Devin Duvernay could be an interesting project for Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins don’t have a pressing need at the receiver position, but they could still look to add an interesting project in the later rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft.

With DeVante Parker having a breakout season in 2019 as well as Allen Hurns and Albert Wilson still currently on the roster, the Miami Dolphins look fairly set at the receiver position heading into 2020.

While this is by no means an area of need for the team entering the draft next week, there could be one or two project players in the later rounds that may intrigue the Dolphins into picking them.

One such player is Devin Duvernay of the Texas Longhorns, who enters the draft after an impressive senior season down in the 40 acres.

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The 2019 NCAA season saw Duvernay earn the role as the Longhorns’ top receiver, with 106 receptions for 1386 yards and nine touchdowns.

The 5-foot-10, 200lbs receiver also played a key role in Texas’ 38-10 success over Utah in the 2019 Alamo Bowl, pulling in 92 yards and a touchdown in his third bowl appearance in college, preceded by the 2017 Texas Bowl (33-16 W over Missouri) and 2019 Sugar Bowl (28-21 W over Georgia).

The Sachse, Texas native was named a team captain during the 2019 season and had his best performances, by a long way, having only eclipsed 500 receiving yards in one season prior.

Due to his size and usage in college, Duvernay projects to be a slot receiver at the NFL level, with some tools that could be a strong foundation to build on.

He has good speed, running a 4.39 40-yard dash at the combine, capable of battling for yards after the catch with strong hands, making up for his shortcomings in terms of height and tight hips.

At present, he only projects to be a backup in the NFL but could have some value on special teams while working with the Dolphins coaching staff to work out some of his flaws, tightening up his route running and providing the organisation with a potential long-term competitor for Albert Wilson’s spot on the roster.

Wilson’s contract is exceptionally expensive this year, coming in over $10 million, but it is unclear whether or not the Dolphins will part ways with him before it is up after the 2020 season.

In the long-term, the Dolphins will need to either extend Wilson or find a replacement for him.

With his production not being unattainable, drafting a player such as Duvernay, who can spend a year learning the offence and understudying Wilson, seems to be a move that the organisation should at the very least consider.

Taking a gamble on a player that has some strong tools in the late rounds of the draft won’t have long-term ramifications if they aren’t able to get him to be the answer to Wilson in the future, but it could see them land a guy that could hold some value at least in the short-term.