What role each member of the Dolphins’ draft class could have – and a major question
The Dolphins left the 2023 NFL Draft with a four-player class, a small pool of players but a group team decision-makers have high hopes for.
Miami didn’t get a significant contribution from its 2022 class and after using its first two picks on positions that weren’t considered big needs, the Dolphins will face questions about how much the new players can help a team that has championship aspirations this upcoming season.
“I’d say with any player you draft, there is always a transition to the NFL as you all have seen,” general manager Chris Grier said. “There have been some players where it’s quicker and right away you see the star, and other guys it takes a year or two. For us, how we look at it, it’s the total player and the person and the fit, as we talk about in the locker room, as well as the ability. We don’t really put limits.
“Last year we had some guys come in and play, and we had some guys that didn’t. For us, it’s just developing the player and working with him. I think Mike [McDaniel] and the coaching staff do a great job of working with the players and developing them. First of all, [we want] guys that love football, and guys that will come in and compete and love football. Then whenever that opportunity arises is when they’ll get that chance.”
Here is a role each of the Dolphins’ rookies could take on in Year 1, as well as a major question for them.
Cornerback Cam Smith
▪ Role: Outside corner or versatile depth
In his final season at South Carolina, Smith, the Dolphins’ top pick, logged 357 snaps as an outside cornerback and 196 in the slot, showing the skill set to contribute in multiple positions. Some draft experts even suggested he could be an effective safety in the NFL. But in his introductory news conference, Smith said Grier told him the team’s intention is to develop him as an outside cornerback before working more at nickelback.
Given the logjam at cornerback, Grier and head coach McDaniel were asked whether Jalen Ramsey could move to safety, to which both responded that they still see him as a corner. McDaniel also noted how new defensive coordinator Fangio has mentioned the high rate of nickel packages — five defensive backs — across the NFL. In 2022, the Dolphins were in such personnel on a league-low 38.9 percent of plays, according to TruMedia, but that rate should increase in 2023.
With Ramsey’s history of playing the “Star” position and lining up closer to the line of scrimmage, Smith could compete for snaps on the outside as a rookie with a group that includes Kader Kohou and Nik Needham.
▪ Question: Can Smith reduce the penalties that followed him in 2022?
Smith, 6-0 and 180 pounds, has the athletic profile to do just about anything Fangio might ask of him. But Smith was a frequent recipient of flags in 2022. He was penalized 10 times, tied for the second most of any cornerback in the nation, according to Pro Football Focus.
This could be partially attributed to playing in a man-heavy scheme and Fangio’s defense, which uses higher rates of zone coverage, might be able to mask that to an extent. But the defense will call for man coverage in key moments, and Smith will have to refine his technique to unlock his potential.
Running back Devon Achane
▪ Role: All-purpose playmaker
There’s a reason the speed-obsessed McDaniel was pumped to get Achane in the third round. Achane, a first-team All-SEC selection from Texas A&M this past season, was the only Power 5 player to score as a rusher, receiver and kick returner. Running a 4.43-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, Achane was the fastest running back in the draft and third-fastest player overall.
He enters a stocked position room with returnees Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr., Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin. But the Dolphins should be able to find a way to incorporate his dynamic skill set, even with a bevy of talented skill position players.
▪ Question: Will Achane’s size be a hindrance in the NFL?
One of the few knocks on Achane is his size. He measured 5-8 and 188 pounds at the combine, which landed in the 11th and third percentile, respectively, all time for players at the Combine. His stature wasn’t much of a problem in college, though. Achane forced a missed tackle on 29 percent of his career attempts, tied for fifth among Power 5 backs since 2020.
The NFL is different, though, with a bigger and more physical players, so it will be something to watch.
Tight end Elijah Higgins
▪ Role: Trent Sherfield/Mike Gesicki replacement
The Dolphins will have to find players to fill the void of Sherfield and Gesicki, both of whom departed in free agency. While wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle received the bulk of the targets, Gesicki and Sherfield were third and fourth, respectively.
Miami has signed wide receivers Braxton Berrios and Chosen Anderson this offseason, and both present different skill sets as No. 3 receivers. Berrios is more of a prototypical slot receiver in underneath parts of the field, while Anderson, who has been one of the better deep threats in the league, can strain a defense vertically. Sherfield, though, was a trusted blocker along with his receiving duties. At 6-3 and 235 pounds, Higgins has the measurables to take on a similar he transitions from a college wide receiver to an NFL tight end. If he can learn the nuances of the position, over time he could be a physical and elusive pass-catching option, while also taking on edge defenders and linebackers in the run game.
▪ Question: Can Higgins be a capable blocker?
It’s the question that seems to come with every tight who enters McDaniel’s offense now. Those questions limited Gesicki’s playing time, while Durham Smythe played the most snaps of any tight end last season. While Higgins did most of his work out of the slot in college, he said he has never played in a true in-line position. It remains to be seen the extent of the Dolphins’ plans for Higgins but his measurables stack up very similarly to Tanner Conner, who is also a converted college tight end but played sparingly as a undrafted rookie.
Offensive lineman Ryan Hayes
▪ Role: Offensive line depth
The Dolphins selected an offensive lineman, though it wasn’t when many predicted. Still, Hayes is an experienced left tackle who was a two-time All-Big Ten selection though he never played the position before college. The Dolphins need more depth and have been searching for veteran options in free agency. But as a seventh-round pick, it’s in the Dolphins’ best interests if Hayes is in a reserve role and develops with the coaching staff as a rookie.
▪ Question: Will he move inside to guard?
While Hayes made all 30 of his starts at left tackle, draft experts pondered a potential change to the interior offensive line because of his frame. Hayes said Saturday that he wasn’t sure if the Dolphins wanted him to play guard in the NFL but that he was open to the transition. Miami is set at center and right guard with Connor Williams and Robert Hunt, but Liam Eichenberg has struggled in the first few years and could face competition this summer.
