The Miami Dolphins aren’t likely to be the first team in the 2020 NFL Draft to select a quarterback. That honor is likely to come down to the Cincinnati Bengals, who are scheduled to pick first overall and are assumed to be drafted LSU quarterback Joe Burrow with that selection. But the Miami Dolphins are the next team in the queue assumed to be dialing up a signal caller. Which one? That has been the great mystery of the last four months.
NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero attempted to provide a bit of clarity on the situation — he polled twelve NFL executives on what order the 2020 NFL Draft’s quarterbacks will come off the board next week. If you’re a “Tank For Tua” truther, you may want to avert your eyes. Here are the results of Pelissero’s poll of NFL decision makers:
- Joe Burrow (LSU)
- Justin Herbert (Oregon)
- Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama)
- Jordan Love (Utah State)
- Jacob Eason (Washington)
Herbert was voted the most likely to be the second quarterback off the board by the slimmest of margins (7 votes versus 5 for Tagovailoa). Herbert’s appeal has swelled throughout the course of the pre-draft process, where he’s been able to dispel the false narratives around his personality and has provided NFL decision makers with the confidence that he, in an offensive attack more tailored to his strengths, can make the jump and play at a high level.
“I like Herbert’s tape. But I do think the talent is ahead of the nuance and polish of playing the position,” said one AFC executive via Pelissero. “He’s really good at throwing on the move. He can really push the ball downfield. And in a clean pocket with guys open, the guy is accurate. It was not a very complex passing offense (at Oregon), but the kid is more than cerebral enough to pick that up, and he’s got a big-time arm.”
Tagovailoa’s durability factor seemed to be enough to tip the scales in Herbert’s favor. One NFC coach pointed out to Pelissero that Tagovailoa’s play style and build are a bit of a problem to forecast.
“I love him intangibly,” the NFC coach told NFL.com. “But the way he plays, the way he takes hits, the way he scrambles — it would worry me. I don’t know that he’s built for it in the long haul, just his body type. And if I was investing a franchise-changing pick, I would have to factor that in.”
For now, this year’s QB2 will have to remain a mystery. But by this time next week, we’ll have our answer. And if the Dolphins are the ones to make that pick like we believe, it will serve as an eye-opening exercise in the Dolphins’ plans for the future of their offense.