Review Dolphins draft pick Isaiah Prince with Land Grant Holy-Land

The Miami Dolphins have used this offseason as a chance to get younger across the roster and to start a rebuild that will likely take a couple of years to see completion. This rebuild is focused primarily on the line of scrimmage this year, with Miami using half their 2019 NFL Draft picks on either the defensive line or on the offensive line. In the first round, Miami selected defensive tackle Christian Wilkins from Clemson, then added Wisconsin guard Michael Dieter with their third-round pick.

In the sixth round, the Dolphins used the 202nd overall pick to select Ohio State offensive tackle Isaiah Prince.

Lance Zierlein at NFL.com wrote in his pre-draft profile of the offensive lineman, “Prince will get touched up in scouting circles for what he can’t do, but he’s made strides in his pass-protection technique that warrants a deeper dive. He’s not a natural knee-bender so his pad level -- and therefore balance -- will always be concerns, but his length can become an effective weapon in pass sets if a coach can get his hands timed up. He’s a right tackle-only with leverage limitations, but there are enough flashes to project him as a backup with eventual starter potential as a middle round pick.”

Needing to get that deeper dive, I turned to SB Nation’s Ohio State site, Land Grant Holy-Land, and Patrick Mayhorn.

The main thing with Prince is that despite his lofty recruiting grade, and despite starting at Ohio State for three seasons, I think he still has some development to do, hence the late round selection. He’s a big, explosive athlete, but he’s struggled with mechanics at times, and that, paired with his relatively average strength gets him into trouble against great edge rushers. He has the lateral quickness to keep up and be a very good tackle at the next level, but his pad level is usually too high, and his base is usually too narrow. He was able to overcome that a lot because of his natural ability, but he’d be a whole lot better with some professional coaching. I don’t think he’ll ever be a pro bowler, but could see him as a pass blocking specialist because of his size and athletic ability.

Off the field, Ohio State never had any problems with Prince. He was, by all accounts, an excellent leader as the veteran on the line this past season, and was named a captain as a senior. He dealt with quite a bit of animosity from fans thanks to his early career struggles as a sophomore first year starter (see: 2016 against Penn State) but was one of the best pieces for the Buckeyes up front by the time he was a senior. I would’ve taken him in the fourth round, so I think the Dolphins got a bit of a steal grabbing him so late.