With the 2021 NFL Draft approaching on April 29, the Miami Dolphins have many questions when it comes to what they are going to do with their third overall pick. Are they going to select a wide receiver, take a tackle or trade back for extra assets? In my eyes, there is only one thing that the Dolphins should do: draft Penei Sewell.
Who is Penei Sewell?
Penei Sewell is a 6’6, 331-pound tackle out of the University of Oregon. He started for Oregon since the day he stepped on campus and was named a Freshman All-American, even though he only played six games due to an injury. As a sophomore, Sewell had the best season in FBS history, according to Pro Football Focus, and was named a unanimous NCAA All-American and a first-team All-American by 12 different outlets. Sewell won 2019’s Outland Trophy, the award given to the nation’s most outstanding lineman.
The 20-year-old tackle opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns and started preparing for the 2021 NFL Draft.
Why is Sewell the right pick?
Penei Sewell is the right pick for the Dolphins rather than Ja’Marr Chase because the 2021 NFL Draft is stacked with receivers, so much so that those who are going to get drafted in the second round would go in the first round in other drafts. The Dolphins hold picks 6 and 18 in the first round and 36 and 50 in the second round. The Dolphins can easily secure their cornerstone tackle of the future in Sewell, get a wide receiver at 18 and trade into the back end of the first round for a running back, such as Najee Harris, with their other assets.
The Dolphins can build their weapons in free agency and later in the draft. Young, valuable linemen will rarely hit free agency, so it is important to build the line in the draft. Adversely, skilled wide receivers are almost guaranteed to be available from offseason to offseason.
Now, I’m not saying Ja’Marr Chase, Kyle Pitts or DeVonta Smith aren’t great picks at the third pick, but the receivers in this class are deep. Players like Kadarius Toney, Elijah Moore, Rondale Moore and Rashod Bateman are dominant receivers that most likely would go earlier in other draft classes, but should be available at 18 or later.
Weapons aren’t going to win you a Super Bowl unless you have the protection upfront. Remember, a quarterback can’t throw to a receiver if he is on his back.
Protecting Tua is the key
Protecting your quarterback is the name of the game. Getting him a generational tackle is a no-brainer, especially when you look at Tua Tagovailoa’s injury history. Protecting him should be the Dolphins biggest concern. In his time at Alabama, Tua suffered multiple injuries, including a hip injury that ended his collegiate career.
Skilled players will only get a team so far. Football is won in the trenches, and whoever controls and dominates the line of scrimmage will win the game. The Dolphins invested in the offensive line with three selections in the 2020 NFL Draft: T Austin Jackson (pick 18), G/T Robert Hunt (pick 39) and G Solomon Kindley (pick 111).
If the Dolphins pick Sewell, it gives them a young and cheap offensive line that is capable of protecting Tua for years. The Sewell pick would allow Robert Hunt, who played right tackle last season but guard in college, to kick back inside to right guard where he feels more comfortable. Jackson and Sewell would be the tackles of the future and cost the Dolphins almost nothing. Outside of center, the position the Dolphins haven’t found a long-term answer to, the future of their offensive line, could be set for years to come. The four young linemen could cost the Dolphins a steal of approximately $14.5 million per year. To put how cheap that is into perspective, the Dallas Cowboys are spending $36.2 million on three linemen. Additionally, there are 14 offensive linemen in the NFL that are making at least $14.5 million annually, estimated by Spotrac.
- T- Austin Jackson (21) $3.41 mil per year
- G- Solomon Kindley (23) $1.02 mil per year
- G- Robert Hunt (24) $2.01 mil per year
- T- Penei Sewell (20) $8.05 mil per year
