2020 Miami Dolphins draft: What could have been done different

Round 5

This round highlights major differences in thought processes between Grier and myself.  While Grier selected DE Jason Strowbridge with the Dolphins first pick in the 5th round, I went with pass rusher Bradlee Anae.

I would say that Grier’s selection of Strowbridge (“projecting” he will be a better pro than college player)  reminds me of Charles Harris except that Harris actually had good production in college.  Meanwhile, Anae is the exact opposite.  He doesn’t dazzle athletically but all he did at Utah was stuff the run game (14 TFL) and harass quarterbacks (13 sacks).

Because the Dolphins didn’t address the running back position when the elite backs were on the board, Grier traded the Dolphins second 5th round pick to San Francisco for RB Matt Breida.  That should turn out to be a very good trade considering that he averaged over 5 yards-per-carry in his last two seasons.

Even with the addition of Jordan Howard in free agency and the drafting of Dobbins in round two, I could still see a scenario where the Breida trade still makes sense but instead selected WR Tyler Johnson.  After being used sparingly his first two seasons at Minnesota, Johnson averaged 82 catches, 1243 yards and 12.5 touchdowns over his junior and senior seasons.  For a Dolphins team that has serious questions at the wide receiver position, Johnson could provide some valuable production or backup in 2020.

With his final 5th round pick, Chris Grier addressed the Dolphins’ pass-rushing needs with the selection of OLB Curtis Weaver.  (If you would like to see my evaluation of Weaver, feel free to click here.)  Weaver and Anae basically fill the same mold/role and I like the selection but since I already selected Anae, I doubled up on wide receiver by selecting James Proche.

The Dolphins could really use a shifty slot wide receiver and that was what Proche specialized in at SMU.  In 2019, he caught 111 balls for 1225 yards and 15 touchdowns.  While he didn’t test well at the combine (which probably explains his drop this far), Proche knows how to get open and find his way into the endzone.

Round 6

I can’t really fathom why the Dolphins decided to use this pick to select long snapper James Ferguson.  Since nobody knew who the Dolphins LS was last year, I think it’s fair to say that Taybor Pepper did a pretty good job in 2019.  Instead, the Dolphins release Pepper so Ferguson currently goes into training camp the unchallenged starter.

Instead of selecting Ferguson, I think the Dolphins would have been better served by drafting tackle Prince Tega Wanogho.  Considering that he was once projected as a 3rd round pick, it’s unknown why he fell to the 6th round; although he was held out of Senior Bowl practices/game due to an undisclosed injury.  Whether due to inexperience or injury, Wanogho has a ton of athletic ability and just needs coaching to become a dependable ‘swing tackle’ and maybe even an eventual starter.

Round 7

Malcolm Perry may turn out to be an excellent “chess piece” as a RB/WR but pass rusher Bryce Huff was still available when the Dolphins picked.  In college, Huff showed more ability to rush the passer than Strowbridge (18 sacks to 10.5) and also was better at defending the run 39.5 TFL compared to 22 for Strowbridge).  Time will tell which player would have had a better chance to carve out a role in Miami.