NFL Draft countdown: Focus on Dolphins' first-round pick at No. 21
The 2024 NFL Draft is rapidly approaching. Last year, the Chargers took WR Quentin Johnston 21st overall. This year the Dolphins hold the 21st pick. Here’s who experts think they'll take.
ESPN (Mel Kiper): Graham Barton, OL, Duke
Miami lost several talented players this offseason, including right guard Robert Hunt. Center Connor Williams remains a free agent after tearing his ACL in December, prompting the team to sign Aaron Brewer from the Titans.
Graham played center as a freshman but spent most of his time playing tackle for Duke. His versatility would help the Dolphins greatly, but Kiper seems more focused on his consistency.
“Barton is extremely consistent on a snap-to-snap basis. He’s technically sound as a run- and pass-blocker,” Kiper wrote. “Barton would be getting more first-round buzz if he hadn’t missed a few games.”
Barton worked primarily at center at his pro day, posting a 4.97 in the 40-yard dash, a 4.55 shuttle time and a 3-cone of 7.31 seconds. According to MathBomb’s Kent Lee Platte, Barton’s Relative Athletic Score (RAS) ranked third out of 1,532 guards from 1987 to 2024.
CBS Sports (Ryan Wilson): Jackson Powers-Johnson, OL, Oregon
Wilson also has the Dolphins hitting the trenches at No. 21, but landing last year’s Rimington Trophy winner as the top center in the FBS. At 6-foot-3 and 320 pounds, Johnson excels in gap or zone concepts and fit perfectly in Oregon’s RPO run-scheme.
Unfortunately, he injured his hamstring at the Senior Bowl and was unable to compete at the NFL Scouting Combine. But he was able to attend Oregon’s pro day where his performance did nothing to compromise his draft stock.
Bleacher Report (BRN NFL Scouting Department): TBD
With just $5.7M in cap space and no third- or fourth-round picks in 2024, the folks at Bleacher Report have the Dolphins trading their first-round selection for more picks.
In a proposed trade with the Raiders, Miami would send pick No. 21, a fifth-round pick in 2025 and a sixth-round pick in 2024 to Las Vegas in exchange for the team’s second-round pick (44th overall), third-round pick (77th overall) and third-round pick in 2025.
That would be a bold move considering Miami hasn’t had a first-round draft pick since 2021. The Dolphins lost their first pick in 2023 after an NFL investigation found they tampered with Tom Brady and Sean Payton in 2022. That year they traded their first-round pick to the Chiefs for WR Tyreek Hill.
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