I would take Devonta Smith at #3 but I won't necessarily be crush if he's not there. Taking a WR that high is a real reach. It looks good if that player turns out to be Calvin Johnson or Julio Jones but those guys were elite prospects regardless of what you looked at: speed, size, strength, hands, work ethic, discipline, etc. With Smith, you watch a guy that has no problem getting open in college and will probably continue to roast the NFL's lesser DBs. And at 6'-1" he's tall enough to contest for 50/50 balls. However, with his 175-lb frame he's a lightweight in comparison to many of the NFL's elite WRs (e.g. Julio Jones, DeAndre Hopkins, Michael Thomas, Davante Adams, etc.) who all provide everything Smith does in addition to boasting 205- to 220-lb bodies. Smith's giving up somewhere between 30- and 45-lbs to the more dominant WRs of today's era and he's not giving you the 4.3 speed that you get from the smaller guys like Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman and other Bama prospects like Ruggs and Waddle. To me, Devonta Smith seems like a great prospect and a wonderful addition to the Dolphins roster of WRs but there are plenty of other options out there should the team need (or want) to go another way. Sewell at Tackle would be a great add for Miami given their OL situation. An OL featuring Jackson-Kindley-Karras-Hunt-Sewell looks a lot better than one without Sewell, particularly with Hunt out at RT. The week-17 matchup against Buffalo showed just how poor Miami's OL really was. Neither Jackson (LT) nor Hunt (RT) played well. I feel Hunt would be better positioned at RG anyway, so the drafting of Sewell may ultimately be more beneficial to Miami. And if the team trades down, that opens the doors for other receiving options like Waddle (Bama), Chase (LSU) and Pitts (Florida) and the possibility that Miami might land 2 of those names.
If Devonta Smith is there at #3, I’d pull the trigger on him. I pointed out before that the last 2 Housman Trophy winning wide receivers were Super Bowl MVP Desmond Howard and Hall of Famer Tim Brown. Smith is THAT GOOD and God knows we need weapons for Tua to throw to
Big picture: it doesn't really matter if we draft Smith or Chase, or even Sewell (though I prefer a WR as that's a bigger need). The MOST important thing is that we don't draft another Dion Jordan — also taken #3 — and that the pick is on offense. Thankfully, it's really unlikely we mess this up. Too many good choices, even if we trade down a few.
Trading down would make me nervous. I'd much rather we take Sewell and then grab a WR at 18. Then maybe another WR in the second, and an LB in the second, and a running back in the third.
He said he’ll weigh in at Alabama’s pro day. I guess we’ll find out then what he really weighs. All I can say is that he made Ohio State’s secondary look like a bunch of high schoolers.
https://www.si.com/nfl/dolphins/news/miami-dolphins-and-the-senior-bowl-weigh-ins "NFL.com writer Chase Goodbread wrote that Smith preferred wanting to wait until the Alabama Pro Day in the spring to have teams find out exactly how tall he is and how much he weighs. If we're being honest, though, does it really make a difference? Smith was listed at 6-1, 175 pounds during his time at Alabama and, here's a news flash, he isn't likely to tack on that much weight between now and the start of his NFL career. Size, and the accompanying durability concerns, have been and will remain pretty much the only question regarding Smith as an NFL prospect because, well, it should be pretty obivous by now that the kid can play. NFL teams probably don't need to see Smith on a scale to know he's smallish and a team's decision on how early to spend a pick on him likely isn't going to be determined by an additional 10 pounds. To that end, maybe it was disappointing that Smith didn't just go along as a way of saying, yes, I'm small, but just watch the tape."
While you can never have too many offensive line weapons...and remember I've been a critic of our OL for years, this season's OL played much much better than the had in seasons' past. With the cornucopia of elite skill players coming out in this draft, I just don't see how you pass on being able to take Chase, Smith, Harris, Etienne or Waddle if they are there. Sewell is a great pick but if we pass up the opportunity to get OUR Rice, Duper or Irvin...pass up the opportunity to get OUR Henry, Smith or Sanders to grab an offensive lineman or linebacker and draft a skills position as an after thought, we're going to be no better than we were last season. There are too many teams between picks 3 and 18 that have skill position needs and they're going to gobble them up. We can't let any opportunity slip through our fingers. We NEED that stud WR and RB and like Jacksonville has the rare opportunity to grab an instant impact player in Lawrence, we too have that rare opportunity to grab the two biggest needs on our team. I just hope to God we don't blow it.
Take a look at the teams who were in the conference championship games. Take a look at their WRs and RBs. How many were drafted in the top 5? The only one I can think of is Sammy Watkins. The one thing all 4 teams had in common? Really good offensive lines and incredibly talented QBs.
I have NEVER heard of a guy refusing to weigh in. Objectively, I do not know how anyone could possibly say that this is not a red flag.
What does draft position have to do with anything? Brady was picked in the 6th round and he's the most successful QB ever. All draft position tells you is the collective failure of scouting. Talent is what matters, and there's some serious talent at WR for those conference championship teams. Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce for the Chiefs, Chris Godwin and Mike Evans for the Bucs, Devante Adams for the Packers, Stefon Diggs for Buffalo. So one thing those teams have in common is at least one top flight WR and sometimes two. We have none. There's no question what we need to prioritize in this draft more than any other position, and that's WR given the importance of the passing game today. We have 4 picks in the first 2 rounds and we better not mess this up.
All one has to do is imagine where players like Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill might get drafted if they were in some type of FA draft. Those guys would both go as high as any other non-QB.
The point is, the best WR and RB talent can usually be had later in the first round, like with that 18th pick we have. I think drafting a WR at 3 would be a waste.
I get the point. You could further argue that drafting a RB at #18 is also reaching, especially when Chris Grier doesn't even seem to like taking them in R2. But it'll come down to what's on the board. At this point, the best players in the 2021 draft all seem to be offensive guys: Trevor Lawrence (QB), Justin Fields (QB), Zach Wilson (QB), Travis Etienne (RB), Najee Harris (RB), Penei Sewell (OT), Devonta Smith (WR), Jaylen Waddle (WR), Kyle Pitts (TE), Jamar Chase (WR), etc. Likewise, there's serious doubt that any of those WRs or TEs will be there at #18. Chase, Smith and Pitts are elite prospects who will likely go top-15. They could even go top-10 given their talent and who needs what. If Miami had pick #3 as well as pick #10 I'd feel a lot more optimistic about waiting until the 2nd pick to grab a play-maker. If you wait until 18, the top-4 or -5 guys may all be off the board...and that'd be on top of you already passing the need at #3. It looks like Miami is going to have to push their chips to the center on someone if they can't trade back a few spots.
That's true for EVERY position, and the reason is because scouting in the NFL is not that good. I mean among QB's you have Aaron Rodgers who was taken 24th in the 1st round, or Drew Brees in the 2nd, or Russell Wilson in the 3rd, or Brady in the 6th or Warner who went undrafted. You're not going to suggest based on that that "the best QB's can usually be had later..". The way to think about this is to first accept that GM's make tons of mistakes, but they're usually better when they have the pick of the litter rather than having to choose among less promising candidates. That's why the more important the position to fill the higher you want to take that player. Also, drafting a top flight WR (one that pans out) at #3 wouldn't be a waste.
If the guy becomes and All Pro and puts up 1500 yards a year no one is going to care where you got him in the draft.
To add to your point, you build from the inside out. Normally, we'd be taking a QB or the best pass rusher here. Unfortunately there's not a top 5 pass rusher unless someone blows up their pro day. While many of us want a QB there, it's not happening. So what do you do? Draft an OT after spending 2 high picks last year? Draft an ILB? Or go with a playmaker? If we have to pick at #3, I like Chase or Sewell. I think there are good receivers to be had later in the first round or in the 2nd round. If we went Sewell and then took Batemen and Moore in the 2nd, that would be great. Or Toney, Marshall, Brown.
I know we need playmakers on the O side but Van Noy is no spring chicken and behind him we have some average players. Maybe they address this in FA. Is anyone available?
For what it's worth, I would rest soundly if Sewell was the pick. I know that there will probably be more explosive players out there, but I think you are looking at a low downside-very high upside guy.
He'll add some weight naturally, as he gets further into his 20's, but man.... dealing with NFL impacts at 170 lbs is concerning. If he was 5' 8" with a compact build it would be one thing, but 6' 1"on a slight frame? That said, if he slidesdown to #18, I'm all in on taking him, even if we had Chase or Pitts at that point.
I think that this is the idea that should be getting traction on this board. I think we should take Pitts, Chase, or Sewell at three. If we go Pitts or Chase, great. I think we should aggressively try and move up from 18 to snag Smith. What I want to do with Smith is line him up at slot and look to get mismatches all day. I have no interest with him as a boundary guy.
Both Tutu Atwell and Devonta will both be very busy with the strength and conditioning coach... i think teams who drsft them will put them at returning duties to start and some go routes... theyre not going to be running any slants down the middle..