Interior OL class should have Dolphins ready to invest once again
The Miami Dolphins spent and spent heavy on their offensive line during the 2020 offseason. Ereck Flowers pulled an eight figure per season contract. Ted Karras was brought in on a prove-it deal to showcase himself as a starter. Two of Miami’s first four picks in the 2020 NFL Draft were both offensive linemen and then the team traded up in the 4th-round to add another. This team got serious about the trenches for the first time in a decade.
The results? They showed — but it wasn’t necessarily a booming success in year one. Miami’s bet on athletic tools for Austin Jackson provided an up and down season. Robert Hunt was marginalized early on due to fellow rookie Solomon Kindley winning the right guard job — Miami was wise to avoid three rookies starting on day one along their front. But now the team will look to transition into being pleased with an improved line to aspiring to have a good or great one.
It will likely require additional investments.
And, thankfully for Miami, the 2021 NFL Draft has just the opportunity. There are a no shortage of quality interior offensive linemen available in this year’s draft cycle — so much so that Miami should feel confident in the prospects of securing one at 50 or beyond and he can still be a day one starter for the team.
Ohio State center Josh Myers is well versed in inside zone blocking — which is what Miami ran a good amount of in 2020. Myers declared for the draft yesterday. Alabama center Landon Dickerson is in the pool as well and he certainly fits the mold Miami attacked last season of big-bodied bruisers up front. If the team wants someone who fits more of a style seen by Karras, Kentucky center Drake Jackson is one to watch — and he’d likely be available in Round 3 or Round 4 of this year’s draft. Oklahoma’s Creed Humphrey is also in the mix to be the first center taken — but only if Northwestern’s Rashawn Slater is drafted in the first round to play tackle or guard. He is, for the record, capable of filling all five spots up front.
But suppose the Dolphins are committed to running it back with Ted Karras. Miami will have plenty of opportunities to bring in a cheaper alternative to Flowers at left guard. Tennessee’s Trey Smith, USC’s Alijah Vera-Tucker (who played next to Jackson at USC), Ohio State’s Wyatt Davis — all likely picks between Miami’s selection at 18 and their final one in Round 2 at 50.
It’s nearly impossible that the Dolphins take an interior offensive lineman with their first pick. But with the depth and quality of this interior group and more work yet to be done, don’t be surprised if they swing the bat with 18, 36 or 50.
