance to win the backup center job behind starter Ted Karras. The Dolphins gave him $30,000 guaranteed.
There has been speculation the Dolphins might give Michael Deiter a look at center, in addition to playing guard, but that’s unclear. Shaq Calhoun is an option at backup center, too.
▪ Found it interesting that Saints general manager Jeff Ireland told donors to the Louisiana-Lafayette Athletic Foundation last week that the Saints had “pretty strong intel” that Miami and Kansas City would take Michigan guard/center Cesar Ruiz and that’s why New Orleans took him at 24 instead of trading back, which had been the Saints’ initial inclination, per NewOrleansFootball.com.
Miami didn’t have a lot of contact with Ruiz before the draft, but if the Dolphins had taken him, Hunt likely would not have been the pick at 39 and Miami might have gone for a cornerback (Igbinoghene if there) or running back.
Instead, the Dolphins traded back from 26 to 30 to take Igbinoghene, picking up a fourth-rounder from Green Bay in the process, with Miami taking Kindley in the fourth after yet another trade.
This story was originally published May 21, 2020 at 5:24 PM.
