AFC Notes: Dolphins, Jets, Patriots

Dolphins

• The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia predicts Dolphins first-round QB Tua Tagovailoa will be the team’s breakout player in 2020 and establish himself as an impact starter. 
• Per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, NFL media analyst and former scout Bucky Brooks thinks Tagovailoa is a great fit with Dolphins OC Chan Gailey: “He’s going to have a lot of fun with Tua. A lot of quick rhythm throws designed to let Tua get the ball out to the playmakers. He’s a fantastic RPO [run-pass option] quarterback. Chan Gailey will have lots of tricks for him in his playbook.”
• However, NFL media’s Daniel Jeremiah is concerned about the state of Miami’s offensive line and the Dolphins’ ability to protect Tagovailoa: “He had a better offensive line in Alabama than the one he will play behind with the Miami Dolphins. They’ve got to keep him upright. They’ve got to keep him healthy. That will be the key.”

Jets

• Brian Costello of the New York Post notes 2020 is a big year for Jets WR Jamison Crowder as the top returning wide receiver in New York. 
• Crowder has a $10 million cap hit with no money guaranteed in 2021, but Costello says if he performs well there’s a good chance New York will keep him. 
• The Athletic’s Connor Hughes predicts Jets TE Chris Herndon will be the team’s breakout player in 2020 and become an impact starter. 

Patriots

Rookie tight ends typically take time to transition to the NFL. But the Patriots will be relying on third-round TE Devin Asiasi to step in and likely start from Day 1 given how barren the position was for New England in 2019. At 6-3 and 260 pounds, Asiasi does have the size and mentality to eventually become a strong contributor. 

“He has the attitude that he wants to dominate,” former UCLA coach Jim Mora said via the Athletic’s Jeff Howe. “He wants to crush somebody. He wants to block down on the defensive end and drive him down across the ball. He wants to lock up on a linebacker and give the running back the edge. He’s not a diva. He’s not one of those guys who is going to say, ‘Split me out so I don’t have to do the dirty work.’ That’s one of the reasons they like him. Devin is a receiving tight end, but he also has the dirt to go in and block.”

Asiasi wasn’t the only tight end the Patriots picked up in the draft, double-dipping in the third round with Virginia Tech’s Dalton Keene. Keene is a little smaller than Asiasi but his college coach, Justin Fuente, says he’s mentally sharp enough to make an immediate impact in the NFL. 

“He’s going to pick up everything really quickly,” Fuente said. “From a mental standpoint, they’ll be able to do whatever they want with him. He’ll have no problem picking any of that up. I know (the playbook) is bigger and there’s more, but I’m telling you the kid is quarterback smart. We put him in places that he hadn’t even practiced, and he went out there and executed.”

• The Athletic’s Sean Leahy predicts Patriots G Joe Thuney will be the team’s breakout player in 2020 and earn his first-ever Pro Bowl berth.