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Matt Stevens: Miami Dolphins 4-round mock draft heads to LSU

By Matthew Stevens

UNSPECIFIED LOCATION - APRIL 23: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) In this still image from video provided by the Miami Dolphins, select Noah Igbinoghene speaks via teleconference after being selected during the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft on April 23, 2020. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images)
UNSPECIFIED LOCATION - APRIL 23: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) In this still image from video provided by the Miami Dolphins, select Noah Igbinoghene speaks via teleconference after being selected during the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft on April 23, 2020. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images) /
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Aug 17, 2020; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States; LSU Tigers wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase (7) catches the football during practice at Football Operations Center. Mandatory Credit: LSU Athletics/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Network
Aug 17, 2020; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States; LSU Tigers wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase (7) catches the football during practice at Football Operations Center. Mandatory Credit: LSU Athletics/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Network /

Ja’Marr Chase is the wide-receiver that could open up the Miami Dolphins offense.

Round 1, Pick 8

While I tried to tell fans that “the Dolphins receiving corp isn’t as strong as most fans would like to believe” even I didn’t predict that the position would be this bereft of talent in 2020.  Devante Parker has continued to be the best wide receiver on the roster but he hasn’t come close to matching the level of dominance he exhibited last year.  For the second year in a row, Preston Williams only made it halfway through the season.  Meanwhile, Jakeem Grant is the only other receiver to make much of an impact on the offense (8 receptions, 323 yards, and one TD).

The Dolphins need more help/impact at the wide receiver position and this year’s draft class is full of potential impact players at the top of the class.  The Dolphins could decide to address a different need, like a linebacker (if Micah Parsons falls) or defensive end (Gregory Rousseau from Miami) with their first pick and hope that a WR falls to their other pick in the first round.  Players like Alabama’s Devonta Smith or Jaylen Waddle would be a steal late in the first while other wide receivers that should be available include Minnesota’s Reshod Bateman and LSU’s Terrance Marshall Jr.

In the mock draft I conducted (via TheDraftNetwork) both Parsons and Rousseau are already gone but the consensus number one wide receiver is still available; LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase.  The talented wide receiver ‘opted-out’ of the 2020 season; whether it was due to coronavirus, losing his starting QB Joe Burrow to the NFL, or risk of injury it’s unclear.  When last we saw him, Chase had torched Clemson in the National Championship for 9 catches, 221 yards, and two scores.  He has all the traits you would want in a #1 wide receiver; speed, suddenness, and strength to defeat aggressive corners.  A duo of Chase and Parker wouldn’t completely cure the Dolphins offensive woes but adding Chase would be a great first step to improving an offense that lacks any explosive traits this season.

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