After COVID-19 caused the sports world to shut down, fans and spectators have been wondering when professional sports will kick off again. While owners and commissioners have been trying to figure out when teams will get to play again, NFL draft declarees have not stopped putting in the work to have their names called in the upcoming NFL Draft beginning on Thursday.
Miami Picks Five Times in Two Rounds
The Miami Dolphins have a bountiful amount of picks in 2020 as of right now and need to focus mainly on picking up offensive talent. They have the fifth overall pick, as well as two more in the first round. They’ll round out with five total in the top 56 picks (two rounds), assuming they deal no trades.
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Within those top five picks, Miami should have its eyes focused on adding to the run game. It has the opportunity to recruit some more needed offensive production by drafting D’Andre Swift, a running back from the University of Georgia, that could pose a slew of problems for opponents.
The Dolphins finished last season with a 5-11 record and last in the AFC East. They struggled throughout 2019 in terms of scoring the football, due in-part to their struggling ground game.
They averaged only 19.1 points per game (25th in the NFL) and produced only 72.2 yards per game which was at the bottom of the league.
Bring In the Bulldog
Swift was able to make a name for himself with the Bulldogs when he came right in making an impact for the offense. As a freshman, Swift carried the ball 81 times, gaining a total of 618 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
As a sophomore, he led the team in rushing after starting five out of 14 games played that year. He finished with 1,049 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 163 carries, good for an average of 6.4 yards per carry. His five games started were because of his injury battles that capped his team workload.
During his junior year, Swift earned first-team All-SEC honors after accumulating 1,218 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground on 196 carries. He averaged just 0.2 less YPC than he did in his sophomore season, but more than six YPC is nothing to turn your nose up at. He was however unable to start all 14 games this season, as he managed to begin just 11 due to a shoulder injury.
While running is Swift’s forte, he also showed flashes of being able to help open up the receiving game as well. He caught 17 catches for 153 yards and one touchdown as a freshman (nine yards per catch). He then went on to catch 32 passes for 297 yards as a sophomore, averaging 9.3 yards per catch. In his last year with the Bulldogs, he caught 24 passes for 216 yards and one touchdown, averaging nine yards per catch again.
Why Do the Dolphins Need Swift?
The team has the opportunity to find someone that can help it get more rushing yards this upcoming season. Swift is a back that can help the franchise get some more total yards offensively, and in turn, perhaps help the team win at least six games or more this upcoming season. The latest odds have the Dolphins winning just six games — one more than it accomplished in 2019.
Swift’s running style should allow him to work with Miami’s rebuilding offensive line. His power and shiftability will provide him avenues to succeed no matter who’s blocking in front of him.
The main goal for the Dolphins should be to find a way to create a balanced offense.
Drafting Swift will be a step in the right direction.
The draft begins on Thursday night and fans will no doubt be anxious to see how not just Miami, but the other teams in the AFC East begin to push for the division crown. It’s not every day the evil empire loses its two-decade long leader.
– Daniel Roberts is a Sports Contributor for Full Press Coverage Miami Dolphins. Like and follow on Follow @dantheman1892 Follow @FPC_Dolphins and Facebook.
