Miami Dolphins: Making the case for Trae Waynes

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Adding a cornerback across from Brent Grimes is a need for the Miami Dolphins and drafting Trae Waynes in the middle of the first round would make sense.

After adding the best free agent available this past free agency period in Ndamukong Suh, it’s safe to say that the Miami Dolphins are going to have one of the best defenses in the NFL. Having Suh on a defensive line simply does so many things for a defense and the players in it. Suh truly makes players around him better. That said, players like Cameron Wake, Olivier Vernon, Earl Mitchell, and perhaps even Dion Jordan will produce more than they usually would in 2015.

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When a defensive line gets pressure on the opposing quarterback, it makes things extremely easier for the secondary. Getting pressure on the quarterbacks shortens the amount of a time a quarterback has in the pocket to go through his progressions and find his open man. It also leads to more questionable passes, which then leads to more opportunities for a takeaways from the defense.

With Suh in place, the Dolphins could have that similar recipe, as they already have solid players in the secondary in stat cornerback Brent Grimes, Reshad Jones, and Louis Delmas. However, the Dolphins lack consistent play from their No. 2 cornerback. Knwoing that, the Dolphins could very well target a cornerback with their first-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Insert a guy like Trae Waynes and the Dolphins would immediately have a player that has a ton of potential to do great things in this league. Like any other cornerback prospect in this year’s draft or any draft for that matter, Waynes isn’t a perfect prospect. He’s extremely grabby, he doesn’t have the best ball skills, and he will get called for a ton of pass interference penalties early on in his career. Nevertheless, Waynes has the traits today’s NFL scouts are salivating over, which alone warrants him a top-15 pick.

At 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, Waynes has the size scouts love for a cornerback this day in age in the NFL. He will need to put on weight, but with an NFL conditioning program as well as an NFL weight room, that added weight will come with a few day’s work. To go with his size, Waynes has excellent press-coverage skills, showing the ability to use his length to jam receivers off the line of scrimmage with success. He has excellent speed as well, as is the case by his 4.31 40-yard dash at the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine.

My favorite thing about Waynes, however, is his technique. He rarely lets receivers get an inside release on him. By doing this, he forces receivers to go outside of him, which in turn makes the field smaller for the opposing receiver, as Waynes really uses the sideline as a second defender. Another thing I love about Waynes is his willingness to get in the backfield and make plays for negative yards. These are just a few skills his coaches in the NFL will absolutely love.

Currently, the Dolphins have Will Davis across from Grimes. For an All-Pro player like Grimes, it’s really an injustice to him that the Dolphins aren’t lining up someone more competent across from him. Davis and Jamar Taylor flash glimpses of their potential, but both have been inconsistent in their careers and both would be better suited in smaller roles as a rotational cornerbacks. Waynes, however, is a guy that can start immediately and perform across from Grimes. If he’s available when the Dolphins are on the clock, expect the Michigan State star to be the pick.

Next: Miami Dolphins: Making the case for Dorial Green-Beckham

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