- Miami has dire inside offensive line wants: The trio of middle Aaron Brewer and guards Robert Jones and Liam Eichenberg mixed to give up 9 sacks, 79 whole quarterback pressures and a whopping 69 different losses that didn’t end in stress in 2024.
- A middle-of-the-field weapon may take the Dolphins’ offense to the subsequent stage: Tight ends Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren would every be an intriguing slot in Miami’s high-powered offense.
Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes
Every NFL draft has a sequence of pivot factors, the place the scope of the whole lot hinges on one workforce’s determination to aggressively transfer up or gamble for extra worth and commerce again.
Looking ultimately 12 months’s first spherical, the inflection level wasn’t a commerce; it was the primary defensive participant taken — UCLA edge Laiatu Latu by the Indianapolis Colts — lastly at Pick No. 15. This set off a run of six of the subsequent eight picks falling on the defensive aspect of the ball, 5 of the six being linemen.
In the center of that run, the Jacksonville Jaguars took benefit by buying and selling again from Pick No. 17 with the Minnesota Vikings (who chosen Dallas Turner) to Pick No. 23 for Brian Thomas Jr. That paid big dividends for the Jaguars, as Thomas’ excellent rookie season was capped by a Pro Bowl look they usually acquired Minnesota’s 2025 third- and fourth-round picks.
While attempting to foretell one thing like a run of 14 straight picks on one aspect of the ball to start out a draft appears daunting, with the primary wave of free company full, we ought to be able to have extra detailed discussions on workforce wants in addition to how these wants tie into prospect values.
This sequence will look at 5 groups presently in draft slots that might function potential inflection factors. By trying on the potential targets of those groups relative to the draft boards, we’ll undergo every workforce’s choices not solely at their present slot but in addition at slots after buying and selling back and forth. Next up are the Dolphins, slated to choose at No. 13 total. Click to learn our earlier articles on the Bears and Panthers.
Miami Dolphins
A preseason playoff hopeful, the Dolphins didn’t stay as much as expectations in 2024. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered his third concussion in two years throughout a Week 2 loss to the Bills, and Miami piled up the losses with no actual reply on the place behind him. They went on to start out the season 2-6, three of these losses occurring with Tagovailoa out of the lineup. After ending second within the league in 2023 with 496 factors, the Dolphins’ offense stalled out far too typically final 12 months, with simply 345 whole factors scored. For Miami to get again into playoff competition in 2025, the membership might want to rediscover its explosive playmaking capability from 2023.
THE NEEDS
While Tagovailoa’s damage had little to do with the safety in entrance of him, Miami’s offensive line struggled to maintain quarterbacks upright and in rhythm all through the season. The inside was notably porous, because the trio of middle Aaron Brewer and guards Robert Jones and Liam Eichenberg mixed to give up 9 sacks, 79 whole quarterback pressures and a whopping 69 different losses that didn’t end in stress (largely as a result of quick-game section of Miami’s offensive scheme). Jones exited by way of free company and the workforce signed James Daniels, however the Dolphins would do effectively to search out an improve on the different guard spot by way of the draft.
One of the opposite lacking parts of the offense was a big third weapon. Tight finish Jonnu Smith put up 88 grabs for 886 yards, however with a mean depth of goal of 5.0 yards, he was little greater than a glorified dump-off outlet. The line struggles have deservedly gotten a lot of the eye, however contemplating Smith’s utilization and the actual fact he’ll flip 30 throughout coaching camp, Miami would do effectively to make the most of the expertise on the place out there on this draft.
Injuries on the line of defense helped in the end doom the 2023 model of the Dolphins, and the 2024 workforce had even worse luck, with star edge defender Jaelan Phillips struggling a torn ACL in Week 4. With Bradley Chubb nonetheless out on account of his personal ACL tear suffered in Week 15 of the 2023 season, the Dolphins had been left with a really skinny pass-rush unit. Rookie Chop Robinson flashed appreciable promise, as he gained at an 18.8% charge with seven sacks and 56 whole pressures, so so long as everybody returns (and stays) wholesome, this ought to be a considerably upgraded edge unit in 2025.
The Dolphins’ protection may look to the draft for assistance on the inside. Zach Sieler has a mixed 20 sacks over the previous two seasons, however his win charge was beneath 9.0% in each years with below-average PFF run-defense grades. Benito Jones is their different main inside participant (now that Calais Campbell has opted to signal with Arizona), and he posted only a 51.4 PFF total grade final season. Cornerback can also be a possible early goal for the Dolphins, however after investing a second-round choose in Cam Smith in 2023 and never with the ability to get him on the sphere a lot throughout his first two seasons, they could favor to deal with the place later and provides Smith the chance to win the full-time beginning job reverse Jalen Ramsey.
THE TRADE-UP TARGET
With the uncertainty behind what Will Campbell’s pure place will probably be, the Dolphins could also be in a great place to maneuver up a couple of spots (presumably with Chicago to No. 10). We listing Campbell as a left deal with and at No. 6 total on the PFF huge board, however his arm size (32 5/8 inches on the NFL Scouting Combine, 33 inches at his professional day) is more likely to have some groups viewing him as a guard, thus dropping his worth. That could be a super state of affairs for the Dolphins. Not solely may they use a direct improve at guard, however they might additionally use the potential insurance coverage at deal with if 2024 second-round choose Patrick Paul is unable to ultimately take over at left deal with for Terron Armstead.
Across 524 pass-blocking reps at LSU final season, Campbell confronted the perfect the SEC needed to supply each week and surrendered simply two sacks and 5 hits. He backed up his tape with a powerful exhibiting on the mix, posting a 40-yard sprint time of 4.98 seconds with a 10-yard cut up of 1.76 seconds.
The Dolphins have a full slate of picks, together with seven within the high 155, which means they’ve the capital wanted to make a brief transfer up the board to lock within the high lineman within the draft.
STAY THE COURSE
There are loads of methods the Dolphins may handle their guard points, however there are solely so many really impactful offensive gamers within the draft class. Tight finish Colston Loveland is strictly that, as he was one of many main offensive weapons on Michigan’s 2023 nationwide championship workforce and primarily the solely receiving weapon for the Wolverines in 2024.
An enormous goal at 6-foot-6 and 248 kilos, Loveland runs shockingly clear routes and possesses the energy and ball expertise to win contested balls. He amassed 290 of his 582 receiving yards final season after the catch, and his 90.1 PFF receiving grade ranked third amongst all tight ends in school soccer in 2024. While Penn State’s Tyler Warren would even be an intriguing match at Pick No. 13, there’s important buzz about him probably going within the high 10. He seems unlikely to make it to Miami’s present first-round slot.
The Dolphins possess presumably essentially the most dynamic duo of downfield weapons within the league in receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and including a real weapon between the hashes in a position to create mismatches in opposition to linebackers and safeties may assist reignite Miami’s offense.
THE VALUE PLAY
With the vast majority of the draft’s top-end expertise more likely to be off the board as soon as Miami is on the clock (presumably together with the highest two tight ends and high three linemen), the Dolphins may look to maneuver again from No. 13. Specifically, groups could possibly be trying to choose off one of many high remaining edge gamers within the class, equivalent to Marshall‘s Mike Green or Boston College‘s Donovan Ezeiruaku. In reality, we solely want to return two years to the 2023 NFL Draft for a primary instance of this, when the Packers traded up from Pick No. 15 to Pick No. 13 (held by the Jets) for Iowa edge defender Lukas Van Ness.
Sticking with my hypothetical of all the highest linemen and the 2 elite tight ends being off the board, Miami may as an alternative look to commerce again and handle their most obvious want on the opposite aspect of the ball, the defensive inside. Michigan has two of these, however the goal in a trade-back state of affairs could be Kenneth Grant.
Grant measured 6-foot-4 and 331 kilos on the NFL Scouting Combine, and whereas he didn’t take part within the athletic exercise, his movie shows glorious pace and agility for his measurement. He graded positively on a formidable 26.5% of run performs in 2024, and his 87.5 PFF run-defense grade ranked eighth amongst all inside defenders. He additionally produced when speeding the passer, tallying eight mixed sacks and 50 whole pressures over his final two seasons at Michigan. His win charge on true cross units final season got here in at 14.2%.
Grant seems like a superb every-down prospect. Sieler’s 67.1 PFF run-defense grade final season makes him the Dolphins’ solely returning inside defender with a 60.0-plus mark from 2024, so Grant could be a large acquisition for the workforce’s run-defense unit.