Isaiah Simmons should be the type of LB Miami Dolphins need
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins traded away a versatile player in 2019 but Isaiah Simmons could be the guy that Miami needs to play all over the field.
At the top of the NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins need to nail their first pick and while many pundits expect the Dolphins to go, quarterback, Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons could be what the team really needs.
For all the smoke, mirrors, misdirection, speculation, and any other adjective you want to throw in here, the Dolphins are drafting a quarterback with the fifth overall pick in next month’s draft. What if, however, the QB talk is the smoke and mirrors? What if the Miami Dolphins are really looking to get better on defense quickly?
Isaiah Simmons is a very good defensive player who doesn’t really have a home to fit into. Consider him the linebacker/defensive end/edge rusher that Minkah Fitzpatrick was in the secondary. That singular player who may be great at multiple positions but not elite at one singularly.
Simmons isn’t mocked to the Dolphins very often but if the Dolphins do opt to buck the thoughts of everyone else, he could be Miami’s best defensive player from the start. Versatile, Simmons can play linebacker and defensive end. He is good at setting the edge and has great vision off the snap. Quick enough to make the first move and quick enough to adjust on the fly.
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Simmons is a left to right defender who while listed as an outside linebacker can play inside as well as cover tight ends like a safety. He has great run-stopping ability and can be a leader on and off the field.
The focus for the Dolphins has been quarterback but if the Dolphins covet someone other than Tua Tagovailoa they could still address QB with their 18th pick where trading up becomes a lot cheaper. For instance, the Dolphins could move up from 18 and still land a player like Justin Herbert or Jordan Love without having to pay a ton to do it. Adding a QB would be great but adding a QB and Isaiah Simmons who may not last past the 5th spot could give the Dolphins a big one-two first-round punch on both sides of the ball day one.