DRAFT GRADES

CBS Sports (Pete Prisco) *

Draft Grade: A-

Best Pick
I loved first-round corner Noah Igbinoghene, who I think can be a star with a little time. He is a fast and competitive. Nice pick.

Worst Pick
I didn't love the choice to take Austin Jackson in the first round. I think there were better tackle options. He's a project – one with a lot of talent, but it may take some time.

The Skinny
The Dolphins had a ton of draft capital and did a nice job with it. They took Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with their first pick. He could end up being a star, but the medicals are concerning. The rest of the draft was filled with a lot of quality picks. Second-round guard/tackle Robert Hunt will be a steal and fifth-round defensive lineman Jason Strowbridge will be a good player. The Dolphins will have a monster draft if Tua is what they think he will be.

NFL.COM (Chad Reuter) *

Day 1 grade: A
Day 2 grade: B
Day 3 grade: B
Overall grade: A-

Draft analysis:
Miami needed a franchise quarterback and offensive line help coming into the draft -- and they got both within the first 18 picks on Day 1. Add in a starting safety and run-stopper, and the Dolphins acquitted themselves well over the first three rounds.

Kindley is power incarnate but also has some mobility for his size (6-6, 337 pounds) -- not unlike the guard they signed to a big free agent deal, Ereck Flowers. Strowbridge strengthens the outside of the defensive line. Trading a fifth-round pick for 49ers running back Matt Breida may turn out to be a really good move if the tough runner can stay healthy. Perry has the work ethic and athleticism to succeed in the backfield, as well. Weaver has always had the potential to be one of the best edge rushers in this draft class -- if he takes care of business, watch him power past tackles to consistently get after quarterbacks.

Pro Football Focus *

Draft Grade: A-

Day 1:
The fact that Miami didn’t have to move up from its fifth overall pick to secure Tua Tagovailoa is a huge win. Even with the injury, Tagovailoa was the second-best prospect on the PFF Big Board and QB2 over Justin Herbert by a mile. With his accuracy, pocket presence, ability to withstand pressure, decision-making and acumen for extending plays, Tagovailoa is every bit of a franchise quarterback. He was the only quarterback to post back-to-back elite PFF passing grades in the past two years. When your biggest con is that you played in with an elite supporting cast that had potentially four first-round wide receivers, you are clearly doing something right.

Austin Jackson was 94th on the PFF Big Board and was taken 18th overall. This was one of the biggest reaches we have seen in the first round of the draft. Jackson is going to be a project for Miami, both technically and physically. His play strength was not that of a first-round pick. He got exposed by NFL-caliber edge rushers in college — when he went up against Julian Okwara, A.J. Epenesa and Bradlee Anae, Jackson gave up a combined eight pressures in those games.

While it wasn’t on the level of Jackson, taking Noah Igbinoghene in Round 1 was another reach on the Dolphins’ part. He was 55th on the PFF Big Board with poor ball skills and is still learning to play the position. That being said, this is a great fit for Igbinoghene. He played a great amount of press coverage in 2019 and has the athleticism and overall physical tools to develop into a solid corner, but you're drafting on his potential at that point.

“Noah Igbinoghene is still learning the position and needs to improve his play at the catch point, but his match-and-mirror ability and deep speed are rare — he has special movement skills teams will covet early.” – PFF’s Austin Gayle prior to the 2020 NFL Draft

Day 2:
Continuing on the trend of their two first-round picks, Day 2 was full of reaches once again for the Miami Dolphins. All three of their picks on Day 2 were picked over 50 spots ahead of their rank on the PFF Big Board.

Robert Hunt was a nasty run-blocker for Louisiana and owned a solid 86.0 grade in that facet of play. Miami general manager Chris Grier said he’ll compete for a starting job at both right tackle and right guard, but we believe the best thing for him is to kick inside. PFF’s Mike Renner actually thinks he has the size and power to be a future Pro Bowl guard. One of the concerns we had with Hunt — he slotted in at 89th on our board — was his out-of-control play style and the fact that he was barely tested in pass protection. And he did this all against relatively weak competition.

As for Raekwon Davis, he was just 115th on the PFF Big Board. He has all the length you could possibly want on the inside and is the definition of a run-stuffer, as he has put up run-defense grades of 87.0 or higher in each of the past three seasons. Run-stuffers along the interior don’t generate enough value to be taken this early on Day 2, though, and there isn’t much at all in the way of pass-rushing moves or quickness that leads you to believe he’ll ever be an impact player as a pass-rusher.

The biggest reach of them all, though, was taking Brandon Jones 70th overall — he was just 182nd on the PFF Big Board. Whenever he was playing free safety, Jones was a problem within the Texas defense, as he was exposed far more than he should have been. He might be a better option at slot corner than deep safety in Miami’s defense, which doesn’t help their need at the latter.

Day 3:
Miami had some reaches on Day 2 but got incredible value on Day 3 with Curtis Weaver, who was the 26th-best prospect on the PFF Big Board and EDGE3. Weaver had great production in the past two years, posting pass-rushing grades above 92.0 in each and combining to form a win rate that was three percentage points higher than any edge rusher. Weaver may lack burst, but his elite power and bend make up for that. The Dolphins got a first-round talent in the fifth round.

Bleacher Report *

Draft Grade: A-

For better or worse, this draft will shape the Miami Dolphins for years. After trading Minkah Fitzpatrick, Laremy Tunsil, Kenny Stills and Kenyan Drake for picks in this class and tanking for Tua, they had to nail the picks.

Mission accomplished with their first selection. Taking Herbert over Tua Tagovailoa would have been drafting not to lose. Tagovailoa shows they're willing to risk the injury that comes with the winner they could be getting if the Hawaiian southpaw can stay healthy.

It's easy to like the positions they drafted in each slot, even if there are some potential reaches in there. Offensive tackle Austin Jackson didn't look great when facing the top edge-rushers on USC's schedule. Noah Igbinoghene was far from a first-round lock, although stocking up on corner, with Xavien Howard and Byron Jones already on the roster, isn't a bad strategy. He'll have time to develop.

Robert Hunt and Raekwon Davis may have been reaches, but they show that building in the trenches is a priority. And it was shocking that Curtis Weaver made it all the way to Day 3, considering his production at Boise State (47.5 tackles for loss, 34 sacks in three seasons).

Sporting New (Vinnie Iyer) *

Draft Grade: B

The Dolphins get high marks for volume and sticking with Tagovailoa as their future franchise passer. After early stumbling reaches with Jackson, Igbinoghene and Hunt, Davis was their next best pick. Weaver can be a steal as he should have gone in the second round. Ferguson is a big boost to their special teams. But it’s strange how they addressed running back by trading for Breida to pair with Jordan Howard and not getting any wide receivers.

Fantasy Pros *

Draft grade: ♥

The Miami Dolphins had a wildly impressive 2020 NFL Draft. Standing firm at fifth overall and still landing Tua Tagovailoa was a master class in rolling the dice and coming out on top. Austin Jackson was a slight reach value-wise, but he was the right pick for a team that just selected their franchise quarterback earlier that round. The Noah Igbinoghene pick at the end of the first round was a bit of a surprise, so much so that I asked myself if the Dolphins were planning on moving him back to receiver. They got back on track in round two with Hunt and Davis, and they ended their day with a potential starter out of Texas in Brandon Jones. They then proceeded to hit on values with each of their day three picks. In all, Miami had a lovely draft haul.

FOX Sports *

Grade: A

The Miami Dolphins had 11 draft picks, including three in the first round. They took former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with the No. 5 pick of the draft. Tagovailoa will likely begin his NFL career as a backup quarterback for the Dolphins, sitting behind veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, until he’s ready to take the field. There is will be no need for the Dolphins to rush Tagovailoa back on the field until he’s 100 percent healthy.

The Dolphins took offensive lineman Austin Jackson with the No. 18 overall pick. The selection of Jackson adds some protection for Tagovailoa. Jackson was the fifth offensive lineman taken in the first round of the draft. And finally, cornerback Noah Igbinoghene was the No. 30 pick of the draft. Miami made the selection after trading back and giving the Green Bay Packers a chance to draft quarterback Jordan Love. The Dolphins improved their secondary with Igbinoghene, who will pair with the newly acquired Byron Jones.

Walter Football *

Draft Grade: B+

Goals Entering the 2020 NFL Draft:
The Dolphins obviously need to decide whom they want as their franchise quarterback and then build around him. Their offensive line is dreadful, so they need at least two new blockers. They also must find a new running back to pair with their franchise-signal caller. The defense must be addressed as well, particularly the weak pass rush.

2020 NFL Draft Accomplishments:
Dolphins general manager Chris Grier won the ultimate game of draft chicken when he refused to trade up to No. 3 or 4 despite there being rumors that the Jaguars were attempting to do the very same thing. Grier remained at No. 5 and snatched the player the Dolphins wanted ever since they began tanking, Tua Tagovailoa.

Rebuilding is a two-year project by default because Tagovailoa probably won't be able to play in 2020. Despite this, Miami still used two of its next three selections on offensive linemen Austin Jackson and Robert Hunt. Jackson was an underrated commodity because he struggled after donating bone marrow to his sister in 2019. Hunt is versatile and can upgrade at either right tackle or guard. And speaking of upgrades at guard, fourth-rounder Solomon Kindley could provide just that.

The Dolphins didn't draft a running back, which was a surprise, but they traded for Matt Breida. The former 49er is a talented player, but has an extensive injury history. If he doesn't pan out, the Dolphins can just use a 2021 choice on a replacement. Meanwhile, Miami added some defensive talent like Noah Igbinoghene, Raekwon Davis and Brandon Jones. The Davis pick was nice, but I think the Dolphins reached for the other two players.

Nevertheless, I like what the Dolphins did overall. They appear to have missed with some picks, but not surrendering anything for Tagovailoa and providing blocking for him is considered a win.

ESPN+ (Mel Kiper) *

Draft Grade: B

Top needs: QB, OL, DL, RB

With extra first-round selections from the trades of Minkah Fitzpatrick and Laremy Tunsil, the Dolphins came into this draft with three picks on Day 1 and two more in the second round. They had to get their quarterback of the future. I also thought they needed to get their blindside protector for their quarterback, along with help at running back, with those five picks.

That they ended up with Tua Tagovailoa (5) is outstanding. As I wrote on Thursday night, he's an elite talent when he's healthy, but his injury history is worrisome. I said on air Thursday that Miami should try to redshirt him, just to get his body right. It's not as if the Dolphins are going to compete for a playoff spot. Tagovailoa is a pick for the long term, so they should wait it out and make sure he's good to go.

Miami took its left tackle with its next pick, but Austin Jackson (18) is a little inconsistent for me. I can't get over watching him get beaten by AJ Epenesa when USC played Iowa. He's going to need some time. Cornerback Noah Igbinoghene is also a developmental player, but he has the raw physical tools that make coaches drool. The upside here is that as I mentioned, Miami can afford to take developmental players with priority picks, just because of where it is in its rebuild.

Guard Robert Hunt (39) is going to be an immediate upgrade, and safety Brandon Jones (70) has some versatility as a potential slot defender. I wasn't as high on edge rushers Jason Strowbridge (154) and Curtis Weaver (164), but I don't mind them in Round 5. This is a good class that is going to be remembered for how Tagovailoa ends up, but it could swing to a C or A based on the players picked after the left-handed signal-caller.