Sports
Potential Dolphins Draft Target: LB Darrian Beavers – Sports Illustrated
The 2022 NFL draft isn’t going to be as eventful as usual for the Miami Dolphins as the result of not having a first- or second-round pick.
That’s a reasonable price to pay, however, to be able to land dynamic playmaker Tyreek Hill from the Kansas City Chiefs.
As things stand right now, the Dolphins won’t make their first selection until the latter stages of the third round, the 102nd pick overall, and will pick again in the fourth round before then having to wait until the seventh round.
In the days leading up to the draft, we’ll continue profiling prospects who the Dolphins might consider either in the third or fourth round.
Beavers spent three years starting at linebacker for one of the nation’s best defenses. Before that, he spent two years at UConn, where he played in 24 games as a true freshman and sophomore.
Before committing to UConn, Beavers played safety and wide receiver for Coletrain High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. Beavers was a consensus three-star recruit and also played basketball and track and field.
The fifth-year senior was a Dick Butkus Award finalist and first-team All-AAC selection. He also was selected to participate in the 2021 Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. He finished the 2021 season with 99 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, five sacks, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
Beavers did not run the 40-yard dash at the combine, but he did jump 36.5 inches in the vertical jump and 125 inches in the broad jump.
Run Defense: This is Beavers’ best trait. He’s a stalwart run defender with the smarts, frame and technique to be effective at both shedding blocks and shooting gaps. He can process run keys quickly and get into the backfield to create tackles for loss. His only limitations are getting to the boundary and his lack of tackle radius.
Pass Defense: Beavers understands his zone drops pretty well. He’s rarely in the wrong place or getting moved out of his zone by play action. The issue is he just doesn’t have the natural speed and quickness to make impact plays in coverage. He lacks the speed to turn and run with tight ends down the seam. He’s passable in short zones, but this is by no means a strength of his game.
Versatility: Beavers is a strongside linebacker at the next level. I could see the argument for playing him at the MIKE because of his high football IQ, but those guys are asked to do a lot of running sideline to sideline, something Beavers isn’t going to be great at. Where he does offer versatility is as a pass rusher. Beavers can line up as an edge rusher and is an experienced blitzer from the second level.
Range: Beavers’ range is a little underwhelming, especially by modern NFL standards at the linebacker position. He’s able to extend outside the C-gap a little bit to stop some outside runs. However, when it comes to beating NFL-caliber running backs to the corner, Beavers will probably struggle. He’s much better moving downhill towards the line of scrimmage.
Round Grade: 4th
Projected Role: Developmental starting SAM linebacker
Miami brought back a lot of its defense from last season, including defensive coordinator Josh Boyer. In Boyer’s scheme, Miami still needs a long-term running mate for Jerome Baker in the middle of its defense.
Beavers has the size and physical mentality that would fit nicely next to Baker. He’s a similar player, stylistically, to Elandon Roberts, a player Miami’s coaching staff clearly likes. Beavers would function as the downhill thumper while Baker is tasked with more coverage and sideline-to-sideline responsibility.
Not only does Beavers project as a good downhill run defender, Beavers’ pass rush ability should be highly valued in Miami’s scheme. The Dolphins ranked near the top of the NFL in blitz percentage, and Beavers’ ability to lineup in the A-gap and on the edge as a pass rusher will only allow them to diversify those blitzes.
Drafting Beavers makes sense for both the future and the present. In the future, he can serve as a low-cost replacement with more upside than Miami’s current options at inside linebacker. For the present, Beavers provides Miami with more pass-rush versatility on the second level and someone who is a perfect scheme fit.
With Miami picking outside the top 100, finding a player with the potential to contribute right away — even in a rotational role — is incredibly valuable.
Beavers isn’t going to be a dominant modern-day linebacker, but he’s exactly the type of versatile and smart linebacker Miami has succeeded with in recent years. Linebacker isn’t a highly valued position, so taking one with starter upside in the late third or fourth round makes a lot of sense.
