Senior Bowl 2021: Dolphins to coach NFL draft prospects in event

The Miami Dolphins coaching staff will work the 2021 Reese’s Senior Bowl, according to multiple media reports, including from the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson and ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe. The Carolina Panthers were the other team named as a coaching staff for the game.

The Senior Bowl coaching staffs are picked based on the NFL Draft order, with rules including a coaching staff in place (i.e., a team in a search for a head coach will be skipped). According to Jackson, the Dolphins received the invite to coach based on their 18th-overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, not the third-overall selection they have as part of a trade from the Houston Texans. Eligible teams in front of the Dolphins declined to take part.

The good news is, with four picks in the top 50, the Dolphins coaching staff will now get a closer look at several of the seniors eligible for this year’s Draft. In a season where the NFL Scouting Combine and college pro days could be in jeopardy due to the coronavirus, this could be a huge benefit to Miami’s scouting process.

Miami head coach Brian Flores said of the opportunity, “The entire Miami Dolphins organization is excited to take part in this year’s Senior Bowl. In this unique run up to the draft, the Senior Bowl will be a great opportunity for our coaches and personnel department to interact with these players for a full week. We look forward to working with these prospects as part of this premier event with a tradition of featuring top tier talent.”

The Senior Bowl will be held on January 30 at 2:30pm ET from Mobile, Alabama. The week leading into the game will feature practices with live broadcast coverage on NFL Network. ESPN will also air some of the practices. The game will be broadcast on NFL Network.