Phin Phanatic
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Midseason Miami Dolphins potential QB profile: Joe Burrow

By Matthew Stevens

STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 19: Joe Burrow #9 of the LSU Tigers drops back to pass during a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium on October 19, 2019 in Starkville, Mississippi. The Tigers defeated the Bulldogs 36-13. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 19: Joe Burrow #9 of the LSU Tigers drops back to pass during a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium on October 19, 2019 in Starkville, Mississippi. The Tigers defeated the Bulldogs 36-13. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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The 2020 NFL Draft offers the Dolphins a rare opportunity to restock their roster with alot of top talent.  However, finding their future quarterback needs to be the top priority.

It seems like every year we are talking about the future crop of quarterbacks available in the upcoming draft.  Last year it was Kyle Murray, Dwayne Haskins, Drew Lock and Daniel Jones.  The year before that it was the ‘loaded’ class of Baker Mayfield, Sam Darold, Josh Rosen, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.

With the 2019 college football season a little over halfway over and the Dolphins seemingly certain to select a QB early in the draft, now would be a good time to take inventory of who could be available in next April’s draft.  Over the next two weeks, this phinphanatic.com writer will be looking at the top quarterback prospects that could/should be available.

The list is alphabetical and not an indication of the order in which they are expected to be selected.  Also, the players designated with a * are underclassmen and, while eligible for the draft, may not declare at the end of this season.

Joe Burrow, LSU

2019 Stats: 173-218 79.4% completion pct, 2484 yards, 29 TDs, 3 INTs

At this point, Burrow is this year’s surprise draft riser.  At the beginning of the year, he was expected to be a mid-round pick at best.  However, the former Ohio State transfer has seen his numbers jump in his second season in the LSU offense.

At 6’4″ and 216 pounds, Burrow has prototypical size for the position.  His arm strength doesn’t compare to QBs like Justin Herbert but Burrow possesses much better touch and accuracy (especially on throws over 10 yards) than most of the other players on this list; especially in the red-zone where decisions need to be made faster and the throwing windows get tighter.

Even with all those strengths, Burrow does come with questions.  Since his offensive line gives him tons of time to throw, he often throws from a ‘clean pocket’ so it’s still to be determined if he possesses elite pocket presence and how quickly he can read defenses.  A further examination is also needed to be to determine if Burrow is closer to the quarterback that completed only 57.8% of his passes in 2018 or his 2019 self that is completing closer to 80%.

Based on what he has shown to this point, I would definitely consider Burrow with the Dolphins second pick of the first round but probably doesn’t last past the top five of next year’s draft.

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