Will the Miami Dolphins generate enough pass rush in 2021?
When Jaelan Phillips was growing up, he would study tape of Lawrence Taylor, Shawne Merriman, Joey Bosa, Nick Bosa, J.J. Watt, T.J. Watt and Chandler Jones. Now that he's a Dolphin, Phillips can study Jason Taylor and Cam Wake, and he probably has already. That's the type of player Miami hopes it added with the 18th pick in the last NFL Draft. That's the type of player Miami needs. "You can never have enough pass rushers," Dolphins coach Brian Flores said, the night Phillips was drafted. This begs the questions. Let's start with Phillips, a standout defensive end at the University of Miami who is listed as a linebacker with the Dolphins. This means he will stand and rush the edge, like so many of the great players he's studied. Schad:Jaylen Waddle, Jaelan Phillips named after Jalen Rose. They're not alone  Wily Veteran:Jason McCourty is happy to be Miami Dolphins' 'Uncle Mac'  Schad:Isa Abdul-Quddus says respect and empathy for Naomi Osaka warranted  "Really high-level competitor," Dolphins linebackers coach Anthony Campanile said of Phillips. "Plays really, really hard. Great motor." "Hes been consistent day-in and day-out so far," Dolphins outside linebackers coach Robbie Leonard said. Left unsaid is this: Phillips is the type of physical freak the Dolphins have long desired. Phillips is 6-foot-5, 266 pounds with speed and power and twitch. Jaelan Phillips can wreck plays, games  Phillips can be the monster Miami has been lacking. They hope he can be a pass rusher that opposing quarterbacks and offensive coordinators fear. They hope he can be a game-wrecker. In the first two years Flores has led Miami, it's been a different approach. In the last two seasons, Miami has attempted to create pressure, and sacks, through scheme, notably well-timed and well-placed blitzes. So while Emmanuel Ogbah led the Dolphins with nine sacks and 36 pressures last season, Pro Football Focus reports that 50 percent of his pressures came when "unblocked or in cleanup opportunities." This is not to suggest that Ogbah did not have a very strong season in 2020 and is worthy of contract extension consideration. Rather it's an explanation for why Ogbah's pass-rush grade of 64.5 ranked only 56th among NFL edges. According to Pro Football Focus, Miami's best pass-rushers last season were actually edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel and defensive interiors Raekwon Davis and Zach Sieler. Van Ginkel, a fifth-rounder in 2019, had a breakthrough as a pro sophomore, posting 10 quarterback hits and 5.5 sacks. He largely filled the role of Vince Biegel, who had led the Dolphins with 18 pressures while recording 2.5 sacks in 2019. Van Ginkel thinks he can be even better in 2021. "Continue to work on my pass rush," Van Ginkel said. "Whenever I can get my win percentage or be able to beat a tackle cleaner or whatever the case may be  quicker and faster is the biggest thing. Just being able to explode off the line and be able to bend the edge or get stronger and counter inside." Biegel missed all of last season with an Achilles injury but it should be noted he could have a chance to carve out a specialized pass-rush role this season. Davis and Sieler are above-average passing-game disruptors in Miami's interior. And the Dolphins are hoping former first-rounder Christian Wilkins will take a step forward in that area. Linebacker Jerome Baker took a jump forward in blitzes and sacks last season, improving from 1.5 to seven sacks. Miami hopes free agents Benardrick McKinney and Adam Butler, a linebacker and linemen, can create some pressure. Since Wake's departure, Miami has leaned on a pass-rush-by-committee approach. Miami's sack totals in 2020 were solid  The Dolphins improved to tied for 10th in quarterback hits and quarterback sacks last season, and they did it without a noted star quarterback hunter. And the Dolphins did this even though they didn't have a single edge rusher or defensive tackle rank in the Top 10 of ESPN's pass rush win rate formula. Miami did move on from two veterans this offseason  Shaq Lawson and Kyle Van Noy  capable of delivering quarterback hits, pressures and sacks. That may help explain why the Dolphins showed interest in signing veteran Melvin Ingram, an accomplished pass-rusher. Under Flores, Miami is likely to have a small handful of players posting between two and nine sacks in any season. But if they were to field a player capable of destroying an opposing lineman when blocked by one or two players, that could change the dynamics. In that scenario, Miami might be able to blitz a little less. In that scenario, Miami might have a player who opponents have to specifically game plan for. Phillips was second in the ACC with nine sacks and third in the ACC with 42 pressures last season. Phillips was also top five in the ACC in pass-rush win rate. The ACC is not the NFL, which both Phillips and Flores will concede. But because Phillips can win with speed and power, and because he can defeat an opponent from a standing or hand-on-the-ground position, he is Miami's 2021 pass-rush X-factor.