Last night, which was the most important night in the last 20 years for the Dolphins, Miami came out strong, kicked ass, and did exactly what they had to do. They executed a plan that’s been in motion for the last 16 months and drafted the guy they’ve wanted the whole time. All the garbage takes, analysts like Mike Lombardi, that jabroni Mike Tannenbaum and all the other morons who were deeked by the most obvious “smoke screens” in the history of smoke screens that Grier and company put into motion.
None of that could stop what I knew was inevitable. And that was the Miami Dolphins were finally going to draft a quarterback who wasn’t a project or late rounder. They were going to draft Tua Tagovailoa.
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js“With The Fifth Pick In The 2020 NFL Draft, The Miami Dolphins Select Tua Tagovailoa” is our new favorite song ?
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) April 24, 2020
? Watch the Draft on NFLN/ESPN/ABC pic.twitter.com/MSqzdYJ9TK
Heres what it looked like when myself and every other Miami fan with a brain, who doesn’t want to cross our fingers and hope a not as proven guy overachieves we’re doing once Tua got selected.
Think about it, the Dolphins essentially openly were trying to tank last year to get the #1 pick ended up winning five games, with that horrid roster. They end up getting the 5th pick and end up getting the guy they wanted all along. Sure, that happened due to Tua destroying his hip but I’m not worried about it. I’m really not. I’m not worried because I don’t think anything like that will happen again to him. That injury is reserved for car accident victims so the odds are low of it reoccurring. There’s a better chance of discovering plutonium on accident then Tua’s femur being dislodged from hip.
Tua’s Curv
Tua now has the chance to sit and learn how to be a professional from a guy in Ryan Fitzpatrick who doesn’t have the ego not to help a young guy out. Fitzpatrick has said that he’s comfortable being in the mentor role. It doesn’t effect how he prepares. Fitz had a very good season last year and he has a solid rapport with the receivers. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Dolphins compete for a playoff spot next year. That’s how sneaky I think the Dolphins can be. They added a ton of defensive talent in free agency and the AFC East is no longer being held in the Iron Grip that was the New England Patriots. Tua’s time will come, I just don’t think it will be next year unless there’s an injury or if the season is down the tubes, which I suppose can happen.
Austin Jackson
I didn’t think Austin Jackson was going to be the guy Miami took at 18. I was really eyeing up safety Xavier McKinney. But, the smarter part of my brain figured offensive line was the prudent pick.
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsThe #Dolphins opted not to take a tackle at No. 5… but take one at No. 18. USC OT Austin Jackson is heading to Miami.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 24, 2020
I’m not going to act that I know too much about Austin Jackson besides what I’ve looked upon him. It seems that he’s a bit of a project at tackle. That’s something I don’t love to hear. Tackles that get dubbed with having high ceilings don’t have a great track record of being the real deal. I have to hope, and I’m sure they did, that Flores and Grier have a path for Jackson to being a protector for Tua.
Jacksons Needs
One of the things that Austin Jackson needs to get better at, and he’ll even tell you himself, is that he needs to get stronger. But guess what? One of the reason for his lack of strength last season was that he saved the life of his sister by donating bone marrow to her.
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js“Being here right now … reminds me how grateful I need to be to have an opportunity like.”
— ESPN (@espn) April 24, 2020
Austin Jackson’s sister, Autumn, has a rare blood disorder. With her condition worsening, Austin decided to be a bone marrow donor. Now he’s chasing his dream at the #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/T2TwMzJ3ll
Incredible story from Austin Jackson. Good for him. Like I said, I thought the pick was bit curious with Josh Jones still out there. Jones is more ready right this second. But Grier/Flores and company must have see something in him that they feel is better than Jones. We have no choice but to trust it right now because this outfit seems to have their eye on the ball. They’re seeing all the angles and they’re having the stones to play them. i’m glad to have Austin Jackson and look forward to him starting next year. Not sure where he’ll fit exactly on this line. He can play either right or left tackle or guard. Tua is a left so you’d think right tackle, but we know Ereck Flowers isn’t to sharp at left tackle, so we’ll see.
Noah Igbinobhene
Besides having a last name that might have a roll on to the sleeve of his jersey, Igbinobhene was definitely a Brian Flores pick. Grier got the offensive guys with the first two picks and it was time for Flores to get one he wanted for his defense. This was certainly a luxury pick and I like it. You think to yourself that Miami has the two highest-paid cornerbacks in the league with Byron Jones and Xavien Howard so why draft another corner so high? The reason is that Noah can slide into the slot and make your defense that much harder to throw against. The Dolphins are a man-to-man style defense and Iggy(we’re going with this nickname because come on ?) loves to get up in your face. Also, he can return kicks. Flores loves him some versatility.
It needs to be said, but you sort of get the feeling that this pick has something to do with Xavien Howard possibly not being here next year. Personally, I think that’s where this is heading and that sucks because we all like Howard. I hope I’m wrong.
Sort of like Jackson, the book on Iggy( this has legs) is that he’s a crazy freak athlete with tons of speed but is still learning the position. That sounds scary to take guys so high that they are still figuring it out. But in Flores I trust. The culture he’s creating on defense is one that will speed up the learning process. That’s how defenses work. When the Seahawk was rolling, they were able to plug in anyone and they played well. The reason was that the culture from the leader of that defense wouldn’t allow someone to be a wink link. That’s what Flores is building.
Igbinobhene’s Needs
My only concern with all this man-to-man defense is that you better have pass rushers that can get to the quarterback. If not, there might be some wide up open receivers if to much time is being given. Expect the Dolphins to address that today.
2nd Round
The Dolphins have a lot more work to do in the 2nd round. They have the 39th and 56th picks and there’s still tremendous value. There’s still the top three running backs out there in Taylor, Dobbin and Swift. Defensive end AJ Epenesa and safties Xavier McKinney and Antoine Winfield are still out there as well. Anyone of those guys, and I’ll be very happy. Dobbin, Winfield and McKinney is how I’d rank all of them.
Of course more linemen can’t ever hurt. Miami will have their pick of the litter. It seems the Dolphins are being very smart about things, which is unusual for the Dolphins. It feels good. Cheers and lets get to the second round already.
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