Tag: 2022 Dolphins mock draft

Dolphins grab Boston College offensive lineman in Touchdown Wire mock draft

He could fill a number of roles if asked.

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In 2021, the Dolphins’ most pressing issue was their offensive line, and their inability to keep pressure off the quarterbacks or create holes for the running backs.

Right tackle Jesse Davis, left tackle Liam Eichenberg, and left guard Austin Jackson had poor seasons and were near the top of the list for most pressures allowed. Center Michael Deiter missed most of the season due to injury, but, when he was in, he was just okay.

With that being said, the Dolphins have to address this problem in the offseason, and they may do so by taking another lineman in the draft. In Touchdown Wire’s most recent mock draft, Miami ends up selecting Boston College’s Zion Johnson in the first round.

Here’s what Touchdown Wire’s Mark Schofield had to say about the selection:

“Another player generating some buzz coming out of the Senior Bowl is Zion Johnson, the Boston College offensive lineman. Johnson saw time at both tackle and guard while playing in Chestnut Hill, and even saw action at center during Senior Bowl practices. For the Miami Dolphins, who need to shore up their offensive line, Johnson could be an immediate contributor at guard. He also projects best to a zone run scheme, something we can anticipate being a huge part of Miami’s playbook next season under incoming head coach Mike McDaniel.”

The Dolphins recently hired Boston College’s offensive line coach Matt Applebaum to fill the same role in Miami, so this move makes a lot of sense. Their offensive line was one of the groups in the conference over the last couple of seasons, as they had multiple All-ACC honorees.

Continuity in coaching and a similar blocking scheme in Miami could allow Johnson to flourish as a guard for the Dolphins and really help out an offensive unit that struggled last season.

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Dolphins trade out of the first in latest three-round NFL.com mock draft

It’s not a terrible idea, but it’s not exactly what fans would want to see.

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The NFL draft is just over two months away and teams are already deep into their preparations for which collegiate players they might want to make their team better for the 2022 season and beyond.

During this time of year, we are inundated with mock drafts from many different places that will have the Miami Dolphins going in all sorts of different directions. For example, NFL.com’s Chad Reuter’s most recent three-round mock draft has the team trading out of the first round entirely.

In this mock, with some of the top tackles and wide receivers off the board, the Dolphins completed a trade with the New York Jets to move from No. 29 to No. 35 while picking up a fourth-round pick. The Jets then used the pick to select USC edge rusher Drake Jackson.

This gave Miami two second-round picks (No. 35 and No. 50) which Reuter has them double-dipping on Texas A&M prospects and selecting guard Kenyon Green and running back Isaiah Spiller.

Green is a versatile offensive lineman who has shown the ability to play both guard and tackle. His strength and quickness have been two parts of his game that have made talent evaluators believe he can be great against both the run and the pass in the NFL.

In three seasons as an Aggie, Spiller totaled 2,993 yards and 25 rushing touchdowns on 5.5 yards per attempt, adding 74 receptions for 585 yards and a touchdown in the receiving game as well. Spiller’s vision, patience, and receiving ability would make him a good fit for Mike McDaniel’s offense.

With two of Miami’s biggest needs being offensive line and running backs, this isn’t a terrible idea. Green could sub in for either Jesse Davis or Austin Jackson, and they could fill the other spot with either a free agent or a later pick. Then, Spiller and perhaps a returning Duke Johnson could share opportunities in 2022.

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Dolphins select Minnesota OT in Daniel Jeremiah’s first mock draft

Offensive line help is the team’s biggest need this offseason.

With the Miami Dolphins gearing up for their offseason, general manager Chris Grier and his staff are preparing their free agent and draft strategies.

While they can’t fully commit to a plan of attack without their head coach, it’s obvious where some of the bigger holes on Miami’s roster are. Their offensive line was graded as one of the worst in the league in nearly every category.

Most early mock drafts have had the Dolphins selecting an offensive lineman, and Daniel Jeremiah’s first mock draft of the offseason is no different. In this mock draft that came out Friday, he has Miami selecting Minnesota offensive tackle Daniel Faalele.

Here’s what Jeremiah had to say about the pick:

 “The Dolphins have thrown a lot of resources at the offensive line, but they’ve yet to solve the problem. Faalele is a true giant of a human being, listed by Minnesota at 6-9 and 380 pounds. I’m shocked by how athletic he plays at that size.”

Faalele is a pretty raw offensive line prospect who opted out of the 2020 season, costing him some opportunities to refine his skills. If he can get some quality coaching, he can be a really solid starting tackle in this league. Pairing him and Robert Hunt on the right side could finally give Tua Tagovailoa some effective, consistent blindside protection.

The argument in the first round seems to be whether or not Miami should use more draft capital on an offensive tackle when they could go out and spend some of their cap space on a proven veteran. That’s a fair question, and it’s one that we won’t know the answer to until the new league year starts.

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Dolphins take wide receiver in Mel Kiper’s mock draft on Wednesday

The Dolphins get Tua Tagovailoa another weapon.

With the Miami Dolphins 2021 season having come to a disappointing end, it’s time to focus on the future and ensure that this team takes some positive steps towards becoming a contender.

The draft is one of the biggest events of the offseason, and it’s less than 100 days away, so everybody is interested in who Miami could select to improve their team. At this point in the year, mock drafts are coming nearly every day, and on Wednesday, ESPN dropped their most recent mock draft that has the Dolphins selecting Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson at 26th overall.

Here’s what ESPN’ Mel Kiper Jr. had to say about the selection:

“Miami has used significant assets to build its offense around quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, but not every move has worked out, particularly along the offensive line. They’ve used three top-50 picks on the O-line in the past two drafts, and none of the three — Austin Jackson, Liam Eichenberg and Robert Hunt — is a surefire above-average starter. With Trevor Penning off the board in the previous pick, though, I don’t have another lineman with a Round 1 grade. So let’s address another spot to help Tagovailoa with this pick, which comes from the 49ers’ trade up in last year’s draft.

Dotson is a speedster who had 91 catches for 1,182 yards and 12 scores in 2021. Jaylen Waddle caught 104 passes as a rookie, but the best way to help Tagovailoa is to get him another pass-catcher who can make plays after the catch. Dotson is explosive with the ball in his hands and has the versatility to line up all over the field.”

In most mock drafts so far, the Dolphins have selected an offensive tackle to replace at least one of their starters. Kiper’s approach is one I think a lot of Dolphins fans would like to see. If they add a wide receiver to give Tagovailoa more weapons, they can go out and grab a veteran tackle with all of the cap space they’re projected to have.

With Waddle, Dotson, and DeVante Parker, Miami’s offense could take that next step.

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