Josh Edwards of CBS Sports released his latest Mock Draft, and with pick #30 in Round 1, he has Miami trading up to pick 22, and selecting these two players.
Round 1, Pick #11: Caleb Downs, Safety, Ohio State
“Miami lands a player who has drawn comparisons to Minkah Fitzpatrick throughout this process. The Dolphins have a ton of needs and need to take best player available, which happens to be Downs in this scenario. He is an intuitive player who will bring accountability to that secondary.”
Overview
Productive, high-effort safety with three years of starting experience in big games at Alabama and Ohio State. Downs is an alpha who brings immense juice on each snap. He’s at his best when deployed near the line as a box safety or big nickel back. He’ll gamble a little bit as a run defender, but he makes more than enough disruptive plays near the line of scrimmage to make up for it. He’s fluent in man or zone over the first two levels and is rarely fooled by play-action or misdirection. While he’s quick to close and strike underneath, there are hints of caution that prevent him from making more plays on the football. Downs isn’t the biggest, fastest or most versatile player, but he consistently puts his stamp on games.
Strengths
- Agent of disruption near the line of scrimmage.
- Does not hesitate to step up in run support.
- Mirrors slashing runners with twitchy change of direction and body control.
- Becomes tackle magnet once the run spills outside the tackle box.
- Disciplined in processing stacks, bunches and route combinations.
- Denies receiver leverage from off-man coverage.
- Explodes laterally to mirror breaks and stays sticky through transitions.
- Plays with outstanding awareness and is hard to con with misdirection.
- Good instincts and burst to close on crossers and digs.
- Quick finisher from short zone and consistently limits YAC against the quick game.
Weaknesses
- Races off the edge and dives wildly into the backfield.
- Downhill appetite can get him trapped in the trash.
- Inconsistent wrapping and running through tackles.
- Focuses too much on the receiver instead of locating the ball.
- Lacks length to defend jump balls downfield.
- Has some trouble with the size of “Y” tight ends in man coverage.
MIAMI TRADES UP FROM 30 to 22
*CBS didn’t reveal the trade details; they just have Miami moving from Pick 30 to 22
Round 1, Pick #22: Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon
“Miami first selected Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and now move up the board, ahead of Philadelphia, for Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq. Sadiq is like a running back at the tight end position. When he gets the ball in his hands, he is able to run through arm tackles and get chunks of yardage post-catch.”
Overview
A versatile tight end with a shredded physique and alluring potential as a volume target, Sadiq’s route tree will be full of branches. His athleticism and break quickness should allow him to uncover against man coverage on all three levels. He’s talented after the catch, with the ability to make things easier for play-callers and quarterbacks looking to move the sticks. He has the body control and hand strength to win contested catches but will occasionally allow balls to hit the ground on lower-difficulty plays. He’s adequate as a blocker, giving good effort in-line and locating and landing on linebackers as a move blocker. Teams looking to diversify their passing game options with a talented pass-catching tight end could make Sadiq a priority.
Strengths
- Built like a bodyguard with a compact, well-defined frame.
- Capable of running a robust route tree.
- Gets in and out of breaks with good snap and separation.
- Vandalizes defensive seams with impunity against man coverage.
- Survives collisions with catches thanks to his hand strength.
- Shows off agility and acceleration after the catch.
- Fits up run blocks with proper positioning and base width.
- Grips and presses forward with moving feet to stay connected.
Weaknesses
- Shows some drift in his feet on zone-beater routes.
- Inconsistent catch focus on throws above his numbers.
- Average acceleration and pop into contact as a lead blocker.
- Defensive ends will play across his face when he’s based up.
- Needs to avoid leaning as a point-of-attack blocker.
