Grier delivers on pledge to add playmakers in 1st round
Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier seemingly began the interior decorating portion of the franchise’s rebuilding process Thursday night.
In Year 1 of the Brian Flores era the Dolphins gutted the franchise, trading away or releasing numerous starters, and laid a foundation that featured Christian Wilkins, Andrew Van Ginkel, Myles Gaskin, Preston Williams and Nik Needham, who have all become valued starters.
In the draft that followed Miami’s 5-11 season in 2019, the Dolphins added quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and used six picks on offensive and defensive linemen.
During Grier’s end of the season press conference last year, which wrapped up Miami’s 10-6 performance in 2020, the team’s top football decision-maker pledged to add “playmakers” to the roster following Miami’s disappointing 56-26 regular-season finale loss to the Buffalo Bills, which was a game that showed how far the talent gap is between the Dolphins and the reigning AFC East champions.
During the first night of the 2021 NFL draft Grier delivered on that plan by selecting Alabama receiver Jaylen Waddle, who is perceived as the fastest and one of the most dangerous receivers in this draft, with the No. 6 pick.
The Dolphins said Waddle stood out to the team’s decision-makers when they were evaluating 2019 film for their selection of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
“We watched him over the years and he’s been a dynamic, explosive player. Even from his freshman year,” Grier said. “He’s a very competitive kid. He loves ball. It’s important to him. He played with passion and energy.”
And with the team’s second first-round pick the Dolphins addressed the team’s biggest need on defense by drafting former University of Miami pass rusher Jaelan Phillips with the 18th pick, making the former Hurricane who produced 45 tackles, eight sacks and one interception in his 10 games last season, the first edge rusher taken in the draft.
So on the first day of the NFL draft Miami added a speedster who averaged 18.9 yards per reception during the 34 games he played at Alabama, a playmaker who commands constant attention from deep safeties who will fear him getting behind them. And then the Dolphins added a quarterback hunter, an edge player with an array of pass-rushing moves, and one of the few defensive linemen in this draft who proved that he could effectively set an edge on the college level.
Whether both these rookies become immediate starters, and possibly impact players in their first season likely depends a number of variables, like how quickly they learn, how they perform versus the veterans on the roster, and their health. But history shows that they’ll have every opportunity to earn playing time under Flores.
Phillips could potentially replaced Shaq Lawson, who was traded to Houston in the deal that brought Miami inside linebacker Benardrick McKinney, as the edge player put on the opposite side of Emmanuel Ogbah. He will likely be competing with Andrew Van Ginkel, Vince Biegel and Jason Strowbridge, a 2020 fifth-round pick, for playing time, and role assignments.
“For us, Jaelan [Phillips] was the best player on the board. You can never have enough pass rushers,” Grier said about selecting the draft’s first edge rusher. “We were tremendously excited about him being there.”
The last time the Dolphins selected a Hurricanes linebacker in the draft it was Olivier Vernon, who was taken in third round of the 2012 draft, and produced 29 sacks in his four seasons with the Dolphins before landing a lucrative contract with the New York Giants as a free agent.
The Dolphins would likely be thrilled if Phillips turned into a player as productive as Vernon, a free agent looking to play his 10th NFL season once he recovers from an Achilles injury he suffered in late December.
Waddle must work his way up a seemingly crowded receiver room, which added Will Fuller and Robert Foster as free agents this offseason, to accompany a receiving corp that already featured DeVante Parker and Preston Williams, and was getting Albert Wilson and Allen Hurns back after both veterans sat out last season because of COVID-19 concerns.
It shouldn’t be too hard for Waddle to find a role because he possesses the type of big-play ability offensive coaches crave, and brings added value as a return specialist.
The last time the Dolphins selected a playmaker in this mold it was the 2007 draft, when Miami made the surprising decision to take Ted Ginn Jr. with the ninth pick, picking the Ohio State speedster over Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn.
While Ginn never panned out for the Dolphins, who traded him to San Francisco after three seasons, a change in regimes had plenty to do with him falling out of favor in South Florida.
Waddle doesn’t have to worry about those types of issues because he and Phillips are now viewed as anchoring pieces of this Grier and Flores’ remodeling project.
“His role is going to be what he makes it based on the film we’ve seen. We think he fits inside and outside . ... His versatility is part of this,” Flores said about Waddle, who he mentioned as a possible returner multiple times. “We’re very, very excited to have him.”