Thursday Dolphins Mailbag: WR Projections, Second-Year Leap, Tua vs. Jones, More

Part 1 of this week's SI Fan Nation All Dolphins pre-draft mailbag:

From Derek klootwyk (@Cardz_4_Kidz):

What are your projections for this year's top 3 Dolphins receivers? Rec's / Yards / TDs.

Hey Derek, understand that by accepting my projections, which I am making strictly because you asked, you forfeit the right to hold me accountable for them. That out of the way, I’ll go 87/1069/5 for Hill, Waddle 86/1121/6 for Waddle, 52/766/4 for Wilson.

From Jorge Alfaro (@cookingcubano):

Do we start to see a rushing attack could, dare I say, average over 4 ypc? And how much will the defense benefit from having a truly complementary offense?

Hey Jorge, first off I would make the argument that the offense was truly complementary in 2020 after Tua took over at quarterback in that he wasn’t asked to do too much besides not turn the ball over and keep the field position game in a favorable condition. Obviously, if the offense again can do that and control the ball better, that would be ideal and certainly help the defense. As for whether the running game can average over 4 yards a pop, that certainly seems like a realistic goal.

From Ken Dasher (@kdash65):

Best and worst moves made by Grier since 2019? Most disappointing prog rock album ever? (Mine was Asia; tbh probably doesn't even qualify.)

Hey Ken, don’t really think it qualifies as prog rock, but I wasn’t a fan of the last Keane album (and I love that band). As for the football question, the best move made by Chris Grier probably was getting two future first-round picks from the 49ers for moving down from 3 to 12 in the 2021 draft (though I didn’t like giving back one of the 1’s to move back up from 12 to 6). As for worst move, and this is not going to play well with a lot of fans, but taking Tua over Justin Herbert has to be the pick there because finding a franchise quarterback always is job 1 for any organization. In fairness, though, based on pre-draft chatter there were a lot of questions about Herbert. In hindsight, though, that’s a horrible miss by anybody who had those doubts.

From Chris Bustin (@ChrisBustin13):

Hey Alain, you recently used Teddy Bridgewater as a tiebreaker for the better team at QB between the Dolphins and Patriots. If you had to rank based solely on Tua and Mac Jones, who would get the edge in your book? Thanks. (Please answer freely: I’m not a TuAnon member.)

Hey Chris, you should know first off that I always answer freely, regardless of who’s asking. That said, it’s a really close call because I haven’t seen anything special from either quarterback at the NFL level yet even though they both have a winning record (proving, for the 742nd time, that the won-loss record is but a very small factor in evaluating quarterback success, though that’s a discussion for another time). If you look at their numbers from 2021, they’re awfully similar when it comes to completion percentage and passer rating, though I’m sure Tua defenders will quickly point to the Dolphins receivers and offensive line, while neglecting the fact the New England wide receiver corps was just as bad while Jones was a rookie compared to Tua being in his second year. Bottom line is I just don’t think there’s very much separation between the two at this time.

From Riley Skalik (@Riley_Skalik):

Which second-year player do you think will make the biggest leap: Waddle, Holland, Phillips or Eichenberg?

Hey Riley, I’d start off my answer by looking at the rookie season of each to see how much room for growth there is, and the answer there clearly is Eichenberg. But Phillips also can become more consistent, and he’d get my vote for the overall question. Waddle and Holland already were very good as rookies, and while they also should get better, I’m not sure how that will translate in terms of production, particularly for Waddle since Tyreek Hill is likely to take some targets away from him.

From Finsup (@Finsup40713267):

What is the earliest round you could see the Dolphins trading up if a player they loved fell?

Let’s put it this way, if the Dolphins were to trade up to get back into the first round, they’d have to sacrifice either an established player or a premium pick in the future, so they’d have to really love that prospect. As I’ve said many times regarding the Dolphins, I’m not about to discount any possibility, though logic says it’s difficult to see them trading up into the first round this year considering they don’t have a second to throw into a package. So that leaves the second round as the earliest I'd see them targeting.

From jorge Boyd (@raga1922):

I would like to know in what order would you draft a MLB and a center, personally I would go for the LB in the third round and a center in the fourth round, I know you like CB and DL but my question is assuming best player available being LB and center.

Hey Jorge, if I have to choose between only those two positions and I’m looking at two equal prospects in terms of NFL potential, I think I’d be inclined to go center at this point if for no other reason than positional value. The Dolphins already have a few outside linebackers/edge defenders and in today’s NFL, the middle linebacker isn’t a vital position because of the emphasis on pass defense.

From John Kerns (@yitwail):

Could Troy Andersen be a two-way player, primarily LB but occasionally RB, and if so, should the Dolphins consider moving up in draft to get him and address two needs?

Hey John, it’s an interesting question, but you indicated yourself “occasionally RB,” which makes me ask how that goes about filling a need. Besides, when is the last time we’ve seen a player make significant contributions on both sides of the ball? Long answer short is, no, the Dolphins should not consider moving up for Andersen based on the idea he could help at two positions.