Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
THE TOP CHOICE?
Why Mel Kiper Jr. ranks DeVonta Smith ahead of Ja’Marr Chase, another option if Dolphins trade down in draft
If the Miami Dolphins keep their No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL draft, they’ll have to make a tough decision on which player to select.
Alabama receiver DeVonta Smith, LSU receiver Ja’Marr Chase and Florida tight end Kyle Pitts are considered the best pass catchers in the field and all could be drafted within the top 10. Longtime ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has the Dolphins taking Smith over Chase with the No. 3 pick in his latest mock draft, but said he could see Miami taking either player. “[There’s] no edge. It’s just a feeling of, ‘Hey, you have Tua [Tagovailoa], do you want Tua’s former teammate?’ “Kiper said during a pre-draft conference call on Monday. “I think when you look at DeVonta, the ability, the work ethic, the passion for the game. DeVonta played. Ja’Marr didn’t. … That’s why I gave an edge [to Smith],” Kiper added. “I’ve had teams in the league tell me put Chase to Miami, and I didn’t do it. I went with what I thought. I had a couple teams say Chase should be the guy there.
“That’s a flip of the coin, really. Those two are interchangeable. You could put either one in Miami and you drop the next one down to Philadelphia at No. 6.”
Kiper added that Smith’s size — he weighed 170 pounds during his senior season while winning the Heisman Trophy — does not concern him and even compared Smith to a Hall of Famer.
“Bigger doesn’t always mean better,” Kiper said of Smith. “You look at Marvin Harrison and the great career that he had.”
While Smith was the best receiver and overall player in college football with 117 catches for 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns last season, Chase also was the best player in 2019 when he had 84 receptions for 1,720 yards (21.3 yards per catch) and 20 touchdowns.
Still, the Dolphins could be a team that drastically shakes up the draft.
Kiper believes at least five quarterbacks will be taken in the first round, which could give Miami the leverage to trade down from the third pick.
If the Dolphins do trade down, Kiper believes another Tagovailoa college teammate could be in the mix for Miami.
But Kiper also says Miami should err on the side of caution.
“You have to be careful there, but I think if you drop down, you’re targeting Jaylen Waddle from Alabama, who is not only a great receiving entity, a great slot guy, but also a great punt returner. So, I think Waddle brings tremendous value if he gets down to the 9-12 area. I don’t think he gets past the Giants [at 11].”
Some other news and notes from Kiper’s call:
■ v Kiper says while Tagovailoa will improve, the AFC East is looking up at Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen as the best quarterback in the division.
The New England Patriots will also address the quarterback position, where they went from having Tom Brady to the fourth-best quarterback situation in the AFC East.
■ Behind expected No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence, Kiper has Ohio State’s Justin Fields as the second-best quarterback in the draft ahead of BYU’s Zach Wilson.
Kiper gives Fields the edge because of his overall play outside of two poor performances he had last season against Northwestern and Indiana.
As for Wilson, Kiper is wary because the BYU standout “didn’t do it over a three-year period.”
■ Kiper believes Pitts, the star UF tight end, could be drafted in the top five. No tight end has ever been drafted among the top four picks.
“I do think he’s the second-best player on a lot of teams’ boards,” Kiper said of Pitts, who averaged 17.9 yards per catch for 770 yards and 12 touchdowns in eight games last season.
■ Oregon’s Penei Sewell is considered the best offensive lineman in the draft, and Kiper believes he will go no later than No. 5 to the Cincinnati Bengals.
■ As for running back, which the Dolphins have a need, Kiper does not believe any will be drafted in the first round.
If a running back is taken in the first round, Kiper believes the Buffalo Bills could draft Alabama standout Najee Harris with the 30th pick.