Dolphins can now justify choosing any of five positions at No. 21. Zeroing in on options

One upshot of the Dolphins’ moves in free agency: They’re in a spot where they could fill a need by drafting at any of five positions with the 21st overall pick.

They could use a guard (with center flexibility) to compete with Liam Eichenberg, Rob Jones, Lester Cotton and a potentially cheap veteran pickup to replace Robert Hunt at right guard — or compete with Isaiah Wynn at left guard. Aaron Brewer, the Tennessee Titans’ 2023 center, was signed by Miami to play center, but also can play guard.

They could use a tackle to groom behind Terron Armstead in a post-Armstead era, which conceivably could happen as early as 2025.

They could use a talented No. 3 receiver. One source in touch with the Dolphins said one high-ranking member of the organization believes this is a priority. Miami is in conversations with multiple free agents on this front.

They could use a defensive tackle to compete for the role vacated by defensive tackle Christian Wilkins. To this point, the Dolphins have signed two players who have mostly been backups for that role: Neville Gallimore and Jonathan Harris.

They could use an edge player to protect themselves and create depth, with Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips returning from major injuries.

There are good players at each of those positions who should be in play with the 21st overall pick in next month’s draft. Exploring:

▪ Interior line: This is the area that two lead network draft analysts (Mel Kiper Jr. and Daniel Jeremiah) have Miami addressing at No. 21.

Both have the Dolphins picking Duke’s Graham Barton, who can play guard, center or tackle.

“The organization could go a few different directions with this pick,” Kiper wrote on ESPN.com. “I still like the pairing of Barton and the Dolphins, though, because of the way he could improve the middle of this O-line. Barton played mostly left tackle in college, but he has the traits to move inside and command the game. Miami ranked 31st in pass block win rate (49.2 percent) last season, so it has to improve.”

In mocking Barton to Miami, NFL Network’s Jeremiah said: “The Dolphins have endured a lot of losses in free agency, including on the interior of the offensive line. Barton has legitimate five-position flexibility.”

Oregon guard Jackson Powers-Johnson is another option; Jeremiah mocks him 24th. Kiper doesn’t have him in the first round.

What about Washington’s Troy Fautanu, who is Kiper’s top-ranked guard but played mostly as the left tackle in college?

“I don’t think he’s making it to 21,” Kiper responded to a Dolphins fan on Twitter.

▪ Offensive tackle to groom behind Armstead:

Several names could be in play, including Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton. NFL.com says “he should become a talented starter at either tackle position.”

Kiper projects Guyton to go 24th, with this comment that’s noteworthy from a Dolphins standpoint:

“Guyton, Amarius Mims [Georgia], Jordan Morgan [Arizona] and Roger Rosengarten [Washington] could all be in play in the final 10 picks of Round 1. Of those four, only Morgan played the majority of his snaps at left tackle, but I think Guyton has the highest ceiling. He started just 14 games in college; he has outstanding physical tools to mold.”

Kiper has Morgan falling out of the first round.

Oregon State’s Taliese Fauga, projected by Kiper to go 18th, is more of a right tackle than left. “A team could slide him to guard to improve its interior protection, but he’s best-suited at right tackle, where he should become a good starter,” NFL.com projects.

Alabama starting right tackle JC Latham also is projected by many to be off the board before Miami picks at 21. Same with Olu Fashanu, who started 21 games at left tackle for Penn State. Kiper has Latham 13th, Fashanu 14th and Fuaga 18th.

▪ Wide receiver: The Dolphins are looking in free agency for a quality No. 3 receiver, but it’s too early to tell if they will be financially able or financially willing to land one, though they’re showing interest in well-known names.

If they cannot, LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr. should be very much in play at No. 21, if he’s there. Kiper mocks him 20th to Pittsburgh, and Jeremiah has him 23rd.

Kiper said Thomas, who ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the Combine, “has a tremendous blend of speed and size [6-foot-3]. He caught 17 touchdown passes last season, leading the FBS.”

Kiper has Texas receivers Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell 26th and 32nd, respectively. But Thomas might be the only receiver tempting enough at 21 — if he’s there — to bypass an offensive or defensive lineman, or possibly, an edge player, at that spot.

▪ Defensive tackle to replace Wilkins:

The question is whether Texas’ Byron Murphy II makes it to 21. Kiper mocks him 19th.

“Murphy is the best interior pass rusher in this class, and at 6-foot-1, 297 pounds, he has a similar build to [retiring Rams star Aaron] Donald,” Kiper said. “I’m not saying he will became a perennial All-Pro, but he has intriguing tools at the position. He had five sacks and created 33 pressures last season.”

Pro Football Focus mocks him to Miami at 21, with this comment: “Miami lost Wilkins in free agency and could need to replace that juice on the interior. Murphy is an incredibly talented and athletic three-technique defensive tackle who can quickly get off the ball as a pass rusher and hold the line well for a guy of his size.”

Jeremiah mocks Murphy 27th in his Tuesday mock draft — one player behind a defensive tackle projected to potentially go in the 20s: Illinois’ Jer’Zhan Newton.

NFL.com said of Newton: “Active interior defender with the potential to build on his disruptive production in college. Newton’s size and length don’t stand out, but he has shown a consistent ability to gain extension and set edges against bigger opponents. His skill level and athleticism should create additional playmaking opportunities for him as a three-down 3-technique with early starting potential.”

There’s also FSU’s Braden Fiske, though Kiper and Jeremiah don’t have him as a first-rounder. PFF mocks him 27th.

PFF says “Fiske was the talk of the town at the Combine, leading all defensive tackles in the 40-yard dash, vertical jump and broad jump. His tape shows a player who wins off speed and one-gap pressure as a pass-rusher.”

So any of these players could be Wilkins successors if Miami goes that direction in the third round.

▪ Edge players:

Jaelan Phillips, off a November Achilles injury, could be back by the start of the season.

It’s uncertain if Bradley Chubb, off a Dec. 31 torn ACL, will be ready by mid-September, though some players (including new Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks) have been ready for the start of the following season after a late-season ACL tear.

Regardless, the Dolphins need at least one more accomplished edge rusher to supplement Phillips, Chubb and free agent pickup Shaq Barrett.

A few names that could be in play at 21: UCLA’s Laiatu Latu,and to a lesser extent, Penn State’s Chop Robinson and Missouri’s Darius Robinson – two players Jeremiah has going late in the first round.

Jeremiah has Latu 19th.

Kiper mocks Latu 25th, adding: “Latu put up 111 quarterback pressures over the past two seasons, racking up 23.5 sacks. He has elite pass-rushing skills and is already advanced in his technique. The reason he’s not a surefire top-15 pick is because he has some medical questions; he medically retired from football due to a neck injury when he was at Washington in 2021.”