Dolphins draft overview: Don’t discount top WR, and a defensive position is a priority

Before we turn to the sexier NFL draft topic — which for practically every NFL fan is about how much offensive firepower their team is going to add — let’s address a Miami Dolphins secret that is hiding in plain sight:

The Dolphins want to add pass-rush help this draft.

That fact has been somewhat obscured by the need to surround quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with more playmakers. That fact has not made blaring headlines because most coverage of the Dolphins has centered on which receiver or running back the team is going to select.

So, yes, the more popular and thoroughly picked-over topic is whether the Dolphins can land Florida tight end Kyle Pitts or LSU receiver Ja’Marr Chase — and absent those two, whether the Dolphins’ No. 6 overall selection will be Alabama receivers DeVonta Smith or Jaylen Waddle.

But we will get to that in a few paragraphs.

The focus now is trying to figure out which pass rusher the Dolphins are likely to take to interrupt whatever offensive-weapon binge they go on during this draft. Because that’s a key direction Miami is expected to take, according to various scouts and personnel people who measure the pulse of such things.

The Dolphins want to address their pass rush in this draft because Kyle Van Noy (six sacks in 2020) was released and Shaq Lawson (four sacks) was traded. And general manager Chris Grier didn’t make any significant move to replace those two in free agency.

Grier instead said the plan for addressing the pass rush is giving players already on the roster a chance to shine.

“We had some young players we were developing that we felt good about, and those guys need to get on the field,” Grier said, clearly suggesting linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel is chief among those.

Van Ginkel had 5.5 sacks last season in 480 defensive snaps. Van Noy had his six sacks in 811 snaps. So giving Van Ginkel a greater opportunity seems logical.

But if that’s one approach, it might not be the only approach because the Dolphins are open to adding more talent to the mix.

“For us at the end of the day, we’ll continue looking at turning over the roster,” Grier said. “We’ll go through the draft here and keep looking at free agents that are on the streets as well.”

As to the draft, the Dolphins’ homework on edge players has included:

Michigan’s Kwity Paye.

Penn State’s Jayson Oweh.

Miami’s two edge players Gregory Rousseau and Jaelan Phillips.

As possible later-round options the Dolphins have also studied Joseph Ossai of Texas, Azeez Ojulari of Georgia, Payton Turner of Houston and Miami’s Quincy Roche.

Ossai, by the way, has been of particular interest to the Dolphins, according to one scout.

On to the sexy offensive playmaker stuff:

As the draft picture has become clearer it seems Miami’s chances of landing Chase have not dimmed. It’s not necessarily what most mock drafts are saying, but the Cincinnati Bengals are said to be seriously weighing Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell at No. 5 to add protection for quarterback Joe Burrow.

If Sewell ends up in Cincy, Chase will probably be Miami’s pick despite the fact he has not played football since 2019 after opting out all of 2020.

Some teams, like the New York Giants, are being very careful about the idea of picking a player who opted out. The Dolphins, obviously taking it on a case-by-case basis, seem to be less judgmental about players not participating in the 2020 season.

“For us to sit here and judge players on opt-outs for their reasons why, it’s unfair and I think it’s unrealistic,” Grier said.

This much must be said: When he was playing in 2019, Chase was the best wide receiver on a team that included Justin Jefferson, who was a wonderful addition as a rookie in Minnesota a year ago.

And Chase was arguably the best wide receiver in the SEC that also included Smith and Waddle.

The debate between Smith versus Waddle, by the way, is interesting. And it’s possible the 10 people in the Dolphins draft room the evening of April 29 will have to be more focused on a choice between Smith and Waddle if neither Pitts nor Chase is available.

That debate is basically a choice between a great hitter for average versus a great home run hitter.

Smith, smooth in his route running and technique, is the .300 hitter.

Waddle, a deep threat with elite speed, is more Pete Alonso, to put it in terms Mets fan and Dolphins coach Brian Flores will relate to.

NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah has called the difference between the two “splitting hairs.”

“I have Waddle over DeVonta Smith,” Jeremiah said on a recent conference call with reporters when he was asked about either player going to the Giants. “I think DeVonta Smith would give you that pure route runner that’s going to be able to uncover and win on third downs and be kind of Daniel Jones’ best friend.”

The Dolphins intend to get Tagovailoa some more friends in this draft as well. And, it should be remembered, they would also like to find an edge rusher who is quite unfriendly to opposing quarterbacks.