Its officially time to cross nose tackle off Dolphins’ team needs list

Its officially time to cross nose tackle off Dolphins’ team needs list

Remember back in April when the Miami Dolphins made their second 2nd-round choice in the 2021 NFL Draft and everyone was all worked up about how the Dolphins had just missed the chance to draft Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins? Miami had done a lot of work on Dobbins ahead of the draft but saw the Baltimore Ravens pluck Dobbins one spot ahead of where Miami was scheduled to pick at 56th overall. And while Miami may wish it had played their hand different in addressing the running back position, we have a feeling there is no buyer’s remorse with the player the Dolphins instead opted to draft at No. 56: defensive lineman Raekwon Davis.

Davis has been a budding standout for the Dolphins up the middle and, with his towering size, is getting ample opportunities to bully opposing centers in one on one reps as the Dolphins drop down their defensive linemen into “bear” and “mint” three man fronts to congest the middle of the line of scrimmage.

For the second consecutive week, Davis has been recognized by Pro Football Focus as the highest graded rookie defender in all of football — that’s how well he’s playing these days for the Dolphins.

Davis’ recent stretch of play has been so strong that he’s boosted himself to the analytics company’s third highest graded rookie defender in the league this season behind Chase Young (the No. 2 overall pick) and Colts safety Julian Blackmon.

And with Davis’ flip of the switch and his recent dominant play, it should alleviate any pressure Miami may feel to target a nose tackle with a premium pick in the 2021 NFL Draft this upcoming April. It’s unnecessary. They’ve already got one. And with the presumed return of DL Christian Wilkins this season from the reserve/COVID-19 list, the Dolphins should continue to get the continued absolute best out of Davis and push his stunning development to new heights as the keystone in the middle for the Dolphins defense.

The next step for Miami as a whole is simple: get more versatile linebackers behind him to play in the majority of their defensive packages and the team’s “bend but don’t break” mantra has the potential to very quickly evolve into a “don’t bend” approach. Expect Davis’ presence in the middle to continue to stand out for all the right reasons for the Dolphins — he’s improving rapidly and already looks the part.