It’s the heart of winter, which means it is mock draft season across the NFL. And sure enough, the 2020 NFL Draft is beginning to heat up while the rest of the country cools off — and the rampant speculation is forcing fans to entertain new ideas seemingly by the day.
Thanks to ESPN’s Todd McShay, Miami Dolphins fans will have a unique outcome of their own to ponder this afternoon. McShay’s latest 2020 mock draft dropped overnight and with it came usual suspects early on. McShay, like most everyone in the industry, continues to peg Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to the Dolphins with the 5th overall pick. There will be widespread debate on whether or not Miami can actually secure Tagovailoa at 5, but for now that serves as the industry consensus.
At 18, McShay mocked the Dolphins Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas. Thomas is a fairly new face for Miami, but is no stranger to the 1st-round mock drafts. Thomas entered the season considered the top offensive tackle in the country, but some questions about his fit in some systems has left him sliding early in the mocks. For Miami, no need to worry. The Dolphins need linemen who can reset the line of scrimmage — that’s Thomas’ specialty.
The real surprise comes at 26, where the Dolphins were mocked defender Zack Baun of Wisconsin. Baun’s specialty is his versatility — on that front he does make sense for the Dolphins. He’s only picked up steam as a potential 1st-round pick recently, but Miami could certainly make a play for him given the pipeline they have at outside linebacker and Wisconsin already with Vince Biegel and Andrew Van Ginkel on the roster. Baun’s role is yet to be determined — some feel he’s an off-ball linebacker while others seem to like him on the edge as a pass rusher.
With the NFL Combine three weeks away, our next steps to additional clarity will be here before we know it.
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