We are officially a day away from the 2020 NFL Draft and my nerves are shot due to all the adrenaline in anticipation of what is about to unfold tomorrow night. Dolphins General Manager Chris Grier has the biggest night of his career coming up. He has got to get this right.  There are a few scenarios I can see unfolding. Hopefully, it doesn’t cost a quarterback and the moon to get what the Dolphins want but we shall see. I foresee a couple of trade-ups by the Dolphins but things will get really interesting if a couple of players happen to fall in their lap. So, here is my 2020 Dolphins mock draft.

1) Dolphins TRADE UP to 2 in order to draft QB Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama. (Redskins get 5, 56, 154, 246, and a 2021 2nd rounder)

I have no way of determining if this is even close to enough compensation for the Redskins or not but we are only asking them to drop down 3 spots and pick up a second, fifth, seventh, and a first next year) So, I don’t see this as a horrible trade for them. As for the Dolphins, they get the future signal-caller they wanted all along. I do see a scenario where if the Dolphins stay at 5 and still get Tua but I doubt Grier will leave anything to chance.

2) 18-  OT Austin Jackson, USC

It will be the best available tackle with this pick. I’m not one of these fans who believes that five tackles will be selected within the first fifteen picks but talking on twitter with numerous fans, Jackson is the best available if the Dolphins stay at 18.

3) Dolphins TRADE UP to 20 to draft DE AJ Epenesa, Iowa. (Jaguars get 26, 150, 173)

The Dolphins had a couple of major signings this offseason with Manny Ogbah and Shaq Lawson but let’s be honest with my fellow fans, we have no way of knowing how those two are going to pan out. Epenesa simply put is a playmaker. He made two critical plays against a 9-0 Minnesota team that led to their first loss of the season. His second big game was against USC in the Holiday Bowl. There hasn’t been a player like this at Iowa since Matt Roth and every Dolphin fan knows how that turned out. The Dolphins can’t let Epenesa fall to 23 where the Patriots are at, so that’s why the Dolphins trade up to get him.

4) 39- CB Jaylon Johnson out of Utah

The Dolphins have the most expensive backfield in the NFL in Xavien Howard who signed an extension a year ago and Byron Jones who was acquired a month ago. But, the Dolphins are still not done. Johnson can cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time. He might not the best scheme fit as he would do well in zone coverage and Dolphins Head Coach likes to run a lot of men but he’s a good teammate with some ball-hawking ability. A piece to have during this rebuilding phase.

70-  C Cesar Ruiz, Michigan

It’s going to be interesting to see which interior offensive linemen come off the board first. The Dolphins continue to chop away at their offensive line needs.

141- G John Simpson, Clemson

Ben Bradeson out of Michigan is also an option here.  But, I like Simpson here because he is perfect for new Dolphins Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey’s run-heavy offense.

153- WR Isaiah Hodgins, Oregon State

Don’t let his 6″3″ frame fool you! This guy is fast! It’s crazy how much separation he was getting against defenders this past season. Now, the Dolphins got a resurgence of DeVante Parker this past year but Parker still needs help. Hodgins could be the guy.

185- RB Salvon Ahmed, Washington

Dolphins drafted Washington’s Myles Gaskin last year but I think Ahmed maybe even better. The Dolphins have lacked a true burner-type of back for a long time and reviewing tape on recent Dolphin’s acquisition of Jordan Howard, I can tell he is just a complimentary piece. Ahmed could be the lead back in a committee.

227- LB Shaquille Quarterman, Miami

Dolphins have a lot of good options at linebacker plus they signed Kyle Van Noy which was the best move they made all offseason. This draft just has a lot of good linebackers and it would be a shame to not take advantage of it. Quarterman has got to work on his motor as it can seem inconsistent at times and he’s probably just a two-down pass-rush specialist at this point. That’s all the Dolphins need.

So, those are my picks for the draft but I wanted to talk about a couple of prospects who it seems rather impossible for the Dolphins to get but you never know. The first is Joe Burrow. I can’t see a scenario where the Dolphins have enough collateral to trade up to get him. But, if the Bengals are open to trading out, the Dolphins need to take advantage. He is by far the best quarterback in this class. Doesn’t have quite as much oomph on the ball as Tua but his pocket presence more than makes up for it.

 

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