2017 NFL Mock Draft: Dolphins fill linebacker corps in latest from SB Nation

The Miami Dolphins were interested in free agent linebacker Zach Brown, making him an offer after he visited the team facilities a couple of weeks ago. After visiting the Buffalo Bills, and with an offer from the Oakland Raiders already in hand, Brown was said the be deciding on where he wanted to play over the past few weeks when, on Monday, the Washington Redskins jumped into the mix and signed Brown on a one-year, $4.65 million deal, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.

While the contract value is surprising, given the Dolphins could have come up with that salary but clearly were not going to go over whatever their internal price point was for the linebacker (with the assumption that Brown did not take less money from the Redskins to return to where he played high school football in the Baltimore area), for whatever reason, the deal never worked out and the Dolphins did not add the 2016 Pro Bowler. That still leaves Miami with a need at linebacker, where they are looking to find a third starter to team with Lawrence Timmons and Kiko Alonso.

According to the latest 2017 NFL Mock Draft from SB Nation’s Dan Kadar, that is exactly what the Dolphins could find with their first-round selection. Kadar has Miami using the 22nd overall selection on Haason Reddick from Temple. The defensive end in college is expected to move to linebacker in the pros, and he could give Miami exactly what they need to turn the starting linebackers into a top-flight unit.

Kadar explains his choice, writing:

Bringing in Lawrence Timmons was a smart move by Miami, but they could still use a linebacker who can move around and add something to the pass rush. That’s exactly what Reddick can do.

That explanation makes perfect sense from Kadar, and it would be exactly what Reddick could bring to the Dolphins. Miami would likely be looking for him to move sideline-to-sideline and work in coverage, along with blitzing, and he seems to have the athleticism to do that perfectly.

Once again, Kadar has made a pick with which I cannot complain. He seems to be determined to take away some of the fun of his weekly mock drafts this year.