Phins DE Options After The 1st Round

This draft is deep in line talent, Phins can find help in the trenches beyond Round 1

I’ve said the Phins will select a Defensive End in the 1st Round.

Whether this ends up the case, Miami must come away from this Draft with at least one starting DE…

… preferably two selections in total.

After the Dolphins let the great Cameron Wake walk and traded away Quinn, Defensive End is arguably one of the biggest needs for this team.

So considering Brian Flores is a Defensive Coach, this is the perfect draft to double down or even triple down on edge players. 

Let’s look at the next tier of DE prospects after the likes of Bosa, Gary, Sweat, and Ferrell.

The next tier of DE prospects are projected to go anywhere from rounds 1-3 is Brian Burns from Florida State, Jachai Polite from Florida, Zach Allen from Boston College, and Jaylon Ferguson from Louisiana Tech.

Depending on what Miami does in the first round, any of these players are worthy selections in Rounds 2-3. Of this group, Burns is the highest rated of the bunch with most of the best bookie website software predicting he will go in the first or early 2^nd round. 

Burns is 6’5” 249 pounds and runs a 4.53 40 yard dash.  He had a very productive season for the Seminoles last year with 52 tackles, 15.5 tackles for a loss, 10 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and 3 passes battled. If available in Round 2, he’d offer huge value as an OLB in the 3-4.

Common Man Football analytics has very good things to say about Burns

Options beyond RD 1 have warts… but also a load of talent

The next rated player is Polite whom analysts see going anywhere from the first to the third round. However, Polite has strong red flags because of his very poor combine performance and interviews. Teams are questioning his football IQ and character. 

Because of these questions, there’s a good chance Polite will slide even though he had a productive 2018 Season. Polite had an exceptional season with 45 tackles, 17.5 tackles for a loss, 11 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, and 4 passes batted. He has all the skills to be a productive pass rusher in the league. His character though, which was a complaint of the Florida Coaching staff, could end up turning him into a bust. 

I personally would prefer to stay away from problematic players… but if he dropped to the 3^rd round I would take a shot on him.

Zach Allen is another player predicted to go anywhere from the 2^nd to the 3^rd round. Allen is large at 6’4”, 281 pounds and ran a 5.00 40 yard dash.  Last year he finished the season with 61 tackles, 14.5 tackles for a loss, 7 sacks, and 7 passes batted and 1 forced fumble. In addition, Allen proved to be very stout setting the edge and defending against the run. He has good football instincts and can play in either a 4-3 or 3-4 defense, but his biggest knock is his lack of speed and athleticism.

If he is still on the board in the third round, then he could be a solid value pick for us in the third.

Miami has kept a close eye on Ferguson

The last prospect of the group is Jaylon Ferguson. At 6’5”, 271 pounds he ran a 4.72 40 yard dash and is projected to go in the 2^nd or 3^rd round of the draft. Last season Ferguson had 64 tackles, and a whopping 26 tackles for a loss, 17.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and 4 passes broken up. 

There are mixed feelings among scout on Ferguson though. One thing that hurts his draft stock is he didn’t play in a competitive Conference. Also, he wasn’t invited to the Combine because of a battery charge he had from his freshman year. 

The question will be whether he can produce at the next level? But, in the 3^rd round, he could be a steal selection for us if he can.

These are Miami’s most obvious choices on the edge. Who will Miami choose among these… if any?

What are the rest of the Miami Dolphins News fans thoughts about these possible Defensive Ends as draft choices in rounds 2 thru 3?