Five Options for the Miami Dolphins at #6

• Take Florida TE Kyle Pitts. The number one mission in this draft needs to be to surround Tua with help. This does just that, Pitts may be the best TE prospect since Vernon Davis in 2006. In eight games Pitts had 43 catches, 770 yards and 12 TD’s. This includes 7 catches for 129 yards and a touchdown in the SEC championship vs Alabama. There was nothing a Nick Saban led defense could do to stop him. Saban had first round prospect Patrick Surtain Jr on him and frankly it didn’t matter. If Miami can pair Pitts with Mike Gesicki, they will have two dynamic TE’s which for a young QB like Tua that is very helpful in his development. 

• Take LSU WR Ja’Marr Chase. Chase is the consensus top ranked WR in this class and would be a tremendous addition to Miami. He did opt out of the 2020 season due to covid-19 concerns. That hasn’t affected his draft stock at all as he was the top WR on a historic 2019 LSU offense with Justin Jefferson playing next to him. He had 84 catches, 1780 yards and 21 TD’s just an absolute beast for Joe Burrow and company. He had his best game when it mattered the most, coming in the National Championship game vs Clemson. Clemson put Falcons 2020 first round pick AJ Terrell on him, and it didn’t matter. Chase had 221 yards on 9 catches and 2 TD’s. Chase has some Devante Parker in him, but his traits are better and more consistent. If you can’t get Pitts this is clearly the second-best option for Miami on Thursday.  

• Take Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle. Waddle comes from Alabama who has been absolutely loaded at WR the last two years. They had Henry Ruggs and Jerry Jeudy drafted in the first-round last year and this year 2020 Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith and Waddle will likely be first round picks as well. That is an historic level of talent at one position and Waddle may be the best pro out of all of them. Prior to Waddle’s ankle fracture against Tennessee October 24th, he had better stats than eventual Heisman winner DeVonta Smith. Prior to injury Waddle had 25 catches, 557 yards and 4 TD’s. While Smith tallied 477 yards on 38 catches and 4 TD’s. 80 more yards than Smith on 13 less catches shows you how explosive Waddle can be. There are many WR’s who get Tyreek Hill comparisons but this one is legit. Waddle has that elite 4.35 speed along with underrated strength and excellent route tree. Tua’s former teammate would be an excellent addition to Miami’s offense and a deep threat that opposing defenses must prepare for. Waddle can be an elite member of the return game as well as he showed with his 3 returns for TDs in his three years at Alabama. While some may think this is a reach at #6, they must pick who helps Tua the most and this would be an excellent fit.

• Take Alabama WR DeVonta Smith. DeVonta was the work horse at Alabama last year helping lead them to another National Championship. This was especially the case after Waddle went down with injury in just the 5th game of the season. Over the next eight games Smith averaged 162.5 yards per game. That is with the opposing teams knowing he was the top target on offense every week. Those are numbers you don’t find very often no matter what school they come from. Many will question Smith and how it will translate to the next level as he’s a little small weighing less than 170 lbs. While that is small, he didn’t have any issues getting off the press at the line of scrimmage or dealing with bigger defensive backs. Many of the smaller WR’s to come out recently such as Marquise Brown or Desean Jackson are much more one dimensional than Smith. Typically small WR are mainly speed guys who don’t have a great route tree. Smith is a great all around WR and I think the weight issues are overblown with Smith. Smith would be a great fit for Miami and would make for the best all-around WR on the roster. 

Trade Back and Gain Picks While Getting a WR. In this scenario a team trades up to get either QB Trey Lance from North Dakota State or QB Justin Fields from Ohio State. A team to watch here would be the Denver Broncos who pick at #9 and have been linked to Lance frequently. Miami would be able to pick up another day 2 draft pick or future first rounder while still picking in the top 10. There is a great chance that one of if not both of Waddle and Smith would be available at #9. Miami fans should be rooting for the San Francisco 49ers to take Mac Jones and then they can let teams get in a bidding war to trade up for Lance or Fields. If you can still get a great WR while picking up more draft compensation that is something Miami should absolutely do. This is a team that if they can add offensive talent for Tua to go along with what already is a great defense, they will be ready to make a run in 2021.