Rueben Bain Jr., Miami Hurricanes
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(Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
TheMiami Dolphins could go several ways with the No. 11 pick, and they could take advantage of a top talent potentially sliding outside the Top 10. Moreover, it may be a player with ties to the city, as the Miami Hurricanes will have two players, Rueben Bain Jr. and Francis Mauigoa, go in the top part of the draft.
However, could one of these players slip out of the Top 10, causing the Dolphins to pounce on them to keep them in the city?On the April 3 edition of the “DolphinsTalk.com Podcast,” Matt Miller of ESPN reveals which of the two Hurricanes stars he could see falling to Miami.
“I don’t think Mauigoa makes it that far,” Miller said. “I think Arizona at No. 3, Cleveland at No. 6, and Kansas City at No. 9 — someone in there would grab him. He’s just too talented. Rueben Bain, though, is a possibility.
“I really do think there’s a chance he makes it down to 11, and it’s really just not about anything on tape. It’s just short arms to have a pass rusher with an arm length under 31 inches.”
Dolphins Would Need to Make Major Decision If Rueben Bain Jr. Falls
Moreover, Miller stated that if Bain falls to Miami at No. 11, the Dolphins will have to decide whether to go with the data or with what they’ve seen of him on the field.
“A player [with an arm length under 31 inches] hasn’t been drafted in the first round, at least this century,” Miller added. “It would maybe be before 1999. And then a player with sub‑31 arm length hasn’t had more than 10 sacks in a season in that same time period. You’re betting against the data with Rueben Bain, which may be OK because he was unstoppable this past year, especially during the college football playoffs.
“But I do think there’s a world in which he’s on the board at 11, and Miami would have to make that decision, right? This is a team that has Chop Robinson, but that’s really it in terms of established pass rushers. So if he’s there, I think that’s a pretty dang good fit for them.”
Miami Could Go Wideout at the End of the First Round
Along with the No. 11 pick, the Dolphins also have the No. 30 pick as part of the Jaylen Waddle trade with the Denver Broncos. As a result, Miami could go receiver in the late first round.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton sees formerArizona State Sun Devils standout Jordyn Tyson being that player. Furthermore, Moton notes that,given Tyson’s injury concerns, he could slip to the Dolphins at the end of the first round.
“With Jalen Tolbert,Tutu Atwell andMalik Washington atop their receiver depth chart, the Dolphins are likely to take a top prospect at the position with one of their two first-round picks. It’s a must to help quarterback Malik Willis, who’s preparing to be a full-time starter for the first time in his career,”Moton wrote in his article published on March 24.
“Jordyn Tyson could slip in the draft because of his history of injuries. So, Miami may have multiple opportunities to take him in the first round. He missed a few games in the previous season due to a balky hamstring, but he still caught 61 passes for 711 yards and eight touchdowns.”