Dolphins will have the 5th pick in 2020 NFL Draft

According to Tankathon.com, the Miami Dolphins now hold the 5th-overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Will they draft Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa?

The 2019 season is finally over. And for a season where the Dolphins started out 0-7, it sure was fun to watch this team progress over the last several weeks. But now, we must turn our attention to the 2020 offseason and most importantly, the 2020 NFL Draft.

Now that the week 17 slate of games are official, we now know exactly where the Dolphins will be drafting in 2020.

According to Tankathon.com, the Miami Dolphins will have the 5^th pick in the 2020 NFL draft. Sure, this isn’t as sexy as the projected top-3 pick they had a few weeks ago. But to achieve five wins with this roster–and go out with a last-minute victory over the New England Patriots– feels great. Not to mention, Miami is projected to have 15 draft picks, so there’s no telling what Chris Grier is willing to do to assure he gets the players he and his staff covet.

In the latest Tankathon three-round mock draft, the Dolphins do what every fan hopes they do this coming April.

First Round

Truth is, no one knows whether or not Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa is going to return to college. After all, he’s been cryptic over the last few days on social media and a lot of experts and analysts believe he could go back to college and enter the draft in 2021. I have no #sauces, so I can’t speak on the hypothetical. But IF Tagovailoa decides to declare this season, there’s a team in the top-5 that will likely do whatever it takes to assure he’s wearing a Dolphins’ uniform for the foreseeable future.

With the fifth-pick in the 2020 NFL draft, the Miami Dolphins select–Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama

Tua is believed to be the QB the Dolphins and owner Stephen Ross have coveted for several years. And no one can argue that his elite skill-set would fit perfectly in Chad O’Shea’s offense. Obviously, his health plays a huge factor in this decision. But IF there’s the potential that Tagovailoa will ever be 75% of the QB he once was, Miami should do WHATEVER it takes to make sure he’s their guy in round one.

With the second of their three first-round picks, the Dolphins draft Tee Higgins, WR, Clemson. The Dolphins don’t have an immediate need at WR, but Higgins is one of the most talented WRs in this year’s class. And adding a player with his skill-set to Miami’s already loaded receiver corps, would spell trouble for all 31 NFL teams.

Lastly, the Dolphins select Jedrick Willis, OT, Alabama with the 25^th-overall pick. I’m not sure whether or not he will be available this late in round one, but Willis is one of-if not-the best OT in this year’s draft. He’s already very familiar with protecting Tagovailoa’s blindside and would be a much need addition to Miami’s putrid offensive line.

Second Round

In round two, the Dolphins get two immediate contributors, at two important areas of need.

First, with the 39^th pick in the 2020 NFL draft, Miami selects Bryan Hall, CB, Virginia. Yes, the Dolphins secondary has played pretty well despite their ‘next man up’ mentality, but the secondary could definitely use help, especially for a team that loves to play man defense. Hall’s senior season was cut short due to a leg injury, but the talented CB would be a valued asset in Flores’ defense.

Later in round two, the Dolphins fill their much-needed void at RB selecting Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson. Anyone that watched the Fiesta Bowl could see how explosive Etienne was as both a runner and pass-catcher vs one of the top defenses in the country. Etienne is currently my RB1 and his skill-set would be a breath of fresh air, for an offense that was led by 37-year old Ryan Fitzpatrick as the team’s leading rusher.

Third Round

Lastly, with the 70th-overall pick, the Dolphins continue to add talent to their offensive line selecting Nick Harris, C, Washington. Adding Harris to an offensive line that already drafted Jedrick Willis and will likely spend valuable resources in free agency is extremely smart. And if Miami wants to build a sustainable winner, solidifying the trenches is the first step in a long, tumultuous process.

This will change many more times between now and April 23, 2020. With that said, how do you feel with Tankathon’s latest mock draft?

Josh Houtz (@houtz) is a die-hard fan of the Miami Dolphins #Tankovailoa