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2021 Offseason Outlook: Offensive Tackle

It would be hard to imagine Miami fielding a poor defense in 2021. At worst, they'll regress closer to an average squad. That means there will be a lot of pressure on the offense to take a step forward in order for them to earn a playoff birth. The offense had struggles in 2020 with Chan Gailey as the offensive coordinator and play caller. I'm not in the camp that blames all the shortcomings on Chan (as there are still massive holes on this offense), but obviously it wasn't a fit. We don't know exactly what the offense will look like in 2021, but we can take a look at each position group and see where improvements need to be made and where we can feel optimistic.

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|Offensive Tackle|

Returning Reserve Players: Jonathan Hubbard ($660)

Free Agents: Adam Pankey (UFA), Julie'n Davenport (UFA)

*2021 Figures* Age Height Weight Arms 2020 Snaps Cap Hit % of Cap Final Year of Deal PFF Grade
Robert Hunt 24 6'6 322lbs 33.5 720 $1.8 Million 0.96 2023 65.8
Austin Jackson 21 6'5 310lbs 34.13 847 $3.1 Million 1.63 2023 52.4

Analyzing offensive line play can be quite difficult. Traditional statistics are pretty much useless and you can't openly cite most advanced analytics (as they are hidden behind a pay-wall). For those reasons, I am going do my own film study. I'll look at every offensive snap of at least two games for each player. I'll select one of their best games and one of their worst games, so we can get a fair appraisal. For each game, I'll highlight their best play and their worst play and then give a general summary of what I saw.

|Robert Hunt|

Game #1 LA Rams at Miami Dolphins. Week 8 (Bad Game)

This was supposed to Robert Hunt's worst game of the season. I wasn't surprised to learn this fact, as it was only his third career start and he faced off against some premier defensive linemen (Aaron Donald, Leonard Floyd, Michael Brockers). Without giving too much away, I was definitely not disheartened after watching this performance. It was really obvious what he is good at and where he struggles after watching. Lets take a look.

His worst play

3rd & 12 | MIA 46 | 8:26 in the 3rd quarter

There weren't a ton of blown assignments by Hunt in this game. This was definitely his worst rep. It didn't result in a sack, but only because Tua got the ball out so fast. This is a screen play where Ted Karras, Ereck Flowers, and Solomon Kindley let their men go and pull out to block for Myles Gaskin who catches the pass out of the backfield. Jesse Davis and Robert Hunt kick out to block like a normal pass play. With it being a screen play he may have been intending to only slow down Floyd, but he barely gets a finger on him. Tua gets the ball out, but he's about a tenth of a second from having that ball knocked out.

From watching his film it seems that speed rushers are who will give him the most problems in the NFL.

His Best Play

3rd & 6 | MIA 30 | 5:19 in the 3rd quarter

Big Rob had a bunch of good run-blocking reps (that isn't in question for me), so for his best rep I chose a clear win on a passing play. At first glance this doesn't look great, and it isn't. The play gets blown up, but not because of anything Hunt did. Ereck Flowers gets left 1 on 1 with Aaron Donald and exactly what you would expect to happen, happens. That causes Tua to drift back out of his pocket and invite more pressure off the edge. Hunt initially blocks Leonard Floyd and quickly passes him off to Kindley when he identifies the stunt with #59 Micah Kiser. He's in good position and gets hands on him, but Tua has already drifted back (putting Hunt in an impossible position).

Overall, this was such a frustrating offensive game to watch. Aaron Donald was left in 1 on 1 situations way too often and there just isn't anyone on that line (and very few players in the NFL) that can handle that assignment. Hunt had some bad reps here, but it definitely wasn't a disaster. Not bad for his worst performance.

Game #2 New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins, Week 15 (Good Game)

This was one of their must-win games down the stretch and Rob Hunt definitely showed up to play. I had a hard time finding a really bad rep on his tape here. Lets take a look.

His worst play

3rd & 3 | NE 3 | :04 1st quarter

He just gives up too much ground here. It puts him in Tuas lap, which forces Tua to step up, get hit, and throw the interception. I think he was so worried about beating Winovich to the edge that he got off balance and made it easy for him to be stood up. For his worst rep of the afternoon it isn't all that bad.

His best play

2nd & 6 | NE 48 | 7:24 4th

There were a lot of plays that I could have used for this segment. Robert Hunt is especially effective in the run game. On this play he gets to the second level and the linebacker has no shot. He's taken out of the play completely and Breida runs untouched for 24 yards.

Analysis

Robert Hunt is an extremely promising, young offensive lineman. He excels as a run blocker and pretty routinely knocks back defenders with his first contact. He sometimes struggles to maintain his blocks and will slip off after a strong first push. I'm not sure that his future will be at the tackle position. He struggles to stay with speed rushers at times and will occasionally lose the edge. I personally think his future will be at guard where the sky is the limit for him. Even though he may switch positions in the future, he is currently Miami's most competent tackle.

|Austin Jackson|

Game #1 New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins, Week 15 (Bad Game)

I can say with total confidence that this was the worst game of Austin Jackson's career. Hopefully that will remain the case, because Jackson had a rough day at the office here. Like with Rob Hunt, I will highlight his best and worst play from each game I break down.

His worst play

2nd & 4 | MIA 8 | 8:38 1st quarter

Jackson just gets smoked to the inside on this play. He may have been expecting some help on the inside, but based off the way he reacted, that was his man. These are drive killing mistakes.

His best play

2nd & 8 | NE 13 | 11:24 3rd quarter

He locks up with #91 Deatrich Wise on this play in what mirrors an Oklahoma Drill on the field. He pushed Wise back 5-6 yards before he can get a finger on the RB. Good run blocking rep for the young tackle.

Game #2 Miami Dolphins at Arizona Cardinals, Week 9 (Good Game)

This was a pretty solid performance from the rookie. He has some bad reps, but he plays winning football for the majority of the contest. This was also one of Tua's better performances of the season (in spite of some bad line play).

His worst play

2nd & 2 | MIA 34 | 3:36 2nd quarter

He gets bull-rushed all the way back to Tua and gives up the sack. This is his worst rep of the day and shows how susceptible to power rushers Jackson is at this point in his career.

His best play

3rd & 7 | ARI 9 | 10:25 2nd quarter

I chose this for his best rep, but he had a lot of plays like this. He did a really good job with Hasaan Reddick, who finished with 12.5 sacks this season. Encouraging to see him have such good reps against speed rushers.

Analysis

Austin Jackson definitely has some developing to do to become a dependable left tackle. At this point in his career he does well against smaller speed rushers. The same can not be said for longer power rushers. He doesn't stand up well to the bull-rush and has a hard time keeping his hands on longer rushers. Hopefully he will add some size and play strength this offseason. At only 21 years of age, I would expect some development, but the organization can't just bank on him taking a huge step next season. Coming out in the draft he was billed as a project left tackle and that still rings true. He has unique movement skills for a man his size, but needs to add more power to his game.

|Free Agency|

With how deep the tackle class is in this upcoming draft, I would be surprised if Miami decided to address their tackle needs through free agency. There is a chance they sign a veteran player and draft a tackle to develop into a future starter. With Davenport and Pankey hitting free agency, there is a depth issue at the position. Lets see who is available and a couple scenarios that could make sense.

2020 Team 2020 Snaps Age Height Weight Arms PFF Grade Est. Market Value
Trent Williams 49ers 957 32 6'5 320 lbs 34.25 91.9 $16-18 million/yr
Taylor Moton Panthers 1033 26 6'5 325 lbs 34.13 81.2 $16-18 million/yr
Russell Okung Panthers 407 32 6'5 310 lbs 36 73 $14-16 million/yr
Alejandro Villanueva Steelers 1099 32 6'9 320 lbs N/A 74.6 $12-14 million/yr
Daryl Williams Bills 1048 28 6'6 330 lbs 35 79.4 $8-10 million/yr
Kelvin Beachum Cardinals 1128 31 6'3 308 lbs 33.25 69 $4-6 million/yr
Cam Robinson Jaguars 974 25 6'6 320 lbs 35.5 61.8 $8-10 million/yr
Ty Nsekhe (2019) Bills 359 35 6'8 330lbs N/A 65.2 $2-4 million/yr

Daryl Williams

Williams is having a resurgent year in Buffalo after signing a 1 year 2.5 million dollar deal to play for the bills. This situation is why short prove-it deals are so popular. Williams should make himself some money this offseason, but with inconsistent play and an injury history, it shouldn't be too much. If Miami isn't as high on this draft's tackle class as the talking heads are, maybe they go the proven veteran route. I doubt it, but who knows?

3 years 26 million dollars

Ty Nsekhe

Nsekhe has made a career out of being a reliable alternate. In 2019 he cashed-in on his solid body of work with a 2 year 10 million dollar deal in Buffalo. He's had some injuries and fell down their impressive depth chart this past season. You should be able to grab Nsekhe for close to nothing and he may provide your line with reliable tackle depth.

1 year 1.75 million dollars

|The Draft|

As stated before, this draft is pretty loaded at the offensive tackle position. There were a lot of special tackle prospects last year, but there was a significant drop off after the fourth one was taken (which was Tristan Wirfs at 13). Instead of trying to move up to get Wirfs, Miami stayed-put and took Austin Jackson at 18. Jackson could eventually be the same caliber of tackle as Wirfs, but currently it isn't very close (Wirfs is much better). There are a large number of impact tackles in this class and I wouldn't leave the first round without getting one, if I'm Chris Grier.

School Height Weight PFF Rank PFN Rank Draft Network Avg.
Penei Sewell Oregon 6'6 325 lbs 4 3 2 3
Rashawn Slater Northwestern 6'3 315 lbs 12 59 17 29
Sam Cosmi Texas 6'7 309 lbs 33 47 41 40
Christian Darrisaw Virginia Tech 6'5 315 lbs 16 32 9 19
Alex Leatherwood Alabama 6'6 312 lbs 35 18 27 26
Liam Eichenberg Notre Dame 6'6 302 lbs 49 182 30 87
Jalen Mayfield Michigan 6'5 320 lbs 65 25 22 37
Teven Jenkins Oklahoma State 6'6 320 lbs 27 42 66 45
Walker Little Stanford 6'7 309 lbs 38 28 77 47
Jackson Carman Clemson 6'5 335 lbs 46 53 43 47
Daniel Faalele Minnesota 6'9 400 lbs 102 1003 44 383
Brady Christensen BYU 6'6 300 lbs 79 127 120 108

Penei Sewel at #3 overall

This is the one that everyone wants to see. The pick does make a lot of sense. Hunt could improve even more with a move to the inside and you can stick Sewell at either tackle spot on day-one. It would have been great to see him play in 2020, but he already has two years of elite tackle play on tape. I wont go as far as calling him generational, but he's the best tackle prospect we've seen in a few years. The dude doesn't get beat.

LT #58

Christian Darrisaw at #18 overall

The Sewell pick will be more popular, but this one is my favorite. Darrisaw just had a dominant 2020 season where he faced some premier pass-rushers in the ACC. There is a very good chance he won't be there at 18, but if they pass on tackle earlier this would be a great pick in that spot.

LT #77

Alex Leatherwood or Sam Cosmi at #35 overall

Both really good prospects that may slide down the board because of how many great tackles there are. I don't know if either are good picks at #18, but I would run the pick in at #35. If Miami goes WR + Edge/LB in round 1, this would be the move in the 2nd round.

|Summary|

There is much to be optimistic about with Miami's two tackles they drafted last year. Robert Hunt has already proven to be a good NFL run-blocker and hasn't been a liability as a pass-blocker. A move inside could vault him into the conversation as a top-10/15 NFL guard. Austin Jackson played well for the most part when he faced smaller edge rushers. He looked over matched against big and long edge players. He needs to improve his play-strength and hands to take that next step. Hunt and Jackson could be building blocks for their offensive line going forward, but there is no guarantee that either will improve from what they are now. Look for Miami to grab one of the many top-notch tackle prospects in this years NFL draft. I'll be looking at interior offensive lineman next. Fins Up!

|Links|

For some reason, standard links didn't work with these videos. I will list all of intended links below.

NFL Game Pass- https://gamepass.nfl.com/

Fair Use Doctrine- https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/more-info.html

Spotrac- https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/miami-dolphins/cap/2021/

Pro Football Reference- https://www.pro-football-reference.com/

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of The Phinsider's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of The Phinsider writers or editors.