Two skilled pass rushers visit Dolphins. What to know as Miami eyes edge options
Two talented edge players — one a highly regarded draft prospect and another a former second-round pick - were summoned to Dolphins headquarters this week as the team continues to explore ways to improve a group that traded Jaelan Phillips in October and released Bradley Chubb in March.
According to a source, UCF’s Malachi Lawrence was among the final players brought to team headquarters for a predraft 30 visit before the NFL’s cut-off for those visits on Thursday.
And free agent edge player A.J. Epenesa, who spent his first six NFL seasons in Buffalo, visited Dolphins headquarters on Thursday, according to the league’s transaction wire.
If the Dolphins move forward with Epenesa, he would give Miami a fifth experienced edge player to supplement Chop Robinson and free agent pickups Joshua Uche, David Ojabo and Robert Beal.
But there are health questions with Epenesa, who failed his Cleveland physical on March 29 after agreeing to a one-year, $5 million deal. The Browns decided not to move forward with the deal and did not disclose the reason for the failed physical.
Epenesa dealt with a concussion last season and also sustained foot, neck and pectoral injuries; the neck injury was the most recent of the four. He played in 16 games but started only twice, finishing with 32 tackles, 2.5 sacks and two interceptions.
A former 54th overall pick out of Iowa, Epenesa played in 91 games and started 19, producing 24 sacks, 29 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles and four interceptions, including one off Sam Howell that was returned for a touchdown against Washington.
He played between 31% and 55% of the Bills’ snaps in each of his six seasons and produced 6.5 sacks in both 2022 and 2023 and 6.0 in 2024, when he made 13 starts.
At 6-6 and 260 pounds, he would fit the size criteria to play defensive end in Miami’s 4-3 base defense. Epenesa, 27, is related to Dolphins kicker Riley Patterson, who’s a second cousin.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins concluded their predraft 30 visits this week by bringing in a handful of players, including Washington receiver Denzel Boston and Lawrence, a skilled pass rusher who had seven sacks last season and 20 (and 28 tackles for loss) in 39 games over four seasons at UCF. The 20 career sacks are 25th most in the history of the Big 12.
The question with Lawrence is his run defense. While Pro Football Focus rated Lawrence 33rd of 852 edge players as a pass rusher last season, the website ranked him 512th out of 852 as a run defender.
At 6-4 and 253 pounds, Lawrence is an “NFL-caliber edge rusher with prototypical size and length,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein said. “Lawrence moves with the suddenness of a smaller player. Explosive get-off and a deep bag of moves/counters fuel his pocket disruption. He can win inside or outside but his speed-to-power conversion is average.
“He closes with burst and has the motor to hound scrambling quarterbacks. The next level will bring better tackles and more quick-sets, which will test how well his production translates. He makes splash plays behind the line but must provide better consistency and discipline in run support. Lawrence is an ascending prospect with rush polish and pro traits that should be enticing for pressure-hungry defenses.”
In his final mock draft, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has Tennessee drafting Lawrence with the third pick of the second round (35th overall) but said “there’s certainly a chance Lawrence is off the board before Round 2. He has risen the board quickly over the past month or so.”
This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 10:40 AM.
