Phins Loaded Up With New Blood

Phins are bringing in a ton of new players

With their 15 draft picks, the Phins traded for one player and selected 11 others in the 2020 Draft. Chris Grier also added on Sunday three undrafted free agents with more likely to follow. That’s a massive addition of 15 players with even more players being added in Free Agency along the way. The competition at nearly every position will be intense, but this is exactly how Brian Flores wants it.

The two critical questions:

• Did Miami make the most of their vast horde of picks?
• What level of talent did they acquire?

Yes, some might have wanted to go in a different direction with Miami’s 5th pick, but it’s pretty hard to hate the job Grier did in totality.

While the Phins ‘reached’ on more than a few players according to some best bookie software sites, they did pick players with potential. They even added a 4th Round pick with a short trade back and still nabbed a quality player in corner cornerback Noah Igbinoghene. Some might say we have too much investment in that position. But the counter-argument is that the high value of coverage demands that a team can never have too many quality pass defenders and Igbinoghene is a perfect scheme fit.

The Phins draft philosophy of swinging for the fences with their top pick, not using multiple picks on a single player, and adding players to positions of needs was sound. Not squandering picks on a move up and addressing their biggest eye-sore in the offensive line with three quality picks was a big winner in my book.

I don’t see any outright philosophical flaws except they are banking on that these players can be coached up to offset their ‘reaching’. ‘Coaching these selections up’ will make or break this draft because unless these flaws are corrected Grier will have over-drafted more than a few players. The good news is Flores has given excellent indications that he has the coaching acumen to coach up his players.

This necessity to ‘coach up’ adds another layer of risk over grabbing lower ceiling / higher floor players, so this draft has extra risk attached.

Phins have a ton of new players, but are they any good?

The talent floor of this draft appears to be at least decent. Unfortunately, the Phins will need more than ‘decent’ to really turn the corner, but the potential for far more is on the table. Only time will tell and it will likely take until sometime in 2021 to get a real handle on how well Chris Grier did.

Still, there are several players with overt talent even if drafted a bit high:

• Beyond the injury history, Tua Tagovailoa is one of the best throwers in college history.
• Austin Jackson was a reach and has issues in strength and hand placement. But, his feet, size, intelligence, and athleticism could make him a steal if his issues are fixed. On the plus side, hand technique and strength improvements are very fixable issues.
• Even if Miami slightly reached to get Noah Igbinoghene,  he has quality talent and bloodlines.
• G Robert Hunt was a bit of a reach, but Miami would have missed if they waited. According to Grier, he received many texts from other teams that he was the apple of their eye.
• DL Raekwon Davis was an excellent pick late in the 2nd RD. Elite combination of height, weight, length, and ability to be a two-gapper.
• IOL Solomon Kindley offers possibilities if he can mitigate his scheme limitations.
• S Brandon Jones has that ‘it’ factor in intelligence and desire. He has the perfect coach and scheme to bring out the best in him.

Miami had a very good Day 3:

• DE Jason Strowbridge was predicted around rounds 3-4 and the Phins added value by getting him in the 5th.
• RB Matt Breida was acquired with a 5th Rd pick. He’s a vet who has been productive in limited duties. He fits perfectly for Miami’s backfield in 2020.
• DE Curtis Weaver is smart, strong, and ‘elite power and bend’. Fair roll of the dice in 5th Rd considering he was the 26th-best prospect on the PFF Big Board.
• WR/ RB Malcolm Perry played QB and slot receiver. Drafted at the end of the 7th Rd he’s a roll of the dice. Funny, some predicted he’d be picked up by the Patriots.
• Benito Jones is the NT plugger Miami needed. “When the tape is on, it’s impossible not to notice Jones making things tough for SEC offensive linemen,” is great news considering he’s a UDFA.
• IDL Ray Lima was the 7th highest rated player on Iowa State by PFF. This offers hope that the UDFA will at least create some good competition.
• Donell Stanley is a UDFA who is nearing 24 years old. On the face of it, he’s a long shot for sure.
• They drafted a long snapper in the sixth. This was a head-scratcher as he wasn’t rated well.

What to make of the Phins 2020 draft?

Beyond the health of Tua, the success of this draft hinges on good coaching developing players who are willing and able to learn. And then the staff must put these players in the right situations to maximize their talents and minimizing their flaws.

Love it or hate it, this is exactly what Brian Flores has preached he’d do from Day 1! Do or die, the ‘Rob Ninkovich effect’ is what the Phins are ALL about. If Brian Flores pulls this off, he’ll be a star and the glory days will return to South Florida. It’s not an easy task, though. But keep hope alive Miami Dolphins fans by remembering what Flores did with last year’s team! Go Phins!!!