Sports
2020 NFL Draft Rumors: Latest on Justin Herbert, Andrew Thomas and James Morgan
Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated PressThe Miami Dolphins’ search for a franchise quarterback will be one of the most discussed topics ahead of the 2020 NFL draft.Brian Flores’ team has been linked with Tua Tagovailoa for quite some time, but its hunt for a signal-caller could go in a different direction. Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller reported there is…
Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press
The Miami Dolphins' search for a franchise quarterback will be one of the most discussed topics ahead of the 2020 NFL draft.
Brian Flores' team has been linked with Tua Tagovailoa for quite some time, but its hunt for a signal-caller could go in a different direction.
Bleacher Report's Matt Miller reported there is interest from inside the franchise in Justin Herbert, who has been projected by many experts to land one position beneath Tagovailoa.
While the Dolphins have been under the microscope the most, there are a few other franchises mulling their draft strategy ahead of the first round April 23.
Before Miami selects at No. 5, the New York Giants have to decide between an offensive lineman and linebacker Isaiah Simmons.
If they go after protection for Daniel Jones, the Giants reportedly have a preference out of the top four offensive tackles.
Latest NFL Draft Rumors
Justin Herbert
Matt York/Associated Press
Miller reported on the situation inside the Miami front office in which it may be leaning toward Herbert over Tagovailoa.
“This week, I talked to multiple league sources and posed the same question to each of them: “What are the Dolphins doing?” There have been strong signals coming out of the team's scouting department that they prefer quarterback Justin Herbert to Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa, which would frustrate Dolphins fans to no end after they spent two years waiting for the Crimson Tide signal-caller,” Miller wrote.
The top difference between the two signal-callers is health, as Tagovailoa is coming off a season-ending hip injury that he suffered in November.
Herbert owns a cleaner bill of health from his time at Oregon and he has an extra season of tape for teams to break down after he decided to return for his senior season.
Although he led the Ducks to the Pac-12 championship and a Rose Bowl victory, Herbert struggled at points of the season.
As Oregon was gaining momentum toward a College Football Playoff berth, Herbert threw two interceptions in a loss to Arizona State.
In the Pac-12 Championship Game, the Oregon senior completed 53.8 percent of his passes and threw for a single score.
However, he could be viewed as the safe pick at quarterback since he produced back-to-back 3,000-yard seasons and enters the NFL without many injury concerns.
If Tagovailoa remained healthy, he likely would have eclipsed the 3,000-yard mark for the second consecutive season as well.
He finished his junior campaign with 2,840 passing yards, 33 touchdowns and three interceptions.
Although there could be interest in taking Herbert over Tagovailoa, Miller received information from a NFL scout that the southpaw will still be the selection.
“One high-level scout told me he continues to hear it will be Tagovailoa, and that the team's recent love affair with Herbert through the media is all a ploy to drive down the market for the quarterback it actually wants,” Miller wrote. “If you convince the football world you don't want Tagovailoa, it's less likely someone will jump ahead of you in the order to land him. That's what this source believes the Dolphins are attempting to do.”
The Detroit Lions' No. 3 pick is the likely spot where teams could trade up to and select Tagovailoa before the Dolphins.
While Miami may not prefer moving up to take a quarterback, it has the most draft resources to do so, as it owns a draft-high 14 selections.
If the Dolphins have to make a move based on the intelligence they receive around the league, they will be more than capable of doing so.
John Bazemore/Associated Press
According to Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News, Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas is the Giants' preference out of the four premier offensive line prospects.
Thomas anchored one of the top offensive lines in college football, which protected quarterback Jake Fromm and running back D'Andre Swift, both of whom should be selected during the three-day event.
The Georgia offensive line allowed 15 sacks of Fromm over 14 games.
The Draft Network's Jordan Reid reported Thomas was scheduled to meet with the Giants and had talked with four other franchises.
Offensive line upgrades will be in high demand in the Top 10, but there is no guarantee New York goes in that direction at No. 4.
Leonard also reported the Giants are “definitely showing interest” in Simmons.
Simmons is a versatile defender that can provide cover in all three layers of defense and he can bring an extra dimension to the team's pass coverage.
The Clemson linebacker totaled 104 tackles, eight passes defended, seven sacks and three interceptions last season.
While Simmons would be a great addition to the Giants defense, they signed Blake Martinez and Kyler Fackrell in free agency, so they are not in desperate need of a linebacker.
The immediate concern could be protecting Jones, who was taken down on 38 occasions in his rookie season.
If they choose Thomas, the Giants would shrink the pool of top offensive linemen for teams like Arizona, Cleveland, Tampa Bay and the New York Jets to choose from.
That decision would also send a ripple effect down the first round and could allow Carolina to take Simmons, which in turn could free up Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown among others.
James Morgan
Chris O'Meara/Associated Press
According to Yahoo's Eric Edholm, Florida International quarterback James Morgan has met with 14 teams.
Edholm also pointed out Morgan sat down with 26 franchises during his time at the Shrine Game.
Morgan, who will likely be a middle-round selection, produced consecutive 2,000-yard campaigns for FIU, but his touchdown total dropped from 26 to 14 from his junior to senior season.
Morgan will not be viewed as a starter right away, but the team that drafts him could develop him for a few years behind their current starters.
New Orleans and New England are among the sides that have met with Morgan, and if they opt to draft at other positions in the first round, they could be in the hunt for backup signal-callers in the middle rounds.
The Saints need to fill the spot left open by Teddy Bridgewater's departure and the Patriots have depth to fill behind Jarrett Stidham.
Miller projected Morgan as a sixth-round pick to Jacksonville in his latest mock draft, while CBS Sports' Josh Edwards has him landing at the top of the seventh round.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.
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