Prior to the 2019 season, the “Tank for Tua” mantra was directly associated with the Miami Dolphins. And after shipping out tackle Laremy Tunsil, wide receiver Kenny Stills and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick for a plethora of draft picks, Miami looked more and more likely to go winless and become a lock to secure Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa first overall.
Then Joe Burrow and Brian Flores happened.
LSU quarterback Joe Burrow had one of the most improbable seasons in recent memory, skyrocketing his draft stock to the surefire first overall pick, and Miami head coach Brian Flores wouldn’t allow for the tank to commence, leading the Dolphins to a five-win season. As known, Tua suffered a gruesome hip injury back in Week 12, raising questions about his playing future, and thus lowering his draft stock some to where he will likely be available fifth overall. Luckily for Miami, that’s right where they pick. With the trades made early in the year as well as one made in the last draft, the Dolphins ended up with six picks within the top 70 in the 2020 NFL Draft.
They owned the second worst total team WAR in 2019, increasing the pressure that they hit on these picks for the sake of their franchise over the next few seasons. With PFF’s one-of-a-kind database used by all 32 NFL teams and 70 FBS programs as well as the scouting reports built by my colleague Mike Renner, this is how we would map out Miami’s 2020 draft to steer them in the right direction toward a winning team:
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