Rex Ryan long has believed Tua Tagovailoa was bound for South Beach.
However, a new piece of information has the former New York Jets and Buffalo Bills coach thinking the Dolphins will go a different direction at quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft.
A report surfaced Wednesday indicating Miami is considering moving up from No. 5 in order to select an offensive tackle. This leads Ryan to believe the Dolphins prefer a more prototypical quarterback rather than Tagovailoa, who’s more of a dual threat.
So when asked Thursday to make a bold prediction for Thursday’s first round, Ryan projected the Fins will select Oregon’s Justin Herbert, not the Alabama product.
“Everyone talks about how secretive Miami’s been,” Ryan said on ESPN’s “Get Up.” “All along I’ve said, ‘It’s Tua, it’s Tua, it’s Tua.’ Then why in the world am I gonna say Herbert right now? I’m gonna tell you why. All right, first off, there’s been some rumors that Miami is gonna trade up for an offensive tackle. Hmm. Why does that matter to me? I’m gonna tell you why. If you have Tua as the quarterback, you need huge bodies at guard. You gotta build your offensive line from the inside out if Tua’s your quarterback. I’m hearing all these tackle rumors and stuff, that means I’m gonna take Herbert in this situation ’cause they’re not thinking about inside out. Tua’s not gonna be effective unless you build it from the inside. So for that reason, I’m gonna take Herbert.”
Perhaps Ryan shouldn’t read too much into the rumors. While the Dolphins very well might be looking to spend their first pick on an offensive tackle, this doesn’t mean they’re putting interior O-line help on the back burner. Miami reportedly has considered making a trade for the New England Patriots’ Joe Thuney, one of the best guards in the game.
We’ll become aware of Miami’s plans soon enough, as Round 1 begins at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday
