Dion Jordan may be back on the field, but is it too late?

The Dolphins’ 2013 first round draft pick, Dion Jordan, applied for reinstatement to the National Football League this week, and the team hopes that he can make a positive impact on the defense.

Ever since former Dolphins general manager, Jeff Ireland, traded a second round pick to move up 9 spots in the 2013 draft, to select outside linebacker Dion Jordan from the University of Oregon with the 3rd overall pick, we have been in wait-and-see mode to find out the results.

At this point, so long after being drafted, most Dolphins fans would be forgiven if they don’t know Dion Jordan, and why it is such a big deal that he may be rejoining the team this year.  To be honest, I didn’t love the pick in 2013, thinking that the Dolphins should have gone after some more offensive line help to protect their quarterback, Ryan Tannehill.  So I decided to take a look back at the 2013 scouting reports and mock drafts to get a sense of why the since-fired Ireland traded up for Jordan.

From watching the Youtube highlight tapes of Jordan’s time in college, it is clear that he had outstanding speed and athleticism for a 6’6″, 250 pound player.  Slotted as a defensive end in a defense that also featured current Dolphin Kiko Alonso at linebacker, Jordan was a disruptive force for Chip Kelly’s Fighting Ducks.  He was often in the opponent’s backfield, recording 23.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks, and forcing 4 fumbles, during his junior and senior years.  He also rushed from both standup and hands in the dirt positions, so often times it was unclear whether he was rushing the QB, or dropping into coverage.  He was nearly unstoppable when speed rushing around the edge.  While he could be bullied in the running game, the thought was that he would bulk up a bit in the pro’s, which would allow him to hold his ground when taking on run blockers.

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Growing up in Arizona, Jordan played tight end in high school, and was a top rated, four-star prospect.  As a college sophomore, he switched from tight end to defensive end, though it is clear from watching tape of him in college and during his rookie season as a Dolphin that he had not lost his tight end speed.  For instance, during week 8 of his rookie NFL season, Jordan memorably covered Patriots’ tight end Rob Gronkowski one on one, running step for step with him, and whetting the appetites of Dolphins fans and coaches, who envisioned Jordan shutting down Gronkowsi on one play, and then sacking Tom Brady on the next.  This expected versatility made him one of the most-hyped prospects coming out of college, with a number of mock drafts rating him as high as the #2 expected pick, with numerous comparisons to Jason Taylor and Aldon Smith as similar light-weight speed rushers off the edge.

Unfortunately, like Smith, Jordan has had trouble staying on the field due to alleged substance abuse issues, leading to a yearlong suspension from playing in the league during the 2015 season.  During that time, it is unclear whether he kept in football shape.  Recent pictures and reports indicate that he is much heavier than he was during his rookie season, weighing about 270-275 pounds, which would be great if it is muscle weight, as opposed to flab from sitting on a couch for a year.  For a player whose game is primarily built on speed, it is unlikely that Jordan can play at such a heavy weight.  However, perhaps the Dolphins coaches have requested that he bulk up to handle his run support duties on the defensive line.  Until Jordan is reinstated and he is back on the practice field, we will have to continue to wait and see whether any value can be found in the selection of Jordan.