I have been a Miami Dolphins fan for all 29 years of my life.
For about twenty of those years, especially the most recent ones, the Dolphins have not had an offensive line good enough to lead the team when it matters most: November, December, and January.
While Miami might be able to pass-protect and wear teams out in the South Florida heat, the Dolphins’ offensive line shrivels up once it gets to the cold winter months.
The Dolphins have started to address the problem in recent weeks with the addition of likely starters James Daniels and Larry Borom, who should push for a starting role on the interior.
If not, he’ll serve as a quality swing tackle.
Still, even with the addition of that pair, plus Austin Jackson, Patrick Paul, and Aaron Brewer, the Dolphins still need more.
While there is an opportunity for Miami to add an offensive lineman early like Kelvin Banks Jr., Armand Membou or Will Campbell, those first and second round picks would be better off served to draft a defensive player.
However, later in the draft there is an intriguing option to be had.
That player is Hollin Pierce.
Pierce is a mountain of a man at 6’8, 344 pounds and with that size comes elite length, as the former Rutgers Scarlet Knight has 36 inch arms.
Letting Pierce develop on the outside as a tackle would be a shrewd move, as his length would deter most pass rushers on the outside.
While he is developing, Pierce could serve as a sixth offensive lineman in short-yardage situations, an area Miami has struggled in recent years, to provide an extra push especially near the goal-line.
Dolphins offensive line coach, Butch Barry, could use Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman Daniel Faalele as an example of how to coach Pierce into an effective lineman at this level.
Like Pierce, Faalele is a very large human being as he stands at 6’8, 380 pounds and even at his size which might limit his quickness, Faalele has been a huge contributor to a dominant Ravens’ run game because of his sheer power.
I think the organization would be thrilled if the Dolphins could turn Pierce into that kind of player.
With the aforementioned Jackson and Paul occupying the starting tackle spots, Miami would not need to rush Pierce as they could let him develop slowly in practice and get him action in certain situations in games.
Having Pierce as a potential option down the road would be a good contingency plan, though.
You just cannot teach 6’8, 340 pounds.
