Twelve nuggets on Miami Dolphins’ draft options at 36, 50 and what makes sense
Thousands of Miami Dolphins fans, from Miami Gardens to Copenhagen, have spent weeks debating the potential Ja’Marr Chase/Kyle Pitts/DeVonta Smith choice at No. 6 in next week’s NFL Draft.
Countless hours have been spent mulling the merits of selecting an edge player instead of Alabama running back Najee Harris at 18. (And I’ll be surprised if the Dolphins draft a running back that high.)
But what about the picks at 36 and 50?
Miami’s direction with its two second-round choices will rest, in part, on what needs are filled at No. 6 and 18.
Twelve notes and thoughts to keep in mind on the second-round picks:
▪ If NFL Network lead draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah — who I find to be very credible — is correct in his belief that no running back will go in the first round (an opinion he based on talking to numerous teams), then running back at 36 makes the most sense — with North Carolina’s Javonte Williams the preference here if Najee Harris is off the board.
But the Dolphins last year kept bypassing backs and they could again gamble that an appealing back could be available at 50 (Williams) or in the middle rounds, such as two physical, bruising Big 12 runners — Oklahoma’s Rhamondre Stevenson (the Dolphins staff coached him at the Senior Bowl) or Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard.
While that might disappoint some Dolphins fans, it wouldn’t shock me if the Dolphins don’t feel compelled to take a back at 36. How could anyone be shocked by that after Miami repeatedly eschewed top running back prospects at 30, 39 and 56 last April?
▪ Could UM defensive end Greg Rousseau conceivably slip to 36? Apparently so. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has him sliding all the way to Atlanta at 35. Agent Drew Rosenhaus said several teams have assured him they would take Rousseau in the first round.
Though Rousseau had 15.5 sacks in 2019 before opting out last season, “he’s a tough evaluation,” Kiper said. “He doesn’t have elite athletic traits, and that showed up on the film.”
NFL.com’s Greg Zierlein tweeted: “Two players that have had public attention who I just don’t hear league people excited about are Rousseau and [Michigan offensive tackle Jalen] Mayfield.” More on Mayfield and Miami shortly.
So while the odds might be against Rousseau being on the board at 36, it’s not out of the question by any means.
▪ If not Rousseau, what other edge players could be available at 36 if the Dolphins opt for a running back or inside linebacker at 36?
It’s unlikely Georgia’s Azeez Ojulari or Tulsa inside/outside linebacker Zaven Collins slips to 36, but each would be great value picks if they did. Kiper and Todd McShay had Ojulari falling to 34th in their tag-team mock draft this week, with Collins going 30th.
Washington’s Joe Tryon is a possibility; some project him for the late 20s or early 30s but Kiper has him 44th. He had eight sacks in 2019 but opted out of playing last season.
Another option: Oklahoma edge player Ronnie Perkins; Kiper has him going 42nd.
“He bullied offensive tackles at times,” Kiper said. He’s a “physical edge rusher” who had 16.5 sacks in three seasons at Oklahoma.
Miami could jump on Penn State’s Jayson Oweh if he slips to 36; he didn’t have a sack last season but some evaluators aren’t holding that against him because he was disruptive in the pocket.
“Oweh has gotten some buzz as a first-rounder because of his athletic traits, but I wouldn’t take a chance on him that high,” Kiper said, projecting him more for the 40s.
Kiper has Buffalo outside linebacker/defensive end Malcolm Koonce rising all the way to 41.
Koonce (14 sacks, 17.5 tackles for loss over his past 17 games) hadn’t been projected for the second round by any prominent mock drafts — The Athletic projects him as a seventh rounder — until Kiper injected him into the early 40s in his latest mock draft.
“Koonce is a natural pass-rusher,” Kiper said. “He has great length and can be disruptive as a situational edge defender. He’s being underrated in the lead-up to this draft, but I love his tape.”
▪ If Miami is still looking for an edge rusher (or a second edge player) at 50, Perkins and Koonce could potentially be in play.
Another serious consideration would be Wake Forest’s Carlos Basham Jr. at 50.
“Powerful and disruptive,” McShay said, mocking him 41st. A former general manager has been raving to me about Basham.
And keep in mind Texas’ Joseph Ossai, a skilled pass rusher who had 5.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and 20 tackles for loss in nine games. He could be an option at 50.
▪ What about yet another offensive lineman at 36 or 50?
If the Dolphins want a center, Alabama’s Landon Dickerson — coming off an ACL injury — could be in play at either 36 or 50. Dickerson and Oklahoma’s Creed Humphrey are considered the best center prospects in this draft and both can also play guard.
McShay calls Humphrey “versatile, strong and a good zone blocker” and mocks him 47th to the Chargers.
He says Dickerson has “strong awareness in pass protection and can drive back defenders on run plays.”
Interestingly, Kiper has Miami taking the aforementioned Mayfield 50th, even though Miami took a tackle 18th last year (Austin Jackson) and a tackle/guard 39th (Rob Hunt).
“Mayfield played right tackle for the Wolverines, and he could play there for Miami, with Robert Hunt moving back inside to guard,” Kiper explained. “He has great footwork for a lineman. ”
Other potential second-round linemen include Texas’ Samuel Cosmi (can play left tackle, right tackle or guard), North Dakota State tackle Dillon Radunz, Notre Dame guard/tackle Liam Eichenberg, Alabama guard/tackle Alex Leatherwood, Clemson guard/tackle Jackson Carman and Wisconsin-Whitewater guard/center Quinn Meinerz, who impressed Dolphins coaches at the Senior Bowl.
▪ Even though the Dolphins acquired Bernardrick McKinney to pair with Jerome Baker at inside linebacker, two inside linebackers bear monitoring for Miami on day two of the draft: Missouri’s Nick Bolton (projected for the 30s and “great against the run,” Kiper said) and LSU’s Jabril Cox.
McShay mocked Cox to Miami at No. 50 in one of his previous mock drafts, noting Cox excels in coverage — he has nine career interceptions — and “could be a replacement for Kyle Van Noy.”
Jeremiah said Cox is “very athletic, long. You can play him over the No. 2 receiver and let him cover. You can blitz him.” NFL.com’s Zierlein envisions him as “a solid, three-down starter within the first couple of seasons.”
▪ What if Miami takes UF tight end Pitts at No. 6 and a front-seven defender at 18?
Then a wide receiver would be in play at 36, and LSU’s Terrace Marshall, Minnesota’s Rashod Bateman and UF’s Kadarius Toney would be highly tempting if any falls to 36. Kiper has them going 27, 29 and 33, respectively.
Marshall is a first-round talent, and Bateman averaged an absurd 20.3 yards per catch on 60 catches in 2019.
Other receiver options at 36 — more likely 50 — in this no-receiver-in-the-first-round scenario: North Carolina’s Dyami Brown; Clemson’s Amari Rogers (very effective on screens); Louisville’s Tutu Atwell (very quick and explosive from Miami Northwestern High); Purdue’s Rondale Moore (one of the best in nation in yards after catch) and Mississippi’s Elijah Moore (Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas); Western Michigan’s D’Wayne Eskridge (23.1 yards per catch last season and impressed the Dolphins at the Senior Bowl) and Auburn’s Anthony Schwartz (the speedster and Plantation American Heritage alum did a recent zoom session with Miami).
▪ What about a defensive back?
I don’t know how the Dolphins can justify another cornerback at 36 or 50, with Xavien Howard and Byron Jones in their prime, and Noah Igbinoghene drafted at 30 last season. Still, it wouldn’t be shocking to me if the Dolphins opt for the best-player-available approach and take another cornerback. They seemingly never believe they have enough corners in this pass-happy modern NFL game.
In that scenario, corners in play in the second round would be Georgia’s Tyson Campbell (the Plantation American Heritage alum who has spoken to the Dolphins), Kentucky’s Kelvin Joseph, Georgia’s Eric Stokes (former Dolphins executive Mike Tannenbaum rates him 22nd in the entire draft) and FSU’s Asante Samuel Jr.
Washington nickel cornerback Elijah Molden could be an option at 50, but the Dolphins signed Justin Coleman to compete with Nik Needham in the slot.
▪ Presuming the draft’s top safety (TCU’s Trevon Moehrig) doesn’t fall to 36, the three second-round safety options would be UCF’s Richie Grant (10 interceptions, five forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries in four seasons), Syracuse’s Andre Cisco (13 interceptions in 24 games) and Oregon’s Jevon Holland (nine interceptions in 27 games).
But Miami last year used a third-round pick on Brandon Jones, who they like. So if a second-round pick is used on a safety, that could put Bobby McCain or Eric Rowe at risk; Miami would have sizable cap savings by cutting either. I don’t expect either to be released in the weeks ahead, but don’t rule out anything with this regime.
▪ The preference here? Pitts at No. 6 if available or Chase otherwise if available; the top front seven defender at 18; Javonte Williams (if Najee Harris is gone) at 36 and best available (excluding running back or tight end) at 50.
This story was originally published April 23, 2021 at 4:36 PM.
