Not a lot of high-level pass rushing talent in the draft.
Miami Dolphins beat writer Omar Kelly breaks down the 2018 NFL draft in a 10-part series.
North Carolina State’s Bradley Chubb — The two-time All-American is a quicktwitch speedster who is a force off the edge, which helped him produce 25 sacks in three seasons. Chubb processes plays quickly, but often times gets lost over pursuing sacks. With proper coaching, he should develop into a Pro Bowl talent.
Boston College’s Harold Landry — The three-year starter has speed, polished pass-rushing moves, and excellent body control. What he lacks is the ideal frame (6-3, 252 pounds) to serve as a 4-3 end in the NFL, which indicates that he’d be a better fit in a 3-4 scheme as a pass-rushing outside linebacker.
Texas-San Antonio’s Marcus Davenport — Davenport is more of a flash player than a consistent one, and his lackluster performance at the Senior Bowl hurt his draft stock. But his size (6-6, 264 pounds) and dominance against inferior talent (22 sacks, six forced fumbles) will likely entice some team to select him in the first round. In any other draft, he’d probably be a second-round talent.
LSU’s Arden Key — Key, who produced 21 sacks in his three seasons with the Tigers, has the potential to be a productive edge rusher as a starting 3-4 outside linebacker, or as a designated pass rusher in a 4-3 scheme. There’s a lot of film of Key getting overpowered against the run, so he’ll need a ton of coaching at the next level.
Ohio State’s Sam Hubbard — Hubbard has a good frame (6-5, 265 pounds) and length, and is quick to diagnose plays. But he isn’t an elite athlete, and lacks explosive traits, which means he’s more suited to serve as a left side defensive end, and might struggle to become an NFL starter.
Best of the rest: Miami’s Chad Thomas, Georgia’s Lorenzo Carter, Oklahoma’s Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, USC’s Uchenna Nwuso, Wake Forest’s Duke Ejiofor, Mississippi’s Marquis Haynes, Ohio State’s Tyquan Lewis, USC’s Rasheem Green, Washington’s Hercules Mata’afa, and SMU’s Justin Lawler have a legitimate chance to become significant contributors for an NFL team. Most of the other pass rushers available in this draft will likely struggle to make it onto a practice squad.
Class grade: D
With the exception of Bradley Chubb, a two-time All-American who is pro-ready, this year’s class of edge rushers is full of players with “potential.” Talents like Texas-San Antonio’s Marcus Davenport and Boston College’s Harold Landry Jr. are a work in progress. And most of these pass rushers are too small, which means they are more suited to be pass-rushing outside linebackers in a 3-4 scheme. Don’t expect many of these pass rushers to become impact players in their first or second season.
Teams in need: The Bears, Colts, Giants, Buccaneers, Redskins, Packers, Seahawks, Lions, Chiefs, Rams, Panthers, Titans and Falcons all need immediate pass-rushing help, and their level of desperation will likely produce a run on pass rushers in the first three rounds of this draft. However, that run will force plenty of teams to reach for lackluster options.
Dolphins’ focus: The Dolphins have two Pro Bowl talents on the defensive line in Cameron Wake (92 career sacks in nine seasons) and Robert Quinn (62.5 career sacks in seven seasons), and three more talented ends for that position’s rotation in Charles Harris, Miami’s 2017 first-round pick, and veterans Andre Branch and William Hayes. So adding another would be overkill unless someone is about to be traded (maybe Branch, who is guaranteed $8 million this coming season) because there aren’t enough snaps for everyone on the roster, even with Hayes playing defensive tackle on obvious passing downs.