The Miami Dolphins have a dilemma at a key positional area as the NFL Draft looms
There's an axiom in the NFL that you can never have enough pass rushers. That proved true last year for the Miami Dolphins, who lost both starting OLBs Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb after Thanksgiving, along with productive linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel. The Dolphins were relegated to having to use Justin Houston and Melvin Ingram […]
There's an axiom in the NFL that you can never have enough pass rushers. That proved true last year for the Miami Dolphins, who lost both starting OLBs Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb after Thanksgiving, along with productive linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel.
The Dolphins were relegated to having to use Justin Houston and Melvin Ingram for their playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs. It would have been a great combo had it been 2015. Instead, the team couldn't sniff Patrick Mahomes, and the Chiefs rolled to a 26-7 win.
With Phillips and Chubb almost certainly not ready for the start of the season, the team signed free agent edge Shaquil Barrett. He gives them a steady and productive presence on one side.
However, there's not much quality on the roster beyond Barrett. Phillips and Chubb will return at some point during the year and surely reclaim their starting jobs. As such, is it worth spending a premium draft pick for a player who would normally be a starter to be a reserve/role player?
That's a question the Dolphins might be faced with when they're on the clock at pick #21 in this month's NFL Draft.
There are a number of talented and intriguing players that could be available to them there. Florida State's Jared Verse is an explosive pass rusher with a proven track record in college. UCLA's Laiatu Latu could also be someone that's on the Dolphins' radar. Latu and the Dolphins reportedly met at Latu's Pro Day, so there's some interest there by Miami.
However, what happens when Phillips is ready to hit the field? Perhaps a draft pick shifts to the other side, unless Barrett is having a solid year. And when Chubb, whom the Dolphins have invested significant draft capital and dollars to bring over from Denver and extend, is ready, surely he will see the field, as he was playing well before suffering a torn ACL against Baltimore.
It's hard to imagine benching a first-round pick and/or using him only in a rotational sense. Those guys are drafted to be impact starters.
Miami surely wants to win now, and finding pass rushing options that can help them weather the storm early in the season until their starters return is essential. That's basically what Barrett was brought in on a one-year deal to do. The question is whether high in the draft is the place to do it, especially with other areas on the roster that need addressing.
We'll find out soon enough when Miami is set to pick on Thursday, April 25.
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