The Miami Dolphins are reportedly looking for a mulligan at linebacker. The team brought in several second level defenders in the 2020 offseason in an effort to help remold the defense — and while the defensive reclamation project was a success, Miami’s linebacker group will once again be the subject of an overhaul. Elandon Roberts and Kamu Grugier-Hill are both expiring contracts and recent reports indicate that veteran linebacker and team leader Kyle Van Noy is also on the outs; although his status as a trade candidate or roster cut seems to still be up for debate.
What is not up for debate is that the Dolphins desperately need some new blood in the linebacker room. An easy assumption to make is that the Dolphins will parlay some of their early NFL Draft capital into a selection at the top of the 2021 NFL Draft.
It could be Penn State’s Micah Parsons. Tulsa’s Zaven Collins (who has drawn comparisons to Kyle Van Noy himself) is another mid- to late-first round candidate. And Notre Dame’s Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is a versatile defender that many feel could be an attractive option for the Dolphins.
But each likely comes with a 1st-round price tag — and Miami’s opportunities to add premiere players at premiere positions may coax them to avoid drafting a linebacker in the top-32 picks of this year’s draft. But worry not, Dolphins fans! This year’s linebacker class is filled with attractive options on Day 2 of the 2021 NFL Draft, including LSU coverage linebacker Jabril Cox and one of Miami’s Senior Bowl pupils, Ohio State’s Baron Browning.
If you’re looking for a likely Day 2 linebacker for Miami to target, Browning feels like the one. He’s superbly gifted from an athletic standpoint and has been used in coverage, as a blitzer and in run support during his time with the Buckeyes. And Miami got their chance to work hands on with him in January for a week as a part of their coaching efforts in Mobile, Alabama for this year’s Senior Bowl event. The connection feels obvious, the talent fits the role and the value feels right for Miami — as compared to using a top-flight pick on one of the more household options at linebacker.
Expect a rapid influx of mock drafts pegging the Dolphins a linebacker at 18. But for our money, Browning in the second round feels like a more probable outcome for the Dolphins, regardless of how the team attacks free agency this offseason.
Leave a Reply