The 2020 NFL scouting combine has finally come and gone. The last 40-yard sprint has been run, the final uncomfortable interview has been conducted and now, the full attention of the league is squarely on free agency — in which the Dolphins have done extremely well — and the draft. No team will have the ability to change its future on April 23 quite like the Miami Dolphins. The team holds picks 5, 18, and 26 in the first round, which gives it the potential to walk out of the draft with at least three impact players.
With so many possibilities on the table, fans are likely attempting to scour every mock draft on the internet for even a breadcrumb of insight into the players Fins GM Chris Grier and Brian Flores coaching staff will select come draft night. In order to make the plight of the fan easier, we here at SFMN have compiled a list of some of the top mock drafts on the internet. Here are the consensus selections for all three Miami Dolphins picks in the first round. Mock Drafts included in this article are Mel Kiper 2.0, Todd McShay 3.0, Walterfootball, Sports Illustrated, Bleacherreport, Profootballnetwork, Daniel Jeremiah’s 3/02 Mock, CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso.)
Round 1, PICK 5: Tua Tagovailoa (5/8 Mocks)
The most popular pick among the mocks comes here at five with Alabama Crimson Tide star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, and for good reason. The Dolphins have been linked to Tua since the start of the 2019 season. The lefty was the overwhelming favorite to go number one overall in the draft prior to his season-ending hip injury. Analysts and fans have compared him to Russell Wilson and Drew Brees. The Dolphins and their fans will be hoping the young quarterback is able to stay healthy enough to realize the potential he has.
Round 1, Pick 18: CJ Henderson (2/8 Mock)
Former Florida Gators CB CJ Henderson appeared on the most lists. Henderson shows up twice in the eight total mocks we evaluated. He profiles as an elite boundary corner at 6’1”, 204 pounds and has the size to match up with some of the larger receivers in the league. He also ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at the combine. His size and speed show an ability to keep up with the league’s best burners. With Fins corner Xavien Howard coming off an injury-riddled 2019 and his off-the-field issues this offseason, it comes as no surprise that experts are sending an elite corner to Miami here.
Other selections for this pick: De’Andre Swift, RB, Georgia; Jedrick Wills, OT, Alabama;, Henry Ruggs III, WR, Alabama;, AJ Epensa, EDGE, Iowa;, Austin Jackson, OT, USC; Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia.
Round 1, Pick 26: De’Andre Swift, RB, Georgia (3/8 Mocks)
With the final selection in the 2020 NFL Draft’s first round, the consensus of mocks has the Miami Dolphins selecting running back De’Andre Swift from Georgia, a redshirt junior. Swift carried the ball 196 times for a total of 1,218 yards and seven touchdowns in the 2019 season with the Bulldogs. For a Miami team whose leading rusher in the 2019 season was 37-year-old quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, a top-end rusher such as Swift would undoubtedly be a much-welcomed addition..
Other selections for this pick: Josh Jones, OT, Houston (2 Mocks), AJ Epensa, EDGE, Iowa (2 Mocks), Austin Jackson, OT, USC (2 Mocks)
With a month left before the first round of the draft begins, there are likely to be much more speculation and mock drafts to come. Now that April is near, football fans and those counting the days till the draft alike are in peak mock madness, — and Coronavirus has likely left too much time on your hands — you have plenty of time to ponder your own choices, so make sure to keep tabs on us here at SFMN as we continue to track it all!