The defender who might be elusive for Dolphins and outside-the-box front-seven solutions
There’s no greater need for the Dolphins on defense in this draft than finding another edge rusher, a position where Miami is lacking after the offseason jettisoning of Kyle Van Noy (released) and Shaq Lawson (traded to Houston for linebacker Benardrick McKinney).
The are four natural edge rushers considered likely to go in the range of 12 to 25: UM’s Greg Rousseau and Jaelan Phillips, Michigan’s Kwity Paye and possibly Georgia’s Azeez Ojulari, who some project for the late 20s. We explored those four here in Part 1 of our three-part series.
But four players listed by some as “inside linebackers” also will draw consideration for a variety of reasons: Penn State’s Micah Parsons (if he surprisingly falls to 18), Notre Dame’s Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Kentucky’s Jamin Davis and Tulsa’s Zaven Collins.
Addressing those four and how each could fit with the Dolphins:
▪ Let’s be clear about Parsons: Don’t be misled by the inside linebacker designation in mock drafts. He can play inside and outside and be the versatile chess piece Dolphins coach Brian Flores covets.
Parsons opted out of the 2020 season after producing 109 tackles (including 14 for loss), five sacks, four forced fumbles and five pass breakups in 2020.
“I don’t think there’s a player like me,” he tweeted recently.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. calls him the 11th-best player in this draft.
“He has rare talent, though he has room to grow into the defense that picks him,” Kiper said. “He played linebacker for the Nittany Lions, but he was a defensive end in high school and could end up as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense at the next level. It’s the versatility that makes him valuable, as he could also play inside linebacker in a 4-3.”
The odds are against him being available at 18, but it’s not entirely out of the question. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said the worst-case scenario for Parsons is falling to 26th.
The sixth pick seems too high; Miami must use that spot to augment Tua Tagovailoa’s offensive weapons.
But Parsons only helped himself at Penn State’s Pro Day, running a 4.43 in the 40.
“His rush talent is a potential wild card in how teams decide to use him, but he’s likely to show rapid improvement and should be a Day 1 starter,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein said.
▪ Though some teams view Collins as an inside linebacker, he has the skill set and size (6-4, 260) to play outside linebacker — as an edge player — in the Dolphins’ 3-4 defense.
“One buddy that I talked to in the league when I first watched him, he was like, ‘What do you think?’ I said, ‘Man, I really like him,’” Jeremiah said. “He reminds me a little bit of [Dallas’ Leighton] Vander Esch coming out of Boise State, and this is an older scout. He said, ‘Man, I saw some similarities to [former Bears All-Pro middle linebacker] Brian Urlacher when he was coming out of New Mexico.’
“You’re talking about somebody that’s 6-4, 260 pounds that can really run and cover. If you want to have fun, go watch his 96-yard walk-off pick-six in overtime against Tulane. You’ll see how athletic that kid is.”
Collins, who rushed the passer only some of the time at Tulsa, had 7.5 sacks in 32 college games, including four in eight games last season. He also had four interceptions last season (two returned for touchdowns) and 7.5 tackles for loss.
“If you want to talk about the negatives, the only concern is I would say when he’s in the box, you’ll see him maybe not immediately be able to seek and diagnose,” Jeremiah said. “So some of the stuff in that mud and the trash inside the box area; the instincts are good, not great, not like an elite level we’ve seen with Devin White or some top linebackers, Devin Bush, some of these other guys that have come out over the last few years.”
But... “what makes him so unique is this is a 6-4, 260-pound package that’s doing all this stuff,” Jeremiah added. “He’s very unique. That to me would be the only real question mark. [But] he’s really good in coverage. Zaven Collins gives you a lot of different options with things you can do with him.”
ESPN’s Todd McShay said Collins’ “closing burst to the quarterback and to ball carriers is tremendous” and has Collins going 32nd in his mock draft.
Most would consider No. 18 too high for Collins. But if he shockingly falls to 36 — or if Miami ends up with a pick in the 20s — he’s worthy of serious consideration.
▪ Davis, meanwhile, has been heralded by Jeremiah and Kiper as a player on the rise, as much as any nonquarterback in this draft.
Kiper moved him from the second round all the way up to the 14th-best player in this draft, ahead of UM’s Phillips and Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain Jr. and running back Najee Harris, among others.
“Get to know this name, because Davis is a big-time riser,” Kiper said. “When I sat down recently to watch his 2020 tape, I loved what I saw. He has tremendous range. He is physical. He can play inside or outside. He can cover and has some ball skills, including picking off three passes last season. Davis is the total package.”
The 6-3, 234-pound Davis had 102 tackles, 1.5 sacks and three interceptions in 10 games last season.
If he’s the best player on Miami’s board at 18, the Dolphins could play him inside and McKinney or Ogbah in an outside linebacker role.
NFL Networks Bucky Brooks, the former NFL scout, said Davis is “rising up the charts like a bullet. Jamin Davis has all of the traits of an elite linebacker in today’s game. Fast, instinctive and explosive.. His playmaking ability pops on tape.”
Kiper raised the possibility of playing Davis outside, though he seems better-suited for that in a 4-3 than Miami’s 3-4 scheme.
Zierlein calls Davis an “ascending inside linebacker prospect with excellent blend of size, length and pursuit talent.. He can cover big tight ends. Davis could use more seasoning before he’s ready for full-time snaps but he should become a starter.”
▪ With Owusu-Karamoah, there’s no doubt he would be an inside linebacker at that size (6-1, 220 pounds).
Kiper slots him 23rd, calling him “a sideline-to-sideline tackling machine” with “some coverage traits that could make him valuable on third down.”
Zierlien said “it’s hard to see Owusu-Koramoah’s explosive traits, versatility and playmaking ability on display and not get excited about what is to come. Concerns will be raised about his lack of size and occasional lapses in fundamentals, but neither should detract from his rare potential as a game-changing talent. His athletic traits, versatility and playmaking demeanor give him a chance to become the most impactful defender in this draft.”
If Owusu-Koramoah were the choice, Miami could find an edge player in the second round; move McKinney to the edge; or move Ogbah to a standup outside linebacker role and have Adam Butler start at defensive end alongside tackles Christian Wilkins and Raekwon Davis.
Because of the flexibility of Ogbah and Butler and McKinney, that affords the Dolphins the opportunity to take an inside linebacker ahead of an edge rusher, even though that’s not the preferred course. And Parsons and Collins clearly can play outside linebacker in a 3-4.
Here’s part 1 of the series on UM’s Phillips and Rousseau and other other edge rushers in play for Miami in the first round.
We’ll explore the second- and third-round traditional edge rushers in Part 3 on Monday.
