MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The lengthy NFL pre-draft process can lead to outsiders talking teams out of their obvious picks due to boredom.
Take, for instance, the Miami Dolphins. They need a guard in 2024 who can replace Terron Armstead in 2025. This is a historically deep and talented tackle class.
So why are we trying to convince ourselves that they’ll take anything but a tackle with the 21st overall pick?
NFL Insider Adam Caplan Has Dolphins Drafting OT Amarius Mims
Adam Caplan, PFN’s Draft Insider, hits the grooved fastball out of the park, to mix sports metaphors.
In his latest mock draft, Caplan has the Dolphins selecting gifted Georgia tackle Amarius Mims in Round 1.
Mims — the 6’7″, 340-pound junior who can play on both the left and right sides — is the No. 23 overall player and the No. 6 tackle on PFN Draft Analyst Ian Cummings’ final big board.
He would be an intriguing replacement for Terron Armstead, who most believe is in the final year of his excellent career.
“You’re always trying to take a two-year look into the future, what [your roster] could be,” Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said Tuesday.
“We always knew that possibility could be with [Armstead]. We’re very respectful of his time and to his credit, he is an incredible communicator. I’ve gotten to know him over the last couple years — he is a fantastic person. So I’m very glad he is coming back, because he has impacted that room so much with those young guys and helped Austin [Jackson] and all those guys grow and Liam [Eichenberg], so having him back is important.
“But you always look at every position when you kind of go through it and try and look and try and anticipate what some of the issues could be in the future.”
A more immediate concern, should the Dolphins take Mims (whom Caplan has as the sixth tackle selected in the draft’s first 21 picks): Where to play him in 2024?
He was a tackle in college, but the Dolphins would need him to play guard (presumably on the right side) until Armstead retires.
“It goes all to the systems,” Grier said, when asked if picking between those six tackles is like splitting hairs. “You guys have watched how we play the offensive line — some guys are great fits for it, some are OK fits for it.
“As you kind of go through it, again that’s where you talk about the number of picks in the first round by team will vary. There’s some good players that we do like, and there’s other ones we feel will be good players and they are not ideal scheme fits, but they can play in the scheme. For us, we have more than enough guys we feel good about that can help us.”
KEEP READING: The Dolphins’ Case For/Against Drafting Georgia OT Amarius Mims
