Feedback, what to know on Dolphins’ undrafted rookie additions on offense
Notes and feedback on what the Dolphins are getting with the undrafted rookies that they intend to sign on offense:
QB Mark Gronowski
Gronowski, who was the MVP of the FCS championship game in both 2023 and 2024 for South Dakota State, was not invited to the NFL Combine but was MVP of the East-West Shrine Bowl. He went 49-6, with 93 touchdowns and 20 interceptions in four seasons at South Dakota State.
He wasn’t as productive in his one season at Iowa, finishing with 10 TDs and seven interceptions, with a 63% completion rate and guiding the Hawkeyes to a 9-4 record. But he rushed for a Big 10-leading 16 rushing touchdowns on 4.2 yards per carry in his one year in the Big 10.
“I was really surprised he wasn’t drafted,” East-West Shrine Bowl football operations director Eric Galko said in a phone interview. “He had a minor injury last year and Iowa’s offense wasn’t super productive, [though] it hasn’t been for 20 years.
“He’s a pro-style quarterback, won national titles, won at Iowa. He’s tough, experienced, showed what he can be as a runner. He’s appreciated as a leader and team guy. You couldn’t write a better ideal backup quarterback. He definitely could start games in the NFL. Like [the 49ers’ Brock] Purdy, he was a Shrine Bowl guy.”
What about his accuracy and arm strength at 6-2?
“Accuracy is very good,” Galko said. “He does not have elite arm talent, but he will win because he’s smart and he’s not turning the ball over. He’s big, can take hits in the pocket and he can be an effective runner. He’s big enough for the tush push, is sturdy, has a higher release point as a thrower.”
Gronowski holds the record for the most wins by a quarterback in college football history; he concluded his career with 58 victories.
Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, who spent time with Gronowski on a 30 visit at team headquarters, told NFL Network this week that “we’re excited to get Gronowski... We’ve liked him all along. He’s a big athlete, can run, can move... We ended up adding to the [QB] room. It just didn’t come in the form of a draft pick.”
WR Donaven McCulley
Sullivan likes tall receivers, and he nabbed another one in Michigan’s 6-4 Donaven McCulley, who had 39 receptions for 588 yards (15.1 per reception) and three touchdowns last season. Before that, he played four years at Indiana and had 66 catches for 834 yards and 8 TDs.
He seemed to be blossoming for the Hoosiers in 2023, earning honorable mention All-Big Ten honors after leading Indiana with 48 receptions, 644 receiving yards and six receiving TDs in 12 games and 11 starts. But injuries limited him to four games and two receptions early in 2024, and he entered the transfer portal in October, moving onto Michigan after that season.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein said McCulley is a “big, tough wideout with modest production and average tools. McCulley has adequate foot quickness and athleticism. However, he will need to prove he can beat tight man pressure because he’s not a natural separator and rarely runs by cornerbacks on vertical routes.
“He works back on throws when needed and uses his frame/hand extension to help him protect the catch point. His performance in the catch phase is a plus, but getting there won’t be easy for him against NFL cornerbacks.”
RB Le’Veon Moss
He had 77 carries for 404 yards (5.2 per carry) and six TDs in seven games last season, missing time with two injuries, including an ankle issue.
He scored 10 TDs for Texas A&M in 2024, when he averaged 6.3 per carry and was named second-team All-SEC. But he sustained a torn ACL and MCL at the end of the season.
Moss, who is 5-11 and 203 pounds, averaged 5.5 per carry on 321 career carries at Texas A&M and ran for 22 touchdowns. He also caught 24 passes for 236 yards over his four college seasons. The Dolphins gave him $258,000 guaranteed, per a source.
Zierlein had viewed him as a fifth- or sixth-rounder, evaluating him as an “early down runner with adequate size, good finishing strength [but also] consecutive seasons of injury concerns. There won’t be anything flashy on tape, but Moss consistently adds yards after collision.
“He has adequate burst to race to the second level and keeps runs alive with solid contact balance, but he lacks the elusiveness and top-end speed associated with more dangerous backs. He can fit any run scheme and will step up to challenge blitzers in pass pro, but limited receiving talent caps his third-down value. Moss profiles as a blue-collar backup capable of shouldering a larger workload when needed.”
RB Anthony Hankerson
At 5-8 and 204 pounds, the former Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas standout has very good speed. In high school, he ran a 10.90-second 100-meter dash, which is considered excellent.
He ran 247 times for 1,086 yards (a 4.4 average) and nine TDs last season, after rushing for 1082 yards (4.7 per carry) for the Beavers the previous season. He played his first two years at Colorado and last two at Oregon State.
He has a 4.4 career rushing average on 625 attempts and also caught 70 passes for 369 yards in 44 college games.
He enters as an underdog in a battle with Jaylen Wright, Ollie Gordon II and Moss for potentially two roster spots.
Two offensive linemen
Miami also added center Jim Bonifas from Iowa State and tackle/guard Kevin Cline from Boston College.
Pro Football Focus rated Bonifas 31st of 303 FBS centers last season. He didn’t allow any sacks (and yielded just eight pressures) in 419 pass-blocking snaps.
Cline, who attended Boca Raton Christian, started 11 games at right tackle last season and PFF ranked him 50th among 613 FBS tackles. He was a strong run blocker but allowed five sacks and 22 pressures in 429 pass blocking snaps.
During their May 8 rookie minicamp, the Dolphins also will audition several players who received tryouts but not contracts. Among them: former SMU and UM receiver Romello Brinson.
The 6-2 Brinson, whose cousin is former NFL receiver Chad Ochocinco, had 14 receptions for 189 yards in 20 games over two seasons at Miami, then transferred to SMU, where he had 84 catches for 1,204 yards and five touchdowns during three seasons. Last year, he caught 43 passes for 638 yards.
He attended Miami Northwestern High and helped lead the Bulls to state titles in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Zierlein’s assessment: “Brinson is a field-stretcher, but the middle of his route tree is missing branches. He’s a long-strider with good acceleration to build speed and create opportunities for himself on vertical routes. His route-running is less effective on intermediate routes, where he’s slower in and out of breaks.
“Despite his catch radius and hand size, he wins fewer 50/50 balls than he should when coverage closes him down. Brinson has traits to work with but offers a more limited menu of services for teams.”
Here’s my Thursday piece on the most notable of the Dolphins’ undrafted rookie free agent additions on defense.
This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 12:41 PM.
