Former NFL scout assesses Miami Dolphins’ roster by position
Through the years in his media career, we’ve found former NFL scout Matt Williamson to be a sharp judge of talent and NFL personnel.
Williamson, formerly of ESPN and now with Pro Football Network, sized up the Dolphins roster for us:
▪ On Tua Tagovailoa: “I loved him coming out of Alabama. The narrative has been way too hard on this guy. A year ago, we weren’t sure he was going to play his rookie year. He had no preseason, no proper way of developing like rookie quarterbacks do. A lot of people say Tua is not the guy and even though I wasn’t impressed [in 2020], that’s extremely premature.
“Some of the things I didn’t love is he’s not a real twitchy athlete. He’s not a real powerful player, not a quick-twitch guy. That worries me a little bit. I don’t think his tools are overwhelming. People think he’s a better athlete than he is. He’s fine but not an upper-tier athlete. He’s not going to be Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson who can consistently make something happen out of nothing. The jury is still very much out. But let’s put a lot around this young guy and we’ll run with it and know what we have.”
▪ On wide receiver: “Really high ceiling with that group. They are going to throw deep with Will Fuller and Jaylen Waddle. When you threaten defenses with speed over the top, you can get people out of the box to make the running game smoother. And [tight end] Mike Gesicki is a [good glorified] slot receiver.
“You have a nice variety of guys: DeVante Parker is a traditional guy, and the two speedsters with Fuller and Waddle. It would not surprise me if Waddle is as close to as good as Tyreek Hill. Comparing anyone to Hill isn’t fair, but he’s about as close as I’ve seen and could very well be in that stratosphere. He has that kind of explosiveness, and he’s an outstanding returner. I liked him a lot more than his teammate DeVonta Smith.”
▪ Running back: “I’m not one of those believers that running backs don’t matter. Coaches tend to agree with me on that. Myles Gaskin was a lot better than I expected last year.
“I’m not saying he’s a true No. 1. The Dolphins probably would have taken Javonte Williams if Denver hadn’t moved up — and they put in a claim for [Philadelphia-bound] Kerryon Johnson — so I don’t think they’re content there. If I’m building a football team, that would be the last piece of my puzzle.”
▪ Offensive line: “I thought it was amongst the worst in the league last year. We knew Austin Jackson wouldn’t yield immediate results, that he would take a little time.
“I thought Robert Hunt was better than I expected. I have no problem moving him to right guard, but I thought he did really well there at right tackle.
“[Rookie] Liam Eichenberg is a leadoff double: super safe. Notre Dame guys perform at this level. Arms are a little short for a tackle, but I think he will be a very solid starter, maybe at guard when all is said and done. It wouldn’t shock me if Hunt goes back to right tackle at some point and Eichenberg goes to right guard.
“The Dolphins are one star away on that line. It would be nice if they find one big difference-maker; I’m not sure who the stars are on that line. But they’re in a lot better shape than they were.”
▪ Tight end: “I like Hunter Long. People use the term traditional tight ends, but the tight end doesn’t block as much as people think. He profiled as the closest thing in terms of in-line wise and being an every-down type tight end which is very different than Gesicki.
“He was one of few tight ends in college football where the passing game went through him. He can be a longtime pro and dangerous in the passing game.”
▪ Defensive line: Christian Wilkins, Raekwon Davis, Adam Butler and Zach Sieler are “a decent group. Wilkins is a high-character guy; don’t know if there are tons of Pro Bowls in his future.
“Davis is a pretty good player. That line is fine and ascending, but I don’t know if it’s special. Butler can rush the passer. With a Bill Belichick-style defense, as a rule of thumb, they will produce pressure through blitzing and they value cover men more than pass rushers.”
▪ Edge position: “I think Jaelan Phillips is going to be a star. A lot of people said this class doesn’t have Chase Young or Joey Bosa or Myles Garrett and they were right. But I thought Phillips was closer to that level than the rest of the edge players in this class. I thought he stood alone as the best player at that position. And they know more about his injury history than anybody being in his college town.
“Emmanuel Ogbah was really good last year. He’s powerful. People look at him and say he’s an OK athlete. I think he’s got more ability than that. The year he came out, he was the 32nd pick of the draft because the first round had only 31 picks, so even though he was the first pick of the second round, he’s like a first-round pick.
“Andrew Van Ginkel screams Patriots-style player. He’s an energy giver, never hurts the team” and productive. “Nice addition” in the 2019 fifth round.
▪ Williamson noted “Jerome Baker runs really well, probably doesn’t get the credit he deserves nationally as a quality impact player. Not a star but a useful piece.”
▪ On safety, with Jevon Holland, Eric Rowe, Jason McCourty and Brandon Jones: “Jevon Holland is one of my favorite picks in this draft. Great ball production, can play the slot against big tight ends. If Miami played a team with Gesicki, Holland would be on Gesicki. And he will be a blitzer as well.”
What about the comparisons with Minkah Fitzpatrick. Are they potentially valid?
“Holland has the versatility and is a natural playmaker, but Minkah is more explosive. Minkah is the best deep free safety in the league and Pittsburgh lets him do his thing. I’m not sure Holland would be as good in the deep middle, but there is similarity with Fitzpatrick” in terms of “versatility, playmaking and ability to play corner and safety.”
▪ On their cornerbacks (Xavien Howard, Byron Jones, McCourty, Noah Igbinoghene, Nik Needham, Justin Coleman, Trill Williams): “It’s a loaded group led by Howard. They have a lot of man coverage skills; Belichick would be proud to have those guys.
“Byron Jones slightly underperformed but maybe expectations were too high. He’s still a very high-end corner and an exceptional athlete. They had the luxury of making him their No. 2.
“ Those first round corners — Igbinoghene and the others — all had a tough time; people don’t realize how much playing time [and preseason games] would have helped those young corners.
“Jason McCourty has that versatility they like. High-character guy, but a role player at this point.”
McCourty is competing with Holland at safety.
▪ On where the Dolphins stand overall: “They’re second or third in their division, sixth through eighth in the AFC. They’re the definition of a fringe playoff team.
“I think they’re going in the right direction. They have weapons that can really threaten now. The offensive line still needs work and maturation. There’s promise there.
“A lot depends on Tua, of course. But a lot of teams in the league have taken this approach of we’re going to put a lot around our young quarterback and see if they can sink or swim. And they have future first-round picks if they find they still need a quarterback” in a year or two.
Williamson hosts the Locked On Dynasty, Peacock & Williamson Podcasts, which can be found here.
NEWS NOTE
Cornerback/safety Jamal Perry, released by the Dolphins on Wednesday, is re-joining the Dolphins on their practice squad.
The Dolphins also added former Illinois linebacker Milo Eifler to their p-squad. He was a Jets cut during training camp who had 27 tackles in five starts for the Illini last year.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins cut running back Jordan Scarlett for the second time this week, this time from their practice squad.
Miami has the maximum 17 players on its p-squad.
This story was originally published September 3, 2021 at 2:22 PM.
