NFL draft: best fits between draft prospects and teams

Tua Tagovailoa

Miami Dolphins – Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama

Since everybody started talking about the Dolphins “tanking for Tua” pretty much since they got blown out in Baltimore week one, I don’t see why the Alabama QB wouldn’t ultimately be their target. Just because they did compete at a pretty high level towards the second half of the season, doesn’t mean they are settled at the most crucial position in football. Josh Rosen didn’t even last three full games after they traded for him during last year’s draft, so they clearly don’t see him as an option going forward, and a 37-year old Ryan Fitzpatrick can’t be anything more than a short-term solution. Tua has been as prolific a passer as we have seen in the SEC for a two-year span, with natural throwing skills, and he is the type of high-character guy you want to build a team around as well. If it wasn’t for the hip injury, we would probably discuss between him and Joe Burrow as the top signal-caller available. However, he might not be there at number three, if some other team decides to trade in front of them, so they may need to spend some of that draft capital they have collected to secure their guy for the future. Thankfully they have two more picks in the first round, which they acquired from trading away Laremy Tunsil and Minkah Fitzpatrick. If they are lucky enough that Tua actually falls to them at five, they could find direct replacement at those positions.

New York Jets – Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia

Sure, the Jets desperately need help at corner with one of the worst groups in the NFL trotting out there every week, and they are still looking to find that true difference-maker rushing the passer off the edge, but they have plenty of cap space and there are several guys hitting the open market at both positions. Instead, the focus should be giving help to their young quarterback Sam Darnold in the form of receivers and most importantly the offensive line. Gang Green allowed 52 sacks on the season (4th-most in the NFL) and their rushing average of 3.3 yards was tied for dead-last with the Dolphins, whose leading rusher was the just-mentioned Ryan Fitzpatrick. That is even more concerning when you consider that they mostly had Le’Veon Bell in the backfield, who has flirted with 2000 scrimmage yards three times during his tenure with the Steelers. To be honest, I think the only spots on that O-line the Jets are happy with is right tackle with last year’s third-round pick Chuma Edoga and center Jonotthan Harrison, who missed six games last season, so I could definitely see them double down on day two. Georgia’s Andrew Thomas is probably the most “pro-ready” tackle in the draft and worth that 11th overall selection – unlike the interior guys. While Kelvin Beachum played an okay season, New York needs a guy manning the left side for the future and you could still slide Beachum inside if you want to keep him on the roster.