Miami Dolphins on a hot streak in this area, and it could keep paying dividends
Through the years, the Miami Heat has earned a reputation for developing players who were overlooked. They could fill a room with them, with Duncan Robinson emceeing, Udonis Haslem on drums, Ike Austin welcoming guests, Voshon Lenard serving appetizers and Kendrick Nunn behind the bar.
But let’s give the Dolphins credit for doing the same — to a somewhat lesser extent — particularly during coach Brian Flores’ regime. Actually, the Dolphins are on a six-year hot streak of unearthing NFL starters and useful rotation players on the third day of the draft, rookie free agency and the waiver wire.
There were savvy picks by Dolphins general manager Chris Grier in the fifth round in 2015 (Bobby McCain, Jay Ajayi), in the sixth in 2016 (Jakeem Grant, the NFL’s third-leading punt returner last season), in the fifth in 2017 (starting defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, now with the Patriots) and in the seventh round in 2018 (elite kicker Jason Sanders, with former special teams coach Darren Rizzi warranting much of the credit for that).
But in the 31 months since Flores has arrived, the Grier/Flores combo has discovered later-round/scrap-heap players at most every position. Consider:
Running back
Myles Gaskin was the 21st and final running back selected in 2019, 234th overall. Last season, his 97.2 yards per game from scrimmage not only ranked ninth among all NFL running backs but second best among every NFL running back who was either drafted or signed as an undrafted rookie in his 2019 draft class.
Chicago’s David Montgomery, a 2019 third-rounder out of Iowa State, was the only one ahead of Gaskin (100.5).
Do you know all of the big-name running backs that Gaskin averaged more yards per game from scrimmage than last season? Ezekiel Elliott (87.8), Josh Jacobs (86.9) and Melvin Gordon (76.3), not to mention star receivers or tight ends Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Julio Jones and DeAndre Hopkins.
Then there was the Dolphins’ savvy move to claim undrafted rookie Salvon Ahmed off waivers from San Francisco last summer, then quickly move him to the 53 when the Chargers tried to poach him in October. His 63.3 average yards from scrimmage per game last season were higher than top three-round running backs Sony Michel, J.K. Dobbins, Todd Gurley, Devin Singletary and others and better than Pro Bowl receivers Mike Evans, Michael Thomas and Adam Thielen.
Receiver
Yes, Preston Williams’ first two seasons have been short-circuited by injuries, but don’t discount the seven touchdowns in 16 NFL games or how good he looked the last time we saw him in a meaningful game, in Arizona, before the foot injury.
We now have evidence that Williams is better than at least half the receivers drafted in the first few rounds that year, including the 32nd overall pick by the Patriots in Williams’ draft class (N’Keal Harry, who has four TDs in 21 games), 56th pick J.J. Arcega-Whiteside (1 TD in 26 games for Philadelphia), 59th pick Parris Campbell (one TD, 24 catches for Colts in two years) and 62nd pick Andy Isabella (three TDs for Arizona in 26 games).
Tight end
The Dolphins traded a conditional seventh-rounder for former Bears second-rounder Adam Shaheen, who caught three TD passes last season and is far better than the type of player typically acquired in the final round of the draft.
Defensive line
The Dolphins scooped up Baltimore discard Zach Sieler, a former Ferris State walk-on who lived in an RV, and watched him become every bit as productive, per snap, as any of the three Clemson defensive linemen selected in the first round in 2019: Clelin Ferrell (fourth to Las Vegas), Christian Wilkins (13th to Miami) and Dexter Lawrence (17th to the Giants).
During the past two seasons, Sieler has 12 tackles for loss for Miami. Despite all three playing more snaps than Sieler, Ferrell has 11 career tackles for loss, Lawrence nine and Wilkins seven.
Could anybody have predicted that? But credit the Dolphins for pouncing on Sieler when the Ravens waived him in December 2019.
Linebacker
Sam Eguavoen was a smart find out of the Candian Football League, but landing Andrew Van Ginkel 151st in 2019 ranks in the top five of this regime’s personnel moves, presuming Van Ginkel builds on last season’s 5.5-sack/3 forced-fumble breakout season achieved while playing just 46 percent of the Dolphins’ defensive snaps.
There were 15 linebackers selected before Van Ginkel in that draft. You know how many have been better than Van Ginkel? Two: first-round picks Devin White and Devin Bush.
Van Ginkel is clearly better than most of those other 13; three are already out of the league.
What about the linebackers picked after Van Ginkel? He was more productive last season — in most cases, far more productive — than any of the six linebackers drafted in the next 20 overall picks: Cleveland’s Mack Wilson, Justin Hollins (waived by Denver a year ago, now with the Rams), the Jets’ Blake Cashman, Minnesota’s Cameron Smith (underwent open heart surgery and retired), the Colts’ E.J. Speed, Tennessee’s D’Andre Walker (out of the league).
Cornerback
Until the Buffalo finale, Nik Needham graded out among the top half of all nickel corners last season. Needham, signed by Miami in 2019 after going undrafted, was one of the Dolphins’ best players in training camp.
And Needham has been a better player than many of the corners selected in that 2019 draft, including Deandre Baker (30th pick by Giants, on his second team), Jojuan Williams (picked 45th by the Patriots), David Long (79th, Rams) and many others.
Elsewhere
At quarterback, the Dolphins have done good work developing Reid Sinnett, a former San Diego University walk-on with no FBS scholarship offers. And Solomon Kindley could become the Dolphins’ first long-term third-day-of-the-draft offensive line starter this century.
Now the Dolphins need to develop their high picks with similar returns. George Godsey has done a wonderful job molding tight end Mike Gesicki, who credits Godsey every chance he gets.
Can this staff do the same with Tua Tagovailoa, Raekwon Davis, Wilkins, Noah Igbinoghene, Austin Jackson and Robert Hunt and other young veterans who were high picks? That will be critical to this team’s success.
But at least the Dolphins have mastered the art of eyeballing and developing players overlooked by others.
NEWS NOTES
Offensive lineman Liam Eichenberg (thigh) and receiver Preston Williams (foot) remained limited during Thursday’s Dolphins practice.
Patriots receiver Nelson Agholor and cornerback Jalen Mills missed practice. Agholor is New England’s most established receiver, and the Mills absence is significant because the Patriots already will be without star cornerback Stephon Gilmore on Sunday against Miami.
