Noah Igbinoghene
Another young player who has performed underwhelmingly in his rookie contract is Miami Dolphins cornerback Noah Igbinoghene. Miami surprised a lot of people when they selected the athletic Igbinoghene with the 30th overall pick in 2020. The Dolphins already boasted the league’s premier tandem of cornerbacks with Xavien Howard and Byron Jones, but Igbinoghene’s enormous potential was too much for them to pass up.
Still just 21 years old, the former Auburn Tiger started just two games in his rookie season and has only made three appearances in 2021. Igbinoghene has been inactive in five games in 2021, and the team appears ready to move on from his development. One interesting note on his usage this season: the Dolphins started Igbinoghene against the Jaguars in Week 6, and he played 100% of the team’s snaps. But then he was inactive again in Week 7.
At 5’11” and 200 lbs., Igbinoghene has the size to go along with an outstanding athletic profile. If a team is willing to be patient with the young corner, they could try to pry him away from the Dolphins at a bargain. Miami is probably interested in acquiring draft capital if they are serious about making a move for Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, so it would be shrewd for a team who liked Igbinoghene in college to pull the trigger on a deal for him now.
Projected Compensation
Igbinoghene is still just one year away from being selected in the first round, so it will likely take a 3rd or 4th round pick to get him.