Dolphins’ top 5 options for the No. 3 pick
Without considering a possibility for a trade down (or up), here are five players the Miami Dolphins could consider with the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL draft this April.
Alabama WR DeVonta Smith
Smith and Tua Tagovailoa have expressed their admiration for one another, and there’s a possibility the college teammates could reunite in Miami. Dolphins coach Brian Flores has suggested Smith’s slender frame could be overlooked.
Smith is roughly 6-foot-1 and weighed around 170 pounds during his senior season at Alabama, where he won the Heisman Trophy. He had 12 catches for 215 yards and three touchdowns in the first half of the national title game. He finished his college career with nearly 4,000 receiving yards and 46 touchdowns in four seasons.
Smith can take the top off any defense with his quickness at the line of scrimmage and breakaway speed once he gets past his defender. Still, the concerns about his size could linger for some — especially for a team making such an investment in Smith with the No. 3 pick.
LSU WR Ja’Marr Chase
With all the talk surrounding Smith this season, it became easy for some to forget how Chase was the best receiver during the 2019 season before opting out.
Don’t consider the Dolphins in this bunch. Chase has the talent, swagger and skill set to be a No. 1 receiver in the NFL for years to come — exactly what the Dolphins could use.
Chase was Heisman winner Joe Burrow’s favorite target, catching 84 passes for 1,720 yards with 20 touchdowns while averaging 21.3 yards per catch. He was arguably better than college teammate and rookie of the year candidate Justin Jefferson, who was taken by the Vikings with the No. 22 pick in the 2020 draft.
Oregon OT Penei Sewell
Now this may not be the sexy pick if you’re a Dolphins fan. But if you saw Patrick Mahomes running around for dear life during the Super Bowl and thought, “I wouldn’t want to see Tua like this,” this may be the pick for you.
Imagine Sewell, arguably the best offensive linemen in the draft field, and last year’s first-round pick Austin Jackson at the tackle positions, Robert Hunt and Solomon Kindley at the guard spots, and players such as Alabama’s Landon Dickerson or Oklahoma’s Creed Humprey at center.
Tagovailoa would have more time to throw, running backs would have space to roam and the Dolphins offense could still be in position for sustained success with capable playmakers on the outside.
Florida TE Kyle Pitts
Your first thought, Dolphins fans, may be “What about Mike Gesicki? We already have a tight end.” And I’ll say, what’s wrong with having both?
If we’re talking in terms of just pass catchers, Pitts has an argument for being the best in the draft. He may be listed as a tight end, but he was a glorified outside receiver at UF, where he averaged 17.9 yards per catch for 770 yards and 12 touchdowns in eight games.
At 6-6, Pitts is a potential matchup nightmare for defensive backs and linebackers with his size and ability to catch the football anywhere on the field. He has the potential to rival Travis Kelce and George Kittle as one of the best tight ends in the NFL.
Penn State LB Micah Parsons
This would be a sick joke, right? The Dolphins, with their need for a standout offensive playmaker, taking a defensive player with the No. 3 pick.
But this isn’t just any defensive player.
Like Chase, Parsons has also been somewhat forgotten after the monster season he had in the fall of 2019.
Parsons was arguably the best defensive player in college football as a sophomore before sitting out during the 2020 season and certainly worthy of a top-five pick.
Parsons can play inside or outside linebacker and even edge rusher — where Brian Flores’ defense desperately needs a star player to keep his defense among the best in the NFL. He is a generational talent and could be even more talented than the others on this list.