5 Miami Dolphins players to watch closely against the Patriots
By Brian Miller
Austin Jackson was drafted in the first round by the Miami Dolphins and will start.
Moving to the offensive side of the ball, no one will be under the microscope more than Austin Jackson. In fact, Jackson needs to be more than a rookie starting at left tackle. He is going to face edge pressure as they test him with continual pressure to get to the QB.
Jackson won’t have to do much run-gap blocking as the Dolphins will either pound it into the 1-2 gaps between center and guard or try and stretch the sidelines with speed. No, Jackson is going to be studied for his pass protection.
Jackson’s camp was not reported to be great but it wasn’t reported to be bad either. We simply don’t know how well he can play in a game because he hasn’t had to do that yet. Like all of the rookies, he will go from the frying pan to the fryer overnight. He has worked hard in camp but now he will be protecting the blindside for Ryan Fitzpatrick who will need to keep an early eye on his left side.