Dolphins Select Edge Rusher Curtis Weaver: Instant Reaction

Breaking down the selection of Boise State edge rusher Curtis Weaver

Brian Losness-USA Today Sports

The Dolphins traded up in the fifth round to land a great pass-rushing prospect, Boise State edge defender Curtis Weaver.

The Dolphins gave the Philadelphia Eagles the third fifth-round pick (173rd) and one of their seventh-round selections (227th) to move up to 164 and land Weaver, one of the most accomplished pass rushers in college football last season.

Weaver finished the 2019 season with 13.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss on his way to becoming a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award as the best defensive end in college football.

The performance was nothing new for Weaver, who put up big numbers in all three of his seasons at Boise State.

Weaver had 11 sacks as a freshman in 2017 and 9.5 in 2018 before his 2019 performance, which also included three passes defensed.

Make no mistake, Weaver is a pass-rushing specialist.

The scouting report knocks him for his work against the run, but that's not how he's going to be used by the Dolphins.

Weaver's work, at least at the start, figures to be limited to rush from the outside in obvious pass-rushing situations.

The Dolphins pass rush was really lacking this season, and the addition of Weaver in the draft followed those of Shaq Lawson and Emmanuel Ogbah in free agency.

In Weaver, the Dolphins got a pass rusher who had been expected to get drafted much earlier than the fifth round. CBSSports.com had him ranked 52nd among all prospects heading into the draft, which would have projected him as a late-second-round pick.

This may turn out to be the biggest value pick of the entire draft for the Dolphins.