Should Gregory Rousseau be an option for the Miami Dolphins in round one?

There is a lot of conversation about the Dolphins going with offensive players early and often in the upcoming 2021 draft. While that would be a good strategy given the team’s needs, the Dolphins issues are not only on that side of the ball.

In order for Miami to compete at the highest level next season, they will need to sure up a few areas on the defensive side of the ball and the Dolphins would be wise to look to the draft for some help in the pass rushing department.

Let’s highlight one of these players now.

Gregory Rousseau, Edge Rusher, Miami

2019 Stats (2020 Opt Out): 15.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery (stats courtesy of ESPN.com)

Chance of Dolphins taking him: 55%

There is no denying Rousseau’s production. As a sophomore, Rousseau was one of the most dominant, if not the most dominant, pass rusher in the country. Racking up an impressive 15.5 sacks after basically not playing during his freshman season, Rousseau had already cemented his first round status.

Rousseau seems like a perfect fit for the Miami Dolphins. He is a guy that has extreme athletic ability that head coach Brian Flores would love. Because he is still raw in his athleticism, Rousseau could be molded to be the type of outside linebacker/pass rusher that this team needs. He has decent speed and can overwhelm tackles coming off of the edge.

The biggest knock on Rousseau is that he only had one season of dominance in the ACC. This is completely fair and using a top 5 pick on a guy who only had one season as a full time starter is a bit of a reach. Later in the first round, it is totally plausible to take a guy with some pretty solid upside and potential to develop into a talented defensive player.

As a team, Miami had 41 sacks last season, a definitive improvement on their 23 from the 2019 season (sats courtesy of Pro-football-reference.com) . While guys like Emmanuel Ogbah, Shaq Lawson and Kyle Van Noy had respectable seasons, none of them are considered elite pass rushing threats. They are players that can make an impact, but Miami needs a pass rusher who puts fear into opposing offensive coordinators. Gregory Rousseau can be that guy, if he gets close to his potential ceiling.

Miami would have to ultimately take Rousseau with their 18th pick in the first round. I can’t see a player of his talent and upside dropping out of the first round. Miami would have to potentially pass on a quality running back, like Najee Harris, in order to take the talented edge rusher. If they choose to do so, I can see Brian Flores tapping into his incredible athleticism and transforming him into a menace from day one.