Who should the Miami Dolphins select in this years 2024 NFL Draft

I know the Dolphins have more pressing needs than linebackers. The prospect of drafting one of the best linebackers in the 6th round is just too much to pass up. Phillip Dillingham has him as the best linebacker in the draft.

With the second of their two picks in the sixth round, the Miami Dolphins should select Nathaniel Watson out of Mississippi State. Jerome Baker and David Long Jr. will be free agents following the 2024 season. There was also a significant drop-off from Baker and Long to Duke Riley.

New defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver comes from the Baltimore Ravens school of linebackers, and he gets his first chance at getting one. The linebacker out of Mississippi State is a great blitzer who can close the gap fast and plays a physical brand of football. 

Miami Is coming off a disappointing end to their season where their physicality was questioned. Drafting a player of Watson’s caliber would be a step in the right direction toward playing a more physical brand of football.  

Watson comes in measuring 6 feet and 2 inches, weighing 245 pounds. Nathaniel Watson increased his tackles total every year he was a starter; going from 83 to 113 to 137 total tackles this past year. 

In 2023 Watson was a Butkus award finalist, this goes to the number 1 linebacker in college football. Nathaniel Watson was also named All-SEC first team for the 2023 football season.

Watson has dropped in the draft because of a DUI arrest he had in 2023. There are also concerns about his balance and agility. Nathaniel Watson also lacks explosiveness at the point of attack. He’s a solid linebacker who does his assignment well. The Dolphins could use another linebacker in what was an otherwise thin group in the middle.