Top Offensive Prospects the Dolphins Will Coach at the Senior Bowl
The offensive prospects at the 2021 Senior Bowl all have been assigned their team, and the Miami Dolphins ended up with the opportunity to coach the top-rated running back and wide receiver at the game.
Those two players would be former University of Alabama teammates DeVonta Smith and Najee Harris.
It's already been confirmed that Smith will not practice or play in Mobile, Alabama, because of the finger injury he sustained in the second half of the national championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.
Before he was sidelined, though, Smith torched Ohio State for 12 catches for 215 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, in the process cementing his standing as perhaps the biggest playmaker in the 2021 NFL draft.
There's a possibility that Harris also will be limited to meetings at the Senior Bowl because of an ankle injury that will need to be checked out after Harris gets to Mobile.
Harris' production wasn't far behind that of Smith in 2020, as he rushed for 1,466 yards and scored a ridiculous 30 touchdowns (26 rushing, four receiving).
While Smith has been projected as a likely top 10 picks, Harris is more likely to get drafted toward the second half of Round 1 or early in Round 2, which could make him appealing to the Dolphins either with the 18th overall selection or the 36th at the top of the second round.
This, of course, brings up the idea of the Dolphins doubling up on Alabama offensive prospects in Round 1 of the 2021 draft, as one national draft analyst suggested.
Of course, it might not be that simple, though the Dolphins clearly could do worse to help their offense than grabbing either or both of the Alabama offensive stars in the draft.
Beyond Smith and Harris, two other offensive players on the Dolphins-coached National team were among the top 100 overall prospects for both CBSsports.com and The Athletic's Dane Brugler.
One was Oklahoma center Creed Humphrey (61st by CBS, 74th by Brugler) and the other was Oklahoma State wide receiver Tylan Wallace (62nd by CBS, 75th by Brugler).
Other prospects mentioned in the top 100 in either rankings were offensive linemen Dillon Radunz from North Dakota State, Spencer Brown from Northern Iowa and Robert Jones from Middle Tennessee; running backs Rhamondre Stevenson from Oklahoma, Demetric Felton from UCLA and Michael Carter from North Carolina; and wide receivers Nico Collins from Michigan and D'Wayne Eskridge from Western Michigan.
Senior Bowl practices begin Tuesday and the game is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 30 at 2:30 p.m. ET.
