The Miami Dolphins have eleven football games left in the regular season before their next opportunity to re-stock the cupboards and get ready to make another big leap forward for the 2021 season. As this young Dolphins team learns more and more of the system they’re tasked with playing in and gain more and more experience at the NFL level, the team’s natural ability should shine through and the team will continue to get better and better.
But roster rebuilds are conducted overnight — especially when teams covet NFL Draft assets like the Dolphins have over the past 18 months. Which is why the Dolphins’ upcoming offseason is so full of intrigue. Even as the season plays alone, keeping an eye on the horizon for the upcoming draft can provide some exciting and enticing combinations of new players — like the one put together by The Draft Network’s Drae Harris this week.
Harris, who is a former NFL scout and offers plenty of league experience, pieced together a strong class for Miami in his latest three-round projection — which was revealed last night. In it, the Dolphins hauled a splash player on either side of the football in the early rounds before adding more versatility on the second day of this hypothetical scenario.
Here’s Harris’ full class for Miami through three rounds and his thoughts on the early picks:
No. 4 overall – Gregory Rousseau, Miami
“Miami needs help on the edge. They keep it close to home and get a young, local prospect with a tremendous amount of upside. Rousseau has length and can still add some bulk to his frame. He may have the highest ceiling in the draft out of all of the edge players but needs to continue to develop consistency in his technique.” – Drae Harris, TDN
No. 7 overall – WR Ja’Marr Chase, LSU
“Miami gets the best wide receiver in this draft. Chase will bring the ability to separate in man coverage as a big-play threat on the outside. He won the Biletnikoff Award as a sophomore and will only improve as he matures in the NFL.” – Drae Harris, TDN
No. 36 overall – SAF Jevon Holland, Oregon
No. 39 overall – OL Rashawn Slater, Northwestern
No. 68 overall – OL Alijah Vera-Tucker, USC
Trenches? Check. Safety help? Also check. A stud wide receiver to help with run after the catch? This is a strong offering for Miami — one that would take a promising start to the 2020 season and catapult it into a super promising future for the team long-term.