Miami Dolphins: Early 2021 NFL mock draft fixes offensive woes
By Zach Cohen
879. Pick Analysis. 102. Xavier Thomas. player. Scouting Report. EDGE. Clemson
The Dolphins addressed their defensive line during the offseason, but adding some more depth along the edge never hurt anyone. Enter Xavier Thomas, who had some very early first-round hype heading into 2019.
He only recorded two sacks, prompting The Draft Network’s Joe Marino to say Thomas “needs to take major strides this season to justify his name being called in the first round”. Here’s hoping Thomas lives up to his 5-star billing, because he would add some serious firepower to a Clemson-centric defense.
879. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Xavier Kelly. 134. IDL. Clemson. player
How about another Clemson defensive lineman? And his name is Xavier, too? Imagine a defense with two Xaviers and two Raekwons. Luckily, that’s not the only reason Kelly is slotted here.
For the most part, Miami could just use some more depth. There’s nothing wrong with that. This pick may only happen, though, if Christian Wilkins fails to take a leap and Davon Godchaux doesn’t resign with the team. There’s youth along the Dolphins’ defensive front, but not security. Kelly would provide a nice, long-term developmental option for the team.
Scouting Report. Tyler Linderbaum. 183. Pick Analysis. IOL. Iowa. player. 878
You can never have enough offensive linemen. End of story. It’s also unlikely that new center Ted Karras is the future of Miami’s offensive line, so adding Linderbaum would be another investment in the future.
Besides, Iowa’s had some pretty good linemen drafted over the years. Even if Linderbaum went to another school, the former defensive tackle is still learning the nuances of the position. Kind of like another player whom the Dolphins recently drafted…
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. S. LSU. player. JaCoby Stevens. 187. 817
It should be noted that this selection was technically traded to Chicago for Adam Shaheen. However, the pick could still revert back to Miami if an unknown set of conditions are met, such as Shaheen failing to play in a certain number of games.
Next. Predicting the entire 2020 NFL season before camp. dark
Until then, we’ll keep Stevens here. The former five-star recruit has a ton of potential, though his main calling-card is versatility. Not only does this give him extra value in the later rounds, but it would make him a great fit for Flores’ squad.