Miami Dolphins: Making the case for Shaq Thompson

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Dolphins have a need at the outside linebacker position and Shaq Thompson could very well be the pick in the first round.

Before I get into the gist of this article, I have to start out saying that college football and professional football are extremely different. At the collegiate level, speed, athleticism, and overall versatility usually always win out, whereas in the NFL, smart, well-coached, and disciplined teams always seem to end up winning the Super Bowl. The 2015 NFL Draft features a ton of unique and quality prospects, however, none feature the uniqueness and special ability as a player like Shaq Thompson.

Even though he’s only 20 years old, Thompson was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 2012 MLB Round. He was an outstanding baseball player in high school and he also excelled as as track star as well. After a short stint with the Red Sox, which involved 37 strikeouts in 39 at-bats, Thompson went back to playing football, and the decision obviously turned out to be a great one, as he is more than likely to be a first-round pick in this year’s draft.

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Blessed with freakish athleticism, it seems like college football has always come easily for Thompson. During his time at the University of Washington, Thompson split time at outside linebacker, safety, wide receiver, and even running back.

Obviously, his role for a professional roster will only be one of the four, but it still says a lot about Thompson and his demeanor to go out and play any position the coaching staff asks him to. With his athleticism, speed, and his intriguing ability to bring down opposing running backs in the backfield, Thompson will surely be of use for an NFL team.

In today’s NFL, one of the more important positions for an NFL defense is the weakside linebacker position. This position needs to be played by smart linebackers, who excel in space and in pass-coverage. With his distinctive skillset, Thompson projects as a perfect fit in a 4-3 defense as a weakside linebacker.

With their need at the position, the Miami Dolphins need to seriously look at the prospects of drafting Shaq Thompson in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft, which is closing in as we are less than two weeks away.

After adding the best free agent this offseason in Ndamukong Suh, the Dolphins are obviously going to be extremely better on the defensive side of the ball. The addition of Suh alone will make this team a top-ten worthy defense. Suh will get the chance to pair with Oliver Vernon and Cameron Wake, two of the more underrated pass rushers in all of football.

In the second level of the defense, Koa Misi roams the MIKE linebacker position, which is the inside linebacker position. Jelani Jenkins manned the weakside linebacker position this past season and he absolutely flourished. Jenkins should’ve been drafted higher in the 2014 NFL Draft, but off-field concerns made him drop to the fourth round.

Nevertheless, Jenkins was far than superb in his rookie campaign. With two productive players in Jenkins and Misi, the Dolphins will have the ability to make their linebacking corps one of the bests in the league by drafting a player of Thompson’s caliber.

Chris McCain, the third starting linebacker for the Dolphins last year, showed flashes at times this past season, but adding Thompson would really put this defensive unit over the top. Linebackers coach George Edwards did a great job with Jenkins this past season and he could very well do the same job with Thompson if the Dolphins do in fact draft the Sacramento, California product. If he’s available when the Dolphins are on the clock, drafting Thompson would be a terrific pick. His skills would be of great use in Miami for a team that is looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

Next: Miami Dolphins: 7-Round Mock Draft

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