The NFL offseason is finally upon us, as we have just made it through our first weekend without any games for some time.
Now, teams will take the opportunity to prepare for the upcoming season, which includes signing players in free agency and selecting young talent through the 2024 NFL draft.
We call this time of year mock-draft season because every analyst is putting out their own predictions with updates coming with some regularity.
NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah released his first mock draft during the playoffs, which had the Miami Dolphins selecting LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr.
Now, Jeremiah has released the second version, and he predicts the Dolphins will take UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu.
Here’s what Jeremiah said about the projected pick:
“Latu would give the Dolphins three outstanding pass rushers with Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips already in place. Keep in mind: Miami could lose Andrew Van Ginkel in free agency.”
Latu spent the first two seasons of his college career at Washington before medically retiring from football due to a neck injury. He ended up transferring to UCLA to play his final two years. In his time as a Bruin, he recorded 85 tackles (34 for a loss), 23.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, three passes defensed, two interceptions and one fumble recovery.
Chubb and Phillips will present problems for defenses, but they’re both recovering from serious injuries (an ACL and Achilles, respectively). At this time, it’s unknown when they’ll be ready to play as well as how long it will take them to get back to where they were before the injuries.
Interestingly, Phillips played his college ball at UCLA before transferring to Miami after he was forced to medically retire.
If Miami does lose Van Ginkel, it would be smart for them to try to add another young talent at the position. Whether using their first-round selection it it is too much or not is up for debate.
