The Miami Dolphins have new swag and creativity in Mike McDaniels in 2022. Nonetheless, McDaniel has really high expectations, as he’s tasked with improving Tua Tagovailoa and a team that won seven 7 in their last 8 games to finish with a 9-8 record in 2021.

McDaniel will have the ammunition (most cap space in NFL) to build the team. It will be exciting and intense to see what the Dolphins decide to do in free agency. Still, the pivotal 2022 NFL draft will be vital for the Dolphins in their new direction. The draft is where teams create their future and potentially hope to find profiles that can help them win ball games immdetately.

So, who could the Dolphins pick in the 2022 NFL Draft? Well, it’s time for a Dolphins three-round mock draft in early March.

29th overall: Skyy Moore – WR – Western Michigan

McDaniel knows he won’t find the “next Deebo Samuel” by looking for Deebo Samuel 2.0. With that said, the utterly explosive Skyy Moore can still be his own beast and he’s rightfully climbing up draft boards. Daniel Jeremiah doesn’t believe he will be availabe beyond round two and some teams could target him early in round two.

Moore officially clocked a 4.41 40 time and he can absolutely fly. McDaniel will be dreaming of the potential of Moore due to his explosion and consitency. Moore can replace Will Fuller with ease and be a fine complement to Waddle for eyars to come.

50th overall: Chad Muma – LB – Wyoming

The versatile Chad Muma had a modest combine, but his instincts and motor can’t be calulcated by the combine and the sleepless nights that come with it. He had positive production and impressive intelligence, which are somehow undervalued traits at the LB position. Muma recorded three interceptions, 85 solo tackles, 1.5 sacks, and two defensive touchdowns in 2021. I’d also like to see the Dolphins and McDaniel go offense in round one and defense in round two. He’s been favored as a late round two pick or an early third round pick, as well.

98th overall: Breece Hall – RB – Iowa State

The secret is out: the Dolphins will look to add a RB outside of round one in the 2022 NFL Draft. Breece Hall has been linked to the Dolphins by “With The First Pick”, as well. The Iowa State RB didn’t only just clock a 4.4 40 yard dash, but he has 3,000+ rushing yards and 41 rushing touchdowns in the past two seasons combined. He would be a better pure runner than the quality pass-catching RB Duke Johnson to say the least.

Hall and Moore would be two amazing additions to the Dolphins offense and McDaniel would be quick to grab an espresso and scheme up plays for his new-look offense. The Dolphins should feel a lot more comfortable playing the Bills number one ranked defense and Belichick’s diverse scheme twice a season after the 2022 NFL draft has eclipsed.

The post 2022 Dolphins 3-Round Mock Draft appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Miami Dolphins selected Tua Tagovailoa fifth overall in the 2020 NFL draft. Tagovailoa has taken positive strides in the past two years, but he hasn’t lived up to his draft expectations. Here is a look at how productive the Dolphins QB has been in his career thus far:

*stats are according to Pro Football Reference

• 13-8 career record
• 27 passing touchdowns and 15 career interceptions
• 66.2 completion percentage

It’s clear that Tua has been a productive QB, but he hasn’t proved to be an elite QB in the yards or touchdown category. The Dolphins have been rumored to trade Tua and potentially trade for a talented QB over the past year.

The biggest reason why the Dolphins could opt to not trade Tua is the recent hire of the former 49ers offensive genius Mike McDaniels. The speculation is that McDaniels has more trust in Tua than Brian Flores and that McDaniels will help Tua succeed in the near future.

I still don’t believe Tua is completely safe as the Dolphins future starting QB. McDaniels may have been optimistic towards Tua and the Dolphins fan base on Day 1, but I wouldn’t expect McDaniels to tell the world that he doesn’t have faith in Tua, who was one of the most popular players in the league when drafted. I also don’t think McDaniels has completely bought it on Tua and I expect the Dolphins new head coach to scan his options at QB, especially when the Dolphins play in the frigid AFC East. McDaniels also knows that he needs to bring the Dolphins back to the playoffs soon. They won seven games in a row last season, but they still didn’t make it to the playoffs.

The Dolphins have the most cap space in the league and they could decide to add more pieces around Tua and push for a playoff berth in 2022. I still think that McDaniels could potentially ship out Tua for a more talented QB, especially when Tua isn’t well-established and many elite, disgruntled QBs are available. With that said who could trade for Tua and who could McDaniels seek out in return? Well, here are a few potential teams that could make a trade involving Tua.

Dolphins trade Tua, a 2022 first-round pick, and a 2023 second-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals for Kyler Murray

If Kliff Kingsbury and the Arizona Cardinals believe it’s imminent that Murray won’t be a Cardinal, they should get a slightly worse version of Murray and more draft picks in return. McDaniels is all too familiar with the magic of Murray in the NFC West. He would be the best combination of talent and age on the QB market this offseason.

Tua holds a similar skillet as Murray, as they both can make big throws and make plays with their legs. Murray is obviously a lot quicker than Tua, but the Dolphins younger QB can run a very similar playbook that Murray ran in 2021. The talent of DeAndre Hopkins and potentially Zach Ertz (2022 free agent) could help Tua progress in Arizona.

Dolphins trade Tua and their 2022 first-round pick to the Packers for Aaron Rodgers

The Miami Dolphins could seek to add a few free agents with their cap space and then acquire the mighty Aaron Rodgers. McDaniels could really come out guns blazing with A-Rod in 2022. McDaniels may not be the former OC for Rodgers (also known as Nathaniel Hackett), but he could create a more attractive picture than the Broncos to lure Rodgers.

Matt LaFleur could trade away Rodgers for the potential heir to Rodgers in Tagovailoa. LaFleur has already stated that Jordan Love isn’t ready to have the keys to the offense. Love has been mediocre in pre-season and he only led the Packers to score 7 points against the Kansas City Chiefs in his lone start in 2021. If LaFleur feels like a Rodgers trade is imminent in 2022 or that they feel like he can’t bring them to win a Super Bowl next season, he could pick up their future QB in Tua. If LaFleur doesn’t have the right replacement for Rodgers when he hangs up the cleats, the Packers could struggle for many years.

Dolphins trade Tua to the Browns for Baker Mayfield and a 2022 third-round pick

The Cleveland Browns could likely move Baker Mayfield and I expect that Kevin Stefanski wants a prominent QB in return. He has familiarly with the Vikings signal-caller Kirk Cousins, but I also imagine that the Browns could be a wild-card team to land Tua. The Dolphins QB can be a much better game manager than Mayfield for Stefanski, while McDaniels can dream up deep passing concepts with Jaylen Waddle and Mayfield. I also believe Baker has a higher ceiling than Tua in the passing game strictly.

If the Dolphins trade away Tua for Mayfield, they could receive more compensation from the Browns, too. The Dolphins could draft a WR or RB in the third round (or trade up into the second round) with another potential third-round pick.

The Dolphins might be an oddball team to inquire about a Baker trade in Stefanski’s mind, but it could be the right deal. He should be persistent about getting a QB that’s younger and more conservative with the football, such as Tua.

Dolphins trade Tua to the Saints for a 2022 first-round pick

If McDaniels is in love with selecting one of the QBs in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft, he should really seek a trade with the New Orleans Saints. The Saints are a very popular landing spot for Matt Corral. The Dolphins could send the Saints Tua, while the Dolphins grab the Saints first-round spot (18th) and pick Corral in the first round.

The Dolphins could pick up Corral and still pick an offensive lineman or WR at 29th overall in the draft. Meanwhile, the Saints could have a young QB that they can develop in the non-Sean Payton era. The Saints still have an elite defense, Michael Thomas, and Alvin Kamara. They may like the floor of Tua and his youth to count on him to bring them to the playoffs in the near future.

Dolphins trade Tua to the Steelers for a 2022 first-round pick

The Steelers need an upgrade at QB over Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins in 2022. Mike Tomlin has already stated that he wants an “athletic” QB to join his squad. The former Heisman winner Marcus Mariota, who has been one of the top backup QBs over the past two years, would be an ideal free-agent target for Tomlin. Although, if he falls in love with Tua, he could find a way to pick up the Dolphins athletic QB. Tua could potentially be the long-term QB for the Big Ben-less Steelers.

The Steelers have a slightly worse draft pick than the Saints (20th overall), but the Dolphins could be enticed about sending Tua to the QB-needy Steelers for multiple first-round choices. If the Dolphins don’t want to select a QB with two potential first-round choices, they could use the two first-round picks to attempt to trade for a QB like Kyler Murray or Russell Wilson.

The post Potential trade destinations for Tua Tagovailoa appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By Chinmay Kulkarni

The NFL has an embarrassment of riches with it comes to young, promising quarterbacks. Unfortunately, these players have all been thrown into the AFC like an insanely biased game of dart, turning it into a future bloodbath resulting in good teams getting unlucky, and those that catch lightning in a bottle. This year’s Cincinnati Bengals were no different, going from a losing team to winning the division and the conference while losing in the Superbowl.

However, I believe the odds of the Bengals reaching another Superbowl soon is highly unlikely, due to the sole purpose of tough competition in nearly every AFC division. Let’s look at some dark horse candidates that might make it to the AFC Championship game.

Los Angeles Chargers

The LA Chargers are a weird team, making some amazing plays at times, and completely biffing it in others. As one of the worst run defenses in the league, teams like the Raiders and Browns had a complete field day on the soft defense. Next season is likely to be a make-or-break year, as rumblings of Brandon Staley on the hot seat start to emerge while wasting Justin Herbert’s talent.

The Chargers must make the playoffs next year despite the extremely tough division with a potentially elite quarterback at every team depending on off-season signings (ahm Aaron Rodgers). However, they seem like the most likely to copy the Bengals formula, and therefore can still catch lightning in a bottle.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins are certainly building something, having winning seasons under Tua despite having a questionable show front office. The signing of the next head coach Mike McDaniel seems to have the binary direction of either going extremely well or extremely poorly. However, unlike the Bears who keep hiring defensive minds, their new offensive head coach will need to create schemes to beat both the Bills and improved Patriots and Jets teams looking to better themselves in the off-season.

While I don’t expect the Dolphins to win the division, they’re still relevant as a wild card team provided they beat the plethora of weaker teams resulting from a relatively easy strength of schedule. However, it’s certain that Miami is building something, and more weapons around Tua will strengthen their case.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens are historically one of the most consistent NFL franchises, making the relatively seamless transition between Joe Flacco to Lamar Jackson. Unfortunately, this season’s struggles can be attributed to the plethora of injuries to the running game as well as defense. However, even with an absent team, the Ravens were the number one seed for a week this regular season. As one of the grittiest and most talented teams in the league, they should have a straight shot to the playoffs with an easy 2022 regular season. The only case against them ”“ their tough division.

Honorable Mention – New England Patriots

It’s even sacrilegious to say that the New England Patriots can’t flip a switch, taking them to a few divisional rounds or AFC Championship games. The first year for Mac Jones is considered nothing less than a smashing success, with the rookie making an appearance in the Pro Bowl after getting smacked around in the playoffs by the Buffalo Bills.

First, the Patriots must surround the quarterback with talent at the wide receiver and running back position. The Patriots haven’t been too keen to draft extreme playmakers at the receiving positions, but taking a younger prospect from the draft to learn and grow with Jones is a pattern with the plethora of other young quarterbacks in the AFC.

The post Darkhorse AFC squads in 2022 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.