3 Bold Dolphins predictions as 2020 NFL draft looms
Boldest: The Dolphins make Justin Herbert their quarterback of the future
The Miami Dolphins have been connected to Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for over a year. The entire premise of this rebuild has been to find the next franchise quarterback and build a championship caliber team around him. The most important phase of that is finding a quarterback. To many, it appears that Tua is a slam dunk to Miami, after his injury history ensured he would be picked after LSU quarterback Joe Burrow. However, Dolphins management remains the only thing that can stop Miami fans from getting the player they want.
General manager Chris Grier is hard to read. The Dolphins have been very open about their love for both quarterbacks, but that’s all smoke. Chris Grier would never give the media direct insight into what he is thinking. There is one thing about Grier, however, that has been apparent for years: he makes the safe pick. This year may prove to be one of those cases, as his job may be on the line. The rebuild may be fresh and new, but Grier has overeen many drafts for the Dolphins.
In 2016, Laremy Tunsil was the best player on the board, by far, when Miami was on the clock. No risk associated with taking a great offensive tackle. In 2017, the Dolphins opted to take a player in Charles Harris who had great production in college, but lacked a high ceiling, and he has done absolutely nothing for the franchise. In 2018, Minkah Fitzpatrick was a safe pick. He came from a great program in Alabama, and his game was easily translatable to the NFL. However, future MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson was still on the board. In 2019, Miami had the chance to take a swing on a quarterback in either Dwayne Haskins or Drew Lock, but opted for Christian Wilkins instead.
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Now 2019 has arrived, and Chris Grier is essentially guaranteed to take a quarterback. Tua Tagovailoa presents massive risk with his extensive injury history. He is, without question, a better prospect than Justin Herbert. While he is the lesser prospect, he still has great physical tools. Hebert has a cannon for an arm and excellent mobility. He will be a good quarterback, but may not have the ceiling that Tua has. With immense pressure on this pick, and Tagovailoa’s injury history, Grier may be content to “hit a single” as opposed to “swinging for the fences”.