Dolphins draft analysis: Hallelujah! Tua Tagovailoa and a lineman to protect him

PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – The Miami Dolphins had a busy night in the first round of the NFL Draft. They selected Tua Tagovailoa with the No. 5 pick and then used No. 18 on offensive tackle Austin Jackson and No. 30 on cornerback Noah Igbinoghene (after trading back from No. 26).

Were they the right moves? Local 10′s Will Manso and Clay Ferraro break down the Dolphins’ first-round picks.

Feel free to leave your opinions in the comments section below their analysis.

No. 5 pick Tua Tagovailoa, QB Alabama

WILL MANSO: Hallelujah! The Dolphins didn’t overthink it and got their man. Tank for Tua or not, Tua Tagovailoa is the new face of the Miami Dolphins franchise.

It’s as simple as this. Tua has every trait you want in a QB. He’s accurate, decisive, a leader and a proven winner. This is a home run pick for the Dolphins.

After all the smokescreens they sent out in the media, the end result is the exact thing the Dolphins needed: a franchise quarterback.

Yes, he has injury concerns, but every medical report came back clean and Tua is a special player.

CLAY FERRARO: Dolphins fans, it was all worth it. Tua is a Dolphin.

OK, maybe not the years of mediocrity and stress and frustration. But the 2019 rebuild could not have fallen any better for the Fins. Despite surprising everybody and winning five games down the stretch, the Dolphins still got the franchise quarterback that they have reportedly coveted for more than a year.

I don’t need to sell you on how good Tua it is. I also don’t need to sell you on the fact that this team needed a franchise quarterback. Sure, the injury history is a question mark. But thankfully, the Dolphins likely had a better read on that than any team, given that they were the team that reportedly chose the doctor for Tua’s medical recheck.

We can dissect all of this down the line. But the bottom line for Dolphins fans is that the wait is over: you’ve got your man.

No. 18 pick Austin Jackson, OT, USC

WILL MANSO: The Dolphins didn’t waste any time to get some help for Tua. Miami selects Austin Jackson with the 18th pick in the first round. The offensive tackle from USC is a huge guy and just 20 years old.

He missed some time because of a heartwarming story. Jackson had to recover from having surgery to donate bone marrow to his sister.

He’s raw and has a lot of room to improve, but the skill and size is there. Tua is a happy man tonight.

CLAY FERRARO: “Good news for Tua!”

That’s how commissioner Roger Goodell teased the Dolphins second first-round pick of the night: Austin Jackson, a tackle out of USC.

Jackson has a ton of “upside.” He is high-character and very talented. So why was he still available at 18? He’s young (20 years old) so he may take a little time to grow into the NFL game. Thankfully, the Dolphins are building something. So while Jackson may not make the immediate impact of some of the linemen who went before him, he could end up making a much bigger impact later.

Also, check out this story on him donating his bone marrow to his sister.

No. 30 pick Noah Igbinoghene, CB, Auburn

CLAY FERRARO: Why did the Dolphins take Noah Igbinoghene? Because he’s really good, that’s why.

Look, I get it: the Fins have two great corners on their roster in Xavien Howard and Byron Jones. But we know Brian Flores loves versatility in his defensive backfield. And Igbinoghene can play inside or outside and gives Flores the ability to be flexible.

You can’t have too many good corners in the NFL today. And the Fins just got another one.

Click here to read more about the Dolphins’ first-round draft picks.


About the Authors:

Will Manso came back home to South Florida when he joined Local 10 in March of 1999. During his time here, Will has kept busy by working in sports, news and he's even dabbled in entertainment. He is now Local 10's sports director and also enjoys the chance to serve as host for special shows on Local 10.

Clay Ferraro joined the Local 10 News team in 2014 to take his dream job: covering big-time sports at a first-class station in paradise.