Brace yourselves, Dolphins fans. You may have seen wave after wave of 2021 NFL mock drafts over the last few weeks, but the real storm of speculation is only now beginning to peek up over the horizon. Few NFL Draft pundits are more plugged in to the pulse of the league than NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah — who has released his first 2021 mock draft to start your weekend off right.
His speculation for the Dolphins? It isn’t exactly par for the course. Here are Jeremiah’s picks for the Miami Dolphins in his first 2021 mock draft and what his point of view is as to why each pick makes sense for Miami:
No. 3 overall – WR Ja’Marr Chase, LSU Tigers
“The Dolphins need to add some playmakers around Tua Tagovailoa. Chase is the best pass catcher in the draft.” – Daniel Jeremiah
No. 18 overall – OT Christian Darrisaw, Virginia Tech Hokies
“The Dolphins need to devote this offseason to supporting their young QB. Darrisaw is a sound, dependable player and would step right into the starting lineup at right tackle.” – Daniel Jeremiah
Chase isn’t the flavor of the month amid the 2021 wide receiver class — that honor goes to Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith. But Jeremiah has been fairly vocal that top-flight receivres who are drafted in the top three should have some athletic trump cards and elite physical traits; so he’s been hinting that he’d offer Chase to the Dolphins ahead of Sith for quite some time now.
Meanwhile, at No. 18, the Dolphins are faced with an intriguing set of options. Running back? Defense? Offensive line? Jeremiah pegs them the best offensive tackle available — with the decision presumably resulting in Robert Hunt kicking inside to play guard. That’s an outcome many Dolphins fans could get behind, even if Darrisaw isn’t the offensive tackle most commonly associated with this hypothetical.
That distinction goes to Oregon’s Penei Sewell, who Jeremiah has falling to No. 10 overall with the Dallas Cowboys.
It’s going to be a bumpy ride over the next few months, as Jeremiah’s mock indicates. There’s going to be a lot of changing narratives and, thanks to all 32 NFL front offices, plenty of red herrings regarding what we’ll see play out when the chips are down.