Justin Herbert is the safest pick for Miami Dolphins at quarterback
By Brian Miller
Justin Herbert is the safest quarterback to draft in this year’s draft class and if the Miami Dolphins want safe, then he is who they should look to.
The Miami Dolphins are expected to draft a quarterback in round one of next month’s draft but who they will take is as big a mystery as when they will select one. Justin Herbert is not going to thrill a lot of fans but he is the safest pick in this year’s draft class.
It is a bold statement but in reality, it shouldn’t be a big surprise. Justin Herbert isn’t the best quarterback in this draft class but he is the safest. That is the third time I have said that and I will say it again, he is the safest quarterback to draft.
Personally, Joe Burrow is who I would like to see in Miami if the trade-up compensation isn’t outlandish. My second favorite quarterback in this class is Herbert followed by Eason, Love, and Tagovailoa.
Tua Tagovailoa is the top choice for many Miami Dolphins fans and frankly, their love for him is borderline insane. I admit, he is intriguing. His talent is evident and I don’t buy the whole “Alabama quarterbacks?” issue. My problem is very simple. This guy has durability issues.
Tagovailoa is not a safe draft pick. He could pay off in spades by the time his career is over. He could be the next Aaron Rodgers who many passed on or he could play in one game and find his hip laying on the 20-yard line being carted off the field again.
To be fair, Tagovailoa is throwing again and his recovery is expected to be 100% but it is not always about his hip. He has had ankle issues as well. The point is when it comes to Tagovailoa, there are concerns about his durability and while paying a top draft pick makes sense, it doesn’t come without taking a risk.
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As stated above, Joe Burrow is my guy. I love his attitude, his leadership, and I love how he can make almost every NFL play. The kid has ice in his veins and he never seems to get lost in the game. But is he a safe pick? Far from it.
Burrow had one phenomenal season in his college career. To be fair to him, he played in several systems and really never got his feet cemented in one until 2019. The same argument about Tagovailoa can be made for Burrow. Is he a product of the system and surrounding players? Maybe.
Burrow doesn’t have the durability concerns that Tagovailoa has but he doesn’t have the consistent success that Tag’s had either. He doesn’t have a multi-year starting experience with top-level statistics. Burrow had one great college season.
Then there is Herbert. A three-year starter at Oregon, he has put up solid but not out of this world numbers. He has been consistent with good and bad supporting casts. He has played in different systems with similar results. In reality, Herbert may be the readiest of any QB in this class to make an early impact.
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There is a caveat to all of that, however, he isn’t perfect. He is inconsistent at times and takes too many risks at other times. He had a great bowl game and an impressive Senior Bowl but there are still questions and most seem to be centered on the fact that most believe Herbert is at or close to his ceiling for growth.
That shouldn’t be a huge issue but many believe that other quarterbacks, like Jordan Love, have more potential with currently similar attributes.
All of this is not to say that the Miami Dolphins should draft Herbert over any other quarterback but like it or not if safe is what you are going for, Herbert is that guy. If you want to take a chance that you can find better, you will be taking a bigger risk with potentially a higher reward.