This Undrafted Free Agent is Guaranteed to Make the Dolphins
By Michael Luciano
The Miami Dolphins picked up a potential franchise quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa in the 2020 NFL Draft, but some of their best picks came after they added the Hawaiian superstar. Between first-rounders Austin Jackson and Noah Igbinoghene and second-rounder Robert Hunt, Miami is set up nicely for the next decade.
They also managed to add one of the best undrafted free agent defensive linemen in the 2020 class, as they snagged Ole Miss star Benito Jones, who looks like a lock for the active roster.
Takeaways from this play:
— Austin Silvey (@SilveyESP) January 23, 2020
- Benito Jones beats John Simpson
- K’Von Wallace covered really well but Van Jefferson just made a heck of a play on the ball
- Jabari Zuniga worked really hard to get to Montez
- somebody hit PAUSE on Logan Stenberg’s ‘Click’ remote#SeniorBowl pic.twitter.com/0hzfDaK2iP
Jones fell to the undrafted ranks despite his high school pedigree because he failed to really take the leap in Oxford, A four-season starter, Jones never amassed more than 5.5 sacks for 40 tackles in a season, and his iffy performance in Mobile against Lloyd Cushenberry left scouts shaking their heads.
Jones is quite the find on the UDFA market, however, as his raw power as a bullrusher, quickness in the open field, and years of experience against elite competition all bode well for his chances at making the Dolphins roster.
Benito Jones at Senior Bowl practice doing what he did all 4 years at Ole Miss - putting in work.
— Taylor Curet (@TaylorCuret) January 21, 2020
The Wayne County grad named 2nd team All-SEC after 5.5 sacks, 10 TFL his senior season in Oxford.@wdam @WCWEFootball @OleMissFB pic.twitter.com/mXURNw5fmA
Jones will require a lot of work if Brian Flores wants to get the most out of his physical gifts, but he will be a rock-solid backup lineman that Miami should feel comfortable plugging in against run-heavy teams, given his ability to eat up space.