Dolphins eyeing multiple running backs in draft
When Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins left Dolphins headquarters after spending several hours with coach Brian Flores and general manager Chris Grier on March 12, he emerged believing the Dolphins really like him.
Meanwhile, a Dolphins official has told people how much the team likes Georgia’s D’Andre Swift, and Miami planned to bring him to team headquarters this month before the NFL banned such visits. And it was notable that Dolphins running backs coach Eric Studesville took Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor to dinner in the days before on-campus contact with players was stopped due to coronavirus.
A couple things have become clear in the weeks leading up to the NFL
Draft: 1) The Dolphins likely will take a running back in the first two days of the draft, potentially Dobbins or Swift at 26, or perhaps one of these two,
LSU’s Clyde Edwards-Halaire, Taylor or FSU’s Cam Akers at 39 or 56. That player will join Jordan Howard as Miami’s top two backs, in whatever order. 2) Several backs believe the Dolphins like them.
You know how many running backs the Dolphins have drafted in the first two rounds this century?
Precisely two, and both of those picks were regrettable: Ronnie Brown second overall in 2005, when Aaron Rodgers was on the board; and Daniel Thomas, 62nd overall in 2011, when former NFL rushing champ DeMarco Murray was still available. (Dolphins also traded two firstrounders in a package for Ricky Williams.)
Meanwhile, past Dolphins regimes used/squandered third-round picks on Travis Minor and Lorenzo Booker, though Kenyan Drake was a very good third-round pick.
Swift and Dobbins would be tempting if there at 26, and it’s debatable if either is there at 39, though running backs often slip in the draft. With Dobbins, it’s difficult to see him falling to Miami’s two picks in the second round, and it was telling that Miami rushed him to team headquarters (he has been training in Aventura) before the league stopped permitting predraft visits.
Dobbins averaged 6.2 yards per carry in three seasons at Ohio State, with 4,459 yards and 38 rushing touchdowns. And he was especially good last season, averaging 6.7 per carry and ending the year with enormous performances in four big games: 36 carries for
157 yards against Penn State, 31-211 against Michigan, 33-172 against Wisconsin and 18-174 against Clemson.
What’s more, he caught 71 passes in three seasons, averaging 9.1 yards per reception, with another five touchdowns.
Draft analyst Tony Pauline said Dobbins is “an explosive, multi-cut ball carrier with terrific playing speed and sprinkles in the ability to pick up yardage off initial contact.”
Swift, 5-9, averaged 6.6 per carry with 20 rushing TDs in three years for Georgia and caught 73 passes — averaging 9.1 yards per reception — and five touchdowns.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has Miami taking Swift at 18, calling him “the clear top back in this class. He runs through and by defenders, showing off what has scouts so excited about his potential. It starts with speed, as Swift is one of the fastest running backs in the country. But he also has a physical side, and he makes tacklers miss. Big-play back. Complete running back, which gives him an edge over the other backs. You can even put him in the slot. Ball security is very good.”
Some chatter on the other options:
• Taylor ran for 6,174 yards, on 6.7 per carry, and 50 touchdowns in three seasons, with 42 catches for a 9.7 average. But here’s the problem: He had 18 fumbles in 926 college carries.
“Add in catches, and Taylor touched the ball 968 times in college; that is a lot of wear-and-tear for a big back,” Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller said. “Taylor does have breakaway speed that you don’t expect from his 225-pound frame, and he’s shown excellent vision at Wisconsin, but a player who has taken that many hits and fumbled that many times will draw fair criticism from NFL scouting departments.”
• Edwards-Helaire has emerged as a real possibility in the second round for Miami. In three seasons at LSU, Edwards-Helaire averaged 6.6 yards rushing as a senior and ran 16 times for 110 yards (6.9 average) in the national championship game victory against Clemson.
ESPN’s Todd McShay said he was “one of the most underrated players in college football this year. Likely second-round pick. He has excellent lateral quickness to make defenders miss in tight spaces and high-end contact balance to break tackles.”
• And don’t discount Akers, who last season had 1,144 rushing yards on 231 carries (5.0 per carry) and 14 touchdowns. Akers also caught 30 passes for 225 yards (7.5 per catch) and four scores in 11 starts. Miami wanted to bring Akers to team headquarters this month, but that visit had to be canceled due to coronavirus.
NFL Network draft analyst and former NFL scout Bucky Brooks said: “The media world is sleeping on Cam Akers, but I’ve talked to number of NFL [people] who absolutely love his game and potential. He earned points for making it happen behind a suspect offensive line at FSU. Don’t be surprised if he goes higher than most project.”
Surprisingly, Pro Football Focus rates Utah running back and Hallandale High alum Zach Moss as the best running back prospect in the draft, and Miami wants to talk to him in the next week. Moss had 1,416 yards rushing on 6.0 per carry and 16 touchdowns this past season, plus 13.9 yard average on 28 receptions.
Among others worthy of consideration on day two or early on day three: Vanderbilt’s Ke’Shawn Vaughn (1,098 yards rushing on 5.2 per carry and nine touchdowns this past season, plus 9.6 average on 28 receptions); UF’s Lamical Perrine (676 yards rushing on 5.1 per carry and 6 TDs this past season, plus 6.6 average on 40 receptions); Boston College’s AJ Dillon (1,685 yards on 5.3 per carry and 14 touchdowns); and TCU’s Darius Anderson (823 yards on 5.5 per carry last season and 22 for 128 receiving). We’re told Miami likes Vaughn, Washington’s Salvon Ahmed (1,020 yards, 5.4 average, 11 TDs) and UCLA’s Josh Kelley (1,060 yards on 4.6 per carry and 13 TDs last season).
CHATTER
A An official in contact with the Dolphins said Miami does not believe it has a starting left tackle on its roster. That’s the position where the Dolphins would feel most vulnerable if they don’t add a better player in the draft process or beyond.
They aren’t ready to give up on Julien Davenport, but after allowing six sacks and 32 pressures in eight games last season, the Dolphins don’t view him as a starter at this point, from what we’re told.
Besides chats with firstround tackles Andrew Thomas and Tristan Wirfs, the Dolphins have reached out to several second-round tackles for video-conference or interview sessions, including Auburn’s Prince Tega Wanoghu and Boise
State’s Ezra Cleveland.
• Heat guard Tyler Herro told WPLG’s Will Manso last week: “I’ve always made big shots my whole life. That’s what I do.” And if the NBA season doesn’t resume, Herro will finish second in the NBA, behind only Joe Harris, in threepoint percentage during clutch time. Herro was 8-for-15 on threes (53.3 percent) in the clutch, defined by the NBA as the final five minutes of a game with a margin of five points or fewer.
• UM indicated it expects its top slot receivers will be Mike Harley Jr. and impressive freshman Xavier Restrepo.
• UM decided not to make an offer to Dwyane Wade’s son, Zaire, a 6-2 guard who played modest minutes at Sierra Canyon in California this past season after previously playing at American Heritage in Broward County. According to Rivals.com, his five offers are from Nebraska, DePaul, Rhode Island, Toledo and Cal Riverside. 247sports rates him the 199th best player in the 2021 class; UM typically has been targeting players in the top 125.