*Noah Igbinoghene, Auburn Football News: Draft Scout Player News

04/24/20 - CB *Noah Igbinoghene, Jr/2020, Auburn

When Miami Dolphins general manager called the former Auburn cornerback late Thursday night to deliver the news that the franchise was selecting him late in the first round of the NFL Draft, Igbinoghene couldn't find the words to articulate the feeling. Sitting in his Trussville home, surrounded by his family - his father, Festus, practically jumping with joy behind him - Igbinoghene could only slouch forward as Grier delivered the life-changing news. For as much confidence Igbinoghene had exuded on the field and throughout the pre-draft process - going so far as to assert at the NFL Combine that he was the best cornerback in this draft class - even he seemed surprised when the Dolphins, after trading back four spots late in the first round, selected him with the 30th overall pick in the draft. After all, it was just two years ago that Igbinoghene made the switch from wide receiver to cornerback, and although his stock seemingly rose over the last few months, few envisioned him as a Day 1 prospect when he declared early following his junior season.

Yet the Dolphins, who had three first-round picks on Thursday and used the first two on Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (fifth overall) and USC offensive tackle Austin Jackson (18th overall), felt they couldn't pass up on a prospect of Igbinoghene's caliber when they saw him sitting there late on Day 1. "Best player on the board for us," Grier said. "We felt really good about Noah. We got to know him. This is a passing league as everyone says. You can never have enough corners … (head coach) Brian (Flores) came from a really good defensive team when we hired him, and they had a lot of corners. At the end of the day, the way this league is offensively, it's a premium position and the more you have, the better. It breeds competition. (He's a) competitive kid that we really liked in the process." - Birmingham News

Jr/2020