Miami Dolphins pick watch: Texans report as team starts 0-4

Miami Dolphins fans should be paying close attention to Houston Texans.

Coming off a loss to the Seattle Seahawks, where the Miami Dolphins felt they had multiple opportunities to take over the game, there is not much to look forward to. However, it was not all bad on Sunday.

All season long, the Miami Dolphins will be box score watching the Houston Texans. Miami has Houston’s first and second-round picks in 2021 courtesy of the Laremy Tunsil trade. The Texans currently sit at 0-4.

NOTE: It was announced on Monday night that the Texans fired head coach Bill O’Brien.

You can sit here and yell, “The Dolphins should be focusing on winning football games and not draft picks” all you want. It’s nonsense. Chris Grier and Brian Flores are absolutely watching what the Houston Texans are up to. Having two top ten picks in the first and second rounds is a huge boost to the rebuild. The Dolphins have found their coach in Brian Flores (Yes, he is a damn good football coach. His job is not in question in any way shape or form), have made drastic improvements to the offensive line, and believe that they have their franchise quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa, one of the most prolific passers in college football history. The next step is to add premium talent to the rest of the roster. How are the Texans helping Miami?

0-4 start

In terms of Texans draft pick watching, the Dolphins are beyond jubilant. A team with one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL is 0-4. Yes, the Texans have played three playoff teams from 2019 and the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are currently undefeated. It is not time to make plans of having a top three pick, but it is certainly a great start from the Dolphins’ perspective. The Texans have been unable to stop anyone on defense. Head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien had made some questionable moves to get the Texans to where they are. Trading away stars such as DeAndre Hopkins and Jadeveon Clowney has not helped this team. Trading three premium picks for Laremy Tunsil and then making him the highest paid offensive lineman of all time after leading the NFL in penalties is another questionable move.

Going forward

Are the Texans this bad? No one actually knows for sure. They have had a tough schedule so far. They’ve got premium players at quarterback, offensive tackle, and edge rusher. In their next four games, they play the Jacksonville Jaguars twice, who have lost three in a row after a week one upset. They also get the red hot Green Bay Packers and undefeated Tennessee Titans as the remaining two. There is a realistic chance that the Houston Texans could be 2-6 with games remaining against the Browns, Patriots, Colts twice, Bears, Titans and Patriots. The two most winnable games in the final eight are against the Bengals and Lions, who have been competitive in every game so far this year. Obviously, everything could change with a player like Deshaun Watson.

What can Miami do with those picks?

The Dolphins have a plethora of options with the Houston picks. The obvious choices are linebacker and wide receiver. Those are two positions that have been sore spots for Miami so far in 2020. Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons is sitting out the 2020 college football season, meaning he is going to finish as the top linebacker in this class unless someone else has a monster season.

At receiver, this is possibly the best class in NFL history. A player like Jaylen Waddle would fit perfectly with what the Dolphins are trying to build with Tua Tagovailoa. Other positions to consider with the second round pick is safety. A player like Hamsah Nasirildeen from Florida State is a hybrid chess piece that Flores and defensive coordinator Josh Boyer could move around and play in multiple spots.