As of April 23, the National Football League started making their annual draft selections for new eligible players for the upcoming 2020 season which was a total of seven rounds and lasted until April 25. Due to the spread of the Coronavirus, the 2020 drafts were held online via videoconferencing.

“I was very interested in the NFL drafts, especially because it was going to be held online this year, and I can say that I am excited to see how the teams are going to perform this year with their new players,” freshman Sam Sommer said.

The first team to get new selection was the Cincinnati Bengals where they took super star quarterback Joe Burrow from Louisiana State University. The team with the fewest selections was the New Orleans Saints and the Kansas City Chiefs with five selections, and the team with the most selections was the Miami Dolphins with 14 selections.

During the first round of selections, the Miami Dolphins selected Tua Tagovailoa with their fifth overall pick in the draft. Tagovailoa was the starting quarterback for the University of Alabama which he led to an 11-2 record for the 2019 college football season. Tagovailoa had many critics entering into the 2020 NFL draft because of his extended injury history which prevented him from being further scouted upon during the coming months of the draft. Some included a scary hip injury, spraining both of his ankles and indescribable finger.

But despite all the worries, Tagovailoa’s upside still outshined the negatives however, he was recorded with having the highest passer efficiency rating in college football history with a statistic of 199.4. Despite being surrounded by stellar talent in Alabama which would intern inflate his numbers, the dolphins did not draft Tagovailoa off of belief but proof that he was one of the best quarterbacks in college football history.

Then there was the 18th selection which was obtained from the Minkah Fitzpatrick deal before the start of the 2019 NFL season with the steelers where the Dolphins selected offensive tackle Austin Jackson from the university of Southern California. Jackson demonstrated tremendous athleticism and great speed over his time in USC. he showed great versatility in, in-game situations and his intangibles are priceless for an 18th pick. Although he still has a lot of polishing to do to become a solid contributor in the NFL, he may not be so far off.

To wrap up the first round for the Miami Dolphins, they selected Noah Igbinoghene with the 30th pick of the first round which they acquired from the Green Bay Packers as a part of draft day trade. Igbinoghene is a cornerback who played for Auburn University and his high motor and effort made him a highly sought out prospect. His journey to a sports career was almost certain from the beginning as he was the son of two olympic caliber track athletes from Nigeria. During high school, Ighbinoghene was a top 25 wide receiver recruit nationally which is what earned him his scholarship to Auburn University.

“The Miami Dolphins gained some great new players and I am excited to see how they will perform this season,” freshman Melina Telleria said.

Despite the difficulties of hosting NFL Draft virtually this year due to the Coronavirus outbreak, the dreams of hundreds of kids were accomplished. What was arguably the biggest night in Dolphins history ended up being a huge success for all the teams included as each one landed a promising young piece that could develop into a franchise savior and while we wait for sports to resume, these newly drafted athletes will be hard at work to be the best for their teams.