The Miami Dolphins’ rebuild is centered, at least for now, around being able to build and acquire talent courtesy of the NFL Draft. Miami added what will equate to approximately 20% of their 2020 roster in April’s draft, including tagging four top-50 players and six total talents in the first two days of the draft. Thanks to the trade of Laremy Tunsil in late August of last year, the Dolphins will be fully stocked once again in 2021 — the team has two picks in each of the first two rounds at their disposal.
But with the status of the college game up in the air amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Dolphins may be facing an unenviable task of assessing players without actually seeing them play this fall. If that indeed becomes the fate of the 2021 NFL Draft prospects, the Miami Dolphins will need to be ready. And, according to Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, some of those discussions are already being had.
Just in case.
“Yeah, we’re monitoring (the college football season). Obviously from a scouting standpoint, this is the time where a lot of guys will be out on the road and looking at the prospects for next season. Yeah, if there is not a college season, that’s something we’ve talked about,” said Flores.
“(General Manager) Chris (Grier), myself, (Vice President of Football Administration) Brandon (Shore), (Assistant General Manager) Marvin Allen, we have a plan in place for how we’re going to go about this scouting season if there is no season. Yeah, obviously those conversations will be ongoing and those conversations obviously are going to stay between us.”
Each of the league’s teams is going to have to attack an unorthodox draft process from their own angle — but for Miami it helps to have accomplished talent evaluators in the building to the degree in which Miami does. Between the hierarchy mentioned by Flores and senior executive Reggie McKenzie, Miami has ample experience to draw upon to ensure their rebuild is as uninterrupted as possible. But Flores was more than happy to pass the buck to Grier during his Monday call with the South Florida media — he’s got a season to coach.
“With all of that said, my focus is on this team right now today. I’m monitoring that from afar but Chris handles more of that, really all of that I should say.”