The Miami Dolphins elevated themselves from also-rans into playoff contenders in 2020. Now they are trying to take the next step in 2021. Let's consider how the 2021 NFL draft improved their situation.
The Dolphins made multiple deals before the NFL draft to ultimately get the No. 6 pick in the first round. Grading Miami rests primarily on that first pick, but the Dolphins made other selections which could work out for them.
Dolphins NFL draft chess moves:
3. Jevon Holland, Safety, Oregon
Many NFL draft analysts felt the Dolphins overreached here, and that could be true, but a team in an AFC East with Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs certainly needed a free safety who could cover a lot of ground and guard against the deep ball over the top. Certainly in terms of a team need, this pick made sense. The objection would be less about drafting a safety early in the second round, and more about picking Holland in particular.
This was the No. 36 pick of the NFL draft. Many Pac-12 analysts thought the Oregon safety would be taken in the high 40s or low 50s, hence the worry that the Dolphins didn't get the best value. It does need to be said that the Pac-12's truncated 2020 college football season (only six games played instead of 10 or 11, as other conferences did) might offer some cause for concern. However, if Holland can shrink the field for Miami's defense, this pick should improve the roster… and fortify the defense when it faces the Bills' potent passing attack.
2. Liam Eichenberg, Offensive lineman, Notre Dame
The Dolphins definitely needed to give quarterback Tua Tagovailoa more pass protection. The pick of Eichenberg at No. 42 in the second round meets that need. Eichenberg protected Ian Book at Notre Dame in 2020, helping the Fighting Irish reach the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Eichenberg isn't an imposing lineman with the same high ceiling of Penei Sewell or Rashawn Slater — two of the first linemen taken in the 2021 NFL draft — but he gave up very few pressures and sacks last season. He got the job done, and opposing pass rushers simply didn't outmaneuver him. This is a textbook example of a team finding value at a position without having to go into the first round — especially the top 10 — to meet a need. The Dolphins did well here.
1. Jaylen Waddle, Receiver, Alabama
The crown jewel of the Dolphins' 2021 NFL draft haul is clearly their top pick at No. 6.
Jaylen Waddle is extremely fast. He is a legitimate home-run hitter as a wide receiver. His 2020 season at the University of Alabama was cut short by an injury suffered on special teams against the Tennessee Volunteers. However, before that injury occurred, Waddle smoked the Georgia Bulldogs' secondary for huge plays in what was considered the SEC game of the year. Waddle helped Nick Saban once again defeat his understudy, Kirby Smart, in a rematch of the 2017 college football season's national championship game. The Dolphins weren't able to get Florida tight end Kyle Pitts at No. 4 — they traded away the No. 3 pick to the San Francisco 49ers, so they gave up that position — so they must have been content to find a player at No. 6 who could enhance their offense.
Jaylen Waddle certainly looks like that kind of player. If Miami wanted to drop from No. 3 to No. 6, thinking that Waddle would still be on the board for them, this is exactly how the Dolphins mapped out their top-10 pick. They did not have to overpay for a No. 6-level selection at No. 3. Their trades moved them down to No. 6, and they still got what they wanted. That is exactly how a team is supposed to operate at the NFL draft.
The other especially important detail attached to this pick for the Dolphins is that Waddle is a former teammate of Tua Tagovailoa from Alabama. It is impressive enough that Waddle provides major-league speed to the Miami receiver room, but the fact that Waddle and Tua enjoy great chemistry together — and will therefore not have to struggle to get on the same page — is an important bonus for Miami.
The Dolphins won't have to worry about the communication between their franchise quarterback and their top-10 pick at wide receiver. They similarly won't have to worry about Tua's ability to establish timing with Waddle on various kinds of reads and throws.
Kyle Pitts probably would have been great for the Dolphins, but Jaylen Waddle gives Miami a similarly high amount of upside with the bonus of being a now-reunited teammate with Tua… and all for a pick three slots lower than the Dolphins would have had with Pitts at No. 3.
Not bad.
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