Late in the 4th round, the Miami Dolphins sat in their War Room as the Buffalo Bills selected Connecticut receiver Skyler Bell, the player they should have taken over Caleb Douglas.
Douglas may turn out to be a decent draft pick. He checks off the metrics that the Dolphins are looking for, but sometimes, you have to look at the talent as well. Reaching for a player isn't always smart, no matter what your board tells you.
As a Dolphins fan, one could wonder if the holdover scouts from the past decade have more influence than they should. Douglas felt like a Chris Grier draft pick.
Skyler Bell would have given the Miami Dolphins an immediate impact player
Douglas needs to develop, most players in round three do, but others are closer to being relied upon. Measurables aside, Bell looks to be the better of the two.
The Bills are getting a quick-cut receiver who will create problems for opposing secondaries. Bell tends to shift his focus while the ball is in route, leading to unacceptable drops. That is something that can be easy to coach out of a player.
UConn wasn't a great system match for Bell either. They had offensive problems that stemmed from the quarterback play.
The Dolphins drafted Chris Bell late in the 3rd round. He has the tools to be a number one WR in the league once he recovers from his December ACL injury. The Louisville prospect has a lot of potential and upside, something most are not saying about Douglas.
Sullivan has continued to preach this idea of what his team is going to look like, but at what point does he stop reaching for players that would have been available later? Douglas has upside, maybe even a high ceiling, but on Saturday, the Bills got a WR that may end up being a regret for Sullivan and the Dolphins.
Sure, the top of round three is way too high for Skyler Bell, but it was way too high for Caleb Douglas, too.
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