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Coming into the 2020 NFL season, the Miami Dolphins completely revamped their safety position after really struggling there in 2019. Longtime Dolphin Bobby McCain was the only holdover in that unit, as the team brought in Eric Rowe and Clayton Fejedelem in free agency in March 2020.
They also selected Brandon Jones out of the University of Texas in last year’s draft. However, Fejedelem is more of a special teams player, so the Dolphins may look to bring in more of a traditional player to add depth via the 2021 NFL Draft.
Who are some of the safeties Miami could look to bring in to help their secondary during day two and day three of the 2021 NFL Draft?
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Trevon Moehrig is a good choice
The Dolphins could potentially upgrade their safety position in a big way in the second round of the draft by taking TCU’s Trevon Moehrig off the board. Moehrig certainly comes into the draft having had a very decorated career and a well recognized 2020 season.
He captured the Jim Thorpe award last season, which was given to the premier defensive back in college football. For comparison, standout NFL players like Minkah Fitzpatrick, Desmond King and Patrick Peterson have also received that honor.
That’s not to say that Moehrig will be as good as the aforementioned players, considering his draft range basically starts in the second round. With that said, he is expected to have excellent hands and instincts in the passing game, which would be a lethal combination when paired with other Dolphins defensive backs like Xavien Howard.
Jevon Holland should be a good option for the Dolphins
Speaking of ball skills, Oregon Ducks safety Jevon Holland has the statistics to back up his ability to make plays in football. In his freshman season in college football, Holland pulled down an extremely impressive 5 interceptions. He backed that up during his sophomore season, intercepting 4 passes. He also recorded 66 total tackles in that campaign as well.
Holland is one of many players who decided to opt out of the 2020 season in preparation for the 2021 NFL Draft, so it remains to be seen whether or not his instincts can remain sharp considering he has not played in a competitive game since the 2019 season. Even still, Holland is a worthwhile gamble for the Dolphins, who already have a couple of ballhawking players on the back end of their defense.
Richie Grant is a safe option for the Dolphins
If the Dolphins want to go a safer route, and select a safety who has played in 46 career college football games, they could opt to select in-state player Richie Grant out of the University of Central Florida. Grant is no slouch in the takeaway department either; he has 10 career interceptions, and should be a viable option at safety in the NFL.
But perhaps the most impressive aspect of Grant’s game is his willingness to stick his nose in the play and get physical. As a sophomore, he was involved in a total of 108 tackles, and had over 70 combined tackles in each of his final two seasons at UCF. Grant could start out on special teams, but his willingness to pursue the ballcarrier could help him excel in that phase of the game.
