1. Miami Dolphins
2020 ranking: 16Blue-chip players: QB Tua Tagovailoa, OT Austin Jackson, WR Jaylen Waddle, DT Raekwon Davis
Notable graduated players: DL Christian Wilkins, OT Robert Hunt
It's not hard to rank a team at No. 1 in young talent when they've had five first-round picks over the course of the last two seasons.
Those five first-rounders are led, of course, by last year's fifth overall pick, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Many fans see Tagovailoa's rookie season as a disappointment, but honestly it is only a disappointment if you compare him to the stellar season that Justin Herbert had for the Los Angeles Chargers. Most quarterbacks, even first-rounders, start their careers off slowly, and Tagovailoa was no exception. Tagovailoa ranked 26th among qualifying quarterbacks in both ESPN QBR and Football Outsiders DVOA. That was the worst of last year's three first-round passers, but not worryingly so. Looking at history, Tagovailoa had a slightly above-average rookie season. His passing DVOA ranked him 20th out of 54 qualifying first-round rookie passers since 1983 (min. 200 passes).
However, Miami is on top because the young talent here goes far past just Tagovailoa. Let's start on the offensive line, where the Dolphins started two rookies last year. They certainly played like rookies: Left tackle Austin Jackson was in the top 15 for blown blocks despite missing three games, while guard Solomon Kindley ranked 84th out of 111 interior linemen in snaps per blown block. But both linemen also showed promise for growth in their second seasons. On the defensive side of the ball, nose tackle Raekwon Davis played well enough that he made veteran Davon Godchaux expendable this offseason. And cornerback Noah Igbinoghene could be moving into the starting lineup if the Dolphins meet Xavien Howard's trade request.
These rookies from 2020 are joined by the Dolphins' incoming rookie class, which featured four picks in the top 50. Edge rusher Jaelan Phillips was the top sack candidate in the 2021 draft according to our SackSEER projection system. Our Playmaker Score projections for wide receivers were not quite as excited about Jaylen Waddle, whose collegiate production comes with small sample size concerns. But there's no doubt he's a significant talent and deep threat who averaged 18.9 yards per reception at Alabama.
In the second round, Miami then added free safety Jevon Holland and offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg. They've already cut Bobby McCain to make room for Holland in the starting lineup, and Eichenberg could beat out Robert Hunt for the right tackle job in training camp. (Born in August 1996, Hunt was only seven days away from also being counted in Miami's under-25 talent for this ranking.)
Ranking all 32 NFL teams by their under-25 talent
A team's young core is the fuel for success in 2021 and beyond. Here's how every team stacks up heading into this season.
