2021 NFL Mock Draft: Trevor Lawrence tank pays off for Jaguars, Trey Lance to Raiders

The reviews on the Miami Dolphins’ much-anticipated 2020 draft class were mixed. While they undeniably filled holes and, of course, knocked it out of the park at No. 5 by selecting Tua Tagovailoa, there were a number of situations where the team seemingly reached. Furthermore, there were a couple of head-scratching selections along the way. But it’s clear that this is a long-term rebuild in South Beach.

You could certainly make the case that the Dolphins should look to get Tua some more weapons in the passing game. DeVante Parker finally had a big year many have been waiting for in 2019 and Preston Williams flashed before getting injured. Outside of those two and maybe tight end Mike Gesicki, though, the Dolphins pass-catchers are scarce. However, I believe they need can’t pass up a game-changer on defense.

Gregory Rousseau redshirted the 2018 season at Miami to put on some muscle so he could be an effective pass-rusher off the edge and it paid off in a huge way for the Hurricanes. The defensive end exploded as a redshirt freshman with 15.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss as the star of the Miami defense.

Though the Dolphins spent big money on the defense in free agency, the edge rushers they added like Shaq Lawson, among others, aren’t necessarily individual game-changers. For this defense to take shape, they need that type of player. If Rousseau can build off his redshirt freshman campaign, there’s every sign that he’s capable of being a routine double-digit sack artist in the NFL.