Did the Miami Dolphins just draft their own ‘hammer’ James Develin? This is their plan

Fullbacks don’t get much attention, but Super Bowl week was the rare exception for James Develin.

He deserved it. The Patriots rushed for a league-best 161.7 yards per game in the playoffs, and Develin was a major reason why.

Plus, with thousands of credentialed media members from around the world all covering the same event, even role players became minor stars.

So Develin — a 6-3, 251-pound battering ram — had his moment in the Atlanta sun, at least for a day, and gave the quote that sums up his football mindset:

“I want to be the hammer,’’ Develin said. “Not the nail.’’

The Dolphins, who poached Brian Flores from New England to be their coach and Chad O’Shea to be their offensive coordinator — want exactly that from Chandler Cox, the Auburn fullback they took in the seventh round Sunday.

If he runs the ball a couple of times a game and occasionally catches a pass, all the better.

But they want Cox — who stands 6-1, 242 — to blast linebackers and free Kenyan Drake and Kalen Ballage for long carries.

“It’s just being physical,” Cox said after the Dolphins drafted him Saturday. “I love the position. I know it’s a dying breed but I want to be one of those guys to bring it back because it’s one of those things that teams need a guy that can be physical and do a lot of things and just help the energy of the team. That’s why I love playing it so much.”

Fullbacks are like kickers and punters. Teams don’t draft them unless they plan to keep them. The Dolphins didn’t even carry one during the Adam Gase era, running 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end) as their base offense.

But the Patriots, not predictably, zigged when the rest of the league zagged. Their offense was tight-end heavy; Develin was on the field for 35.6 percent of New England’s offensive snaps last year.

Here’s a breakdown of how the Patriots utilize Develin, courtesy of respected Boston sports writer Greg Bedard, the owner, editor and columnist at BostonSportsJournal.com:

“They use the fullback as another tight end. They like to use tight ends and fullbacks to see how teams will match them with personnel. If the defense goes light [like San Diego, Kansas City in postseason] they just pound the ball. Fullback also helps the play action game.”

Expect that to be the plan, at least to start, with Cox.

This story was originally published April 30, 2019 at 10:36 AM.