Getty Tua Tagovailoa could use more offensive line depth around him.
The Miami Dolphins need to upgrade protection around quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, and ESPN’s Jordan Reid predicts the team will do that early in his seven-round mock draft.
Reid has the Dolphins selecting Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims with the No. 21 pick in the draft. It gives the Dolphins depth at a key position, which helps keep Tagovailoa upright often this fall.
“Terron Armstead will return for the 2024 season, but Miami could start planning ahead at offensive tackle, especially because it lost key players off the O-line in free agency,” Reid wrote on the reasons behind the Mims projection. “Mims arguably has the most upside of any offensive tackle in this class. The problem is he has only eight starts to his name, so the sample is small.”
“Even so, Mims’ movement skills, lower-body quickness and power are all off the charts. Ability isn’t the question; it’s durability,” Reid wrote. “If Mims is able to stay healthy, he’s more than capable of playing on the left side in the NFL and giving the Dolphins a successor to Armstead.”
Dolphins Set Pick in First Round After 3-Year Hiatus
The Draft is officially 1 week away and OT Amarius Mims is patiently waiting to hear his name called. 🙌 (via @NFLTotalAccess)
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If the Dolphins make a pick at No. 21 or stay in the first round on Thursday, it will be the first time the team has picked in round one since 2021. Miami lost its 2023 first round pick due to a pair of illegal tampering violations.
The Dolphins tampered with now-retired quarterback Tom Brady in 2019 when he played for the New England Patriots and 2021 when he played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Miami also tampered with Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton in 2022 when he was still with the New Orleans Saints.
While the Dolphins also lost a third-round pick for this year as part of penalty, the team has six picks overall in every round except the third and fourth.
Dolphins go Defense-Heavy in Draft
Reid has the Dolphins going defense in the second round with defensive tackle Braden Fiske out of Florida State.
“I have Miami staying in the trenches after getting offensive tackle Amarius Mims in Round 1 but flipping to the other side of the ball,” Redi wrote. “Fiske has aced every step of the pre-draft process and would fill a major need for the Dolphins after the exit of defensive tackle Christian Wilkins in free agency. Fiske had a 4.78-second run in the 40 at the combine, showing his overall quickness, and he finished last season with 10 run stops and six sacks.”
Braden Fiske is a freak
Reid then has the Dolphins back on offense in the fifth round at No. 158 with Texas A&M guard Layden Robinson. He started 31 games in the past three seasons for the Aggies.
In the sixth round, Reid has the Dolphins selecting Michigan edge Jaylen Harrell with the No. 184 pick. Harrell has 10 sacks, 19 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and 78 tackles in his career with the Wolverines.
Miami also picks up Washington safety Dominique Hampton at No. 198 in the sixth round for Reid’s mock draft. Hampton has two interceptions, 14 pass deflections, 189 tackles, and a forced fumble in his Huskies career.
Lastly, Reid had the Dolphins go defense again for the No. 241 pick in the seventh round with Georgia State linebacker Jontrey Hunter. The Panthers star has six sacks, seven forced fumbles, 234 tackles, and 22.5 tackles for loss in his career.