2021 NFL draft: What grade did Dolphins get?
It’s time to take a deeper look into the Dolphins’ draft class
The reviews are in, and many of the talent evaluators seem to be singing the praises of the Miami Dolphins’ 2021 NFL draft haul.
“The Dolphins came away with four players that could’ve been first-round picks,” former NFL executive Charlie Casserly said on the NFL Network, referring to receiver Jaylen Waddle, defensive end Jaelan Phillips, who were first-round picks, and safety Jevon Holland and offensive lineman Liam Eichenberg, the team’s second-day selections.
The Dolphins left the draft with a speedster (Waddle) they’ve had an infatuation with since evaluating quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in 2020, the top-rated pass rusher on their draft board, and the top-rated safety on their board.
And that doesn’t include former NFL executive Scott Pioli’s favorite pick. Dolphins coach Brian Flores’ former boss in New England labeled Miami’s selection of Boston College tight end Hunter Long in the third round as his favorite pick of the draft’s second day.
“I don’t like him. I love him,” Pioli said on the NFL Network. “In two years we’ll be talking about a Pro Bowl tight end.”
The Dolphins also walked away from the 2021 draft with an extra first-round pick in 2023 (courtesy of the San Francisco 49ers’ generous trade, which they used to land quarterback Trey Lance with the No. 3 pick), and a 2022 fourth-round pick, which came from the Pittsburgh Steelers, who acquired Miami’s 2021 fifth-round pick.
Here is a breakdown of what the newcomers bring to the Dolphins roster, and the possible role they’ll fill in their rookie seasons:
First round (6): Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle
Miami began the draft process with the third pick as the final payment for the Laremy Tunsil and Kenny Stills trade of 2019, and left it with Waddle and a 2023 first-round pick.
Waddle has dynamic speed, and run-after-catch ability that gets him compared to Kansas City’s Tyreek Hill. Paired with newcomer Will Fuller, the Dolphins now possess two dynamic flankers who will command the attention of NFL free safeties. As Flores said, teams will now pay a steep price for loading the box against the run when they play Miami.
The Dolphins acknowledged that they were infatuated with Waddle’s playmaking ability since last year, when they scoured Alabama film to evaluate Tagovailoa. Moving down from pick No. 3 cost Miami the opportunity to select Florida tight end Kyle Pitts (fourth to Falcons), and LSU receiver Ja’Marr Chase (fifth to Bengals), but the Dolphins were comfortable with those scenarios when they traded out, and sent the Eagles their 2022 firstround pick to move back up from pick No. 12 to pick 6.
Miami kept the 49ers’ selection in the trade down from 3. Flores also mentioned that Waddle’s a dynamic returner multiple times, possibly hinting that Jakeem Grant’s tenure with Miami could be coming to a conclusion soon via a trade, or his release.
First round (18): Miami DE Jaelan Phillips
The Dolphins passed on selecting Alabama tailback Najee Harris in the first round to add the draft’s most multi-faceted defensive end, a player who has the potential to become a multi-year Pro Bowl selection.
Phillips, a UCLA transfer, had a resurgent season with the Hurricanes last year. He recorded 45 tackles, eight sacks and one interception in his lone season at UM. He’s an extremely difficult pass rusher for offensive tackles to block because of his power, athleticism, and repertoire of pass-rushing moves and counters. Most evaluators felt Phillips was this draft’s cleanest defensive end prospect, a talent worthy of a top-15 selection if he had a clean medical history.
However, multiple concussions and other issues on his medical report tarnished his draft stock. But that didn’t scare Miami off. The Dolphins will likely use Phillips as the defensive end who plays opposite Emmanuel Ogbah in the team’s 4-3 front. And Phillips has the ability to serve as an end in a 3-4 front. Phillips’ addition gives Miami one defender who can get to the quarterback without heavy blitzing. Second round (36): Oregon S Jevon Holland
Hollard was the alpha in the Ducks secondary for two seasons, allowing Oregon to roll out complicated coverage packages because of his versatility. Not only is he smart enough to become an immediate starter at free safety, and challenge Bobby McCain for the role he’s held the past two seasons. Holland has the versatility to line up as Miami’s nickel cornerback, and the skill set to cover tight ends in the role Eric Rowe presently holds. Holland has fluid hips, decent speed, and the ability to turn and run with most receivers. The only concern is he’s a little slight to work in the box in run support, but the Dolphins have Brandon Jones, a third-round pick in 2020, to play that role.
How much Holland plays as a rookie will depend on how quickly he can learn, and whether or not he can unseat McCain, Nik Needham, or Rowe for the roles they held last season. But it’s clear that Holland was Miami’s top-rated safety, and the Dolphins drafted him to be McCain eventual replacement, allowing the team to avoid paying the seven-year veteran his non-guaranteed $7 million salary in 2022.
Second round (42): Notre Dame OL Liam Eichenberg
The Dolphins coached Eichenberg at the Senior Bowl, and liked him so much they traded up to get ahead of the run on offensive linemen that led to seven linemen being taken shortly after his selection. Miami sent the Giants one of their two 2022 third-round picks to move up eight spots to secure Eichenberg, a long, lean and polished offensive lineman from a Notre Dame program that has a history of grooming NFL starting linemen.
Eichenberg is a technician. He has experience playing both tackle spots, and the athleticism and footwork needed to move inside, where he’d thrive as a guard. Miami wouldn’t commit to where Eichenberg will line up, but his versatility is why the Dolphins had him rated so high, and passed on addressing other positions to make him the selection. Expect the Dolphins to try Eichenberg at both tackles before moving him inside. Third round (81): Boston College TE Hunter Long
With Mike Gesicki ($1.38 million in 2021) and Durham Smythe ($2.18 million) both entering the final year of their rookie deals and on track to become free agents in 2022, the Dolphins made it a priority to select a multi-faceted tight end during the draft.
Long, who caught 89 passes for 1,297 yards and scored nine touchdowns during his 36 starts for Boston College, has the potential to become a starter because he’s well versed as a pass catcher and a blocker. Because tight end is a position that usually takes rookies a while to make an impact, don’t be surprised if Long spends his first season as a core special teams contributor. But an injury to Gesicki, Smythe, or Adam Shaheen could open the door for him to handle the position’s in-line work.
Seventh round (231): UMass OT Larnel Coleman
Coleman is a 6-foot-6, 300-pound lineman that possesses a ton of athleticism, and has a ridiculous 84 ⅞-inches wingspan, which means that offensive tackle is the ideal spot for him in the NFL. He lifted 225 pounds 24 times at his pro day, and ran the 40-yard dash in 5.1 second, which shows he’s strong enough, and fast enough to play in the league, especially after a season in an NFL program.
The Dolphins will likely work on cleaning up his technique while he’s in the mix to serve as Austin Jackson and Robert Hunt’s backup at both tackle sports. He’ll likely compete with Jesse Davis and D.J. Fluker for that role. Adding two offensive tackles in the 2021 draft indicates that Miami believes in selecting tackles with athleticism and then possibly having them branch out and play other positions on the line. Seventh round (244): Cincinnati RB Gerrid Doaks
For the second straight draft the Dolphins didn’t address one of the team’s more pressing position needs. At least this year they used a seventh-round pick to select Doaks, who is a powerful runner with a thick lower-body build.
Doaks should be able to compete with newcomer Malcolm Brown for the Dolphins’ short-yardage, and goal-line role in Miami’s rushing attack. Doaks led the Cincinnati Bearcats in rushing in 2017 and 2020, and finished his career with 1,712 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns on 331 carries.
Last season he rushed for 673 yards and seven touchdowns, and caught 14 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns in nine games. Doaks, who averaged 5.2 yards per carry in his collegiate career, had an impressive showing at his pro day, running a 4.52 40-yard dash time and showing off a 39.5 vertical jump. Out of the 30 running backs who participated in 2020’s NFL combine, only two had a higher vertical than Doaks, who also has core special teams value.