Former Tennessee Vols offensive lineman, and current Miami Dolphins starting right tackle, Ja’Wuan James is among the top rookies in the NFL, according to NFL.com.
James is featured on NFL.com’s mid-season “All Rookie Team”.
The former Vol was selected by the Miami Dolphins with the 19th overall selection of the 2014 NFL Draft. James had a strong pre-season and broke camp as the Dolphins’ starting right tackle — a position he’s held down through the first half of the season.
James is one of the rare players that started every game of his four-year collegiate career (49 games). That extensive SEC experience made him a very attractive selection for the Dolphins.
Each of the offensive linemen from Tennessee’s 2013 team were on an NFL roster at some point (only guard Alex Bullard is currently without a team). Losing that kind of production/experience makes it obvious why the Vols’ 2014 offensive line is struggling so much. That’s an impossible amount of talent to replace overnight.