Reaction to Todd McShay’s 1.0 mock draft Miami Dolphins selections
Breaking down other people’s mock drafts can be interesting, like Todd McShay’s most recent and his picks for the Miami Dolphins.
On Monday night, ESPN draft expert Todd McShay released his “2020 NFL Mock Draft 1.0”. With the Miami Dolphins having three first-round picks, they feature prominently in the piece.
The college football regular season is over which means we’re one step closer to finding out who will be drafted come this April. Even with the Combine and pro days still ahead of us, it’s never too early to project where the best prospects may end up playing their football next fall.
Todd McShay is one of the best-known draft ‘gurus’ out there and he has released his first mock draft of the season. With the Dolphins having three selections in the first round, and five in the first two rounds, they will do a lot to determine how the early part of the draft will shake out. Here we will look at who McShay projects to the Dolphins and what this “Phin Phanatic” thinks of those picks.
*All picks are of course subject to the players declaring for the draft.
Round 1, Pick 4 QB Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
Predictably, McShay has Heisman trophy-winning QB Joe Burrow going first overall to Cincinnati and DE Chase Young going second to the Giants. At #3, McShay threw us a slight ‘curveball’ by projecting WR Jerry Jeudy to the Redskins.
If the top 3 picks fall this way, Miami will have their pick between the best offensive lineman in the draft LT Andrew Thomas, playmakers at wide receiver like Ceedee Lamb/Tee Higgins and defensive “swiss army knife” players like S Grant Delpit and Isaiah Simmons. Ultimately, though, McShay decided to mock QB Tua Tagovailoa to the Dolphins at pick 4.
Reaction: When it’s all said and done, this pick comes down to the medical reports on Tua’s hip. If they show Tua is expected to make a full recovery, he’s clearly the second-best QB in the draft. If his reports are ‘clean’ then I would agree with McShay that the Dolphins probably select the Alabama star at #4. If not, then Miami needs to steer clear of the other prospects (like Justin Herbert) here and select either Thomas or Simmons.
Round 1, Pick 20 DE Curtis Weaver, Boise State
With the 20th pick, acquired from the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade, McShay projects that the Dolphins will select the talented and productive pass rusher from Boise State.
Reaction: I have no issue with this pick. Having amassed 13.5 sacks this season, and 34 for his career, Weaver would be a major upgrade at defensive end for the Dolphins. Not only can Weaver rush the passer but he’s also stout against the run and even dropped back into coverage from time-to-time (2 INTs in his 3 seasons). With all that said, if the Dolphins pick Tua at the fourth pick, WR Devonta Smith might also be a good pick here.
Round 1, Pick 24 LT Alex Leatherwood, Alabama
With one of the picks gained from Houston in the Laremy Tunsil trade, McShay thinks Miami will find his replacement in the 6’6″ 310 pound Leatherwood.
Reaction: If the draft falls the way McShay projects this is another pick I can get behind; although I am not as high on Leatherwood as others are. The Dolphins desperately need help on the offensive line and Leatherwood has been dependable in his time at Alabama. Once again, if Smith is still available at 24, he would make a perfect slot receiver for a Dolphins team that needs explosive players.
Overall, this is one of the best Dolphins mock drafts I have seen from an “expert” in a while. The Dolphins are addressing needs and McShay didn’t overreact by mocking a RB to the Dolphins in round one; like many others I have seen.
Ultimately, the direction/shape this draft takes will depend on what Miami does with their first 1st round pick. If Tua checks out, the Dolphins get good value with all their picks. If Miami doesn’t think Tua will make a full recovery, then that first pick will feel like a bit of a reach regardless of who they select.