With the 21st pick in our Pod Community Mock Draft, the Miami Dolphins select...

If you haven’t noticed, we’ve entered the “playoff teams” portion of our 2024 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, and now the Miami Dolphins are on the clock.

The Dolphins have been one of the most fun teams to watch on offense. Who can forget the 70-bomb they dropped on the Denver Broncos last year? But after posting just seven points in the Wild Card round, one has to wonder if the Dolphins are the well-rounded contender they cosplayed as for the majority of their 11-6 regular season.

To help get them over the hump, POD commenter alstead88 will act as Dolphins general manager in this mock draft. Before we get into their pick, catch up on all the previous 20 picks with our 2024 POD Community Mock Draft tracker.

With the 21st pick in the POD Community Mock Draft, the Miami Dolphins have selected Jer’Zhan Newton, defensive tackle out of Illinois.

Here’s alstead88 with the explanation:

“After a promising regular season that was ended by a disappointing loss against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card round, the Miami Dolphins will be returning their dynamic playmakers and will look to build on their previous successes.

“Although they have a very explosive offense, both sides of the trenches need improvement if Miami wants to be a contender in 2024. They lost left guard Robert Hunt in free agency, which is a big blow to an offensive line that already is depleted of talent, and star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins departed to sign with the Raiders.

“Of the available players, Illinois DT Jer’Zhan Newton fits Miami’s needs and possesses plenty of skill to warrant being the Dolphins’ first round selection. Newton was incredibly productive in college, accounting for 18 sacks and 27.5 TFLs in four years for the Fighting Illini and was awarded the 2023 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.

“Despite lacking the ideal build of a modern pass rushing defensive tackle, he displays a blend of power, athleticism, and technique that suggests his production will translate to the NFL. Newton has the potential to immediately step in and fill the void that Christian Wilkins left and will add juice to an injured pass rush unit coming into the 2024 season.

“The Dolphins are more desperate for a starter on the offensive line, so prospects such as Jackson Powers-Johnson and Graham Barton were intriguing because of their ability to start at both center and guard immediately. Jer’Zhan Newton provides a similar instant impact, but potentially has a higher ceiling, making him the type of player that Miami should target.”