More feedback, reaction on Dolphins’ draft and post-draft signings, including fans of QB
A six-pack of Miami Dolphins notes on a Monday, with more feedback on the team’s draft and post-draft signings:
▪ Count ESPN’s Todd McShay and Louis Riddick among those intrigued by Skylar Thompson, the Kansas State quarterback who was selected by the Dolphins with the second of their two seventh–round picks.
“I’ve always liked Skylar,” McShay said. “He’s a gamer. Forty games at Kansas State.
“Threw 42 touchdowns. He was there since 2016. He’s like a grown man at this point. He gave Oklahoma all sorts of trouble. He showed up big in the biggest games, has good mobility. Above average arm strength to solid arm strength.
“Has the footspeed and strength to extend plays. That’s what I like about him. It doesn’t always have to be clean for him. Off platform, when things go wrong, Skylar seems to find that [receiver] coming open late. He’s a No. 2 [quarterback] hopefully and certainly a No. 3 right away. With his mobility and experience, he has a chance to make a roster long term.”
McShay said one knock against Thompson and Kenny Pickett - the top quarterback selected, by the Steelers, 20th overall - is that they have small hands. But McShay said that doesn’t concern him: “Let’s get over it.”
Riddick said Thompson is “an athletic quarterback who can get on the perimeter and makes those second reaction throws. It’s a perfect type of draft pick, although it’s a seventh round pick and I don’t think there’s any delusions of grandeur that he’s going to be a franchise guy. But you’re looking for profiles” that late in the draft.
Thompson completed 62.4 percent of his passes in his career, throwing for 7,134 yards with 42 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He also had 26 rushing touchdowns and averaged 3.1 per carry on 355 carries in his career, though his rushing numbers were down last year (48 attempts, for four yards, with sacks included).
Last season, he had 12 touchdowns and four interceptions and completed 69.5 percent of his passes.
Thompson will compete with Chris Streveler for the No. 3 job behind Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater, or more likely, a spot on the practice squad.
▪ Here’s how Mel Kiper Jr. sized up Miami’s class in his annual post-draft grades for ESPN:
“Most of the Dolphins’ early draft capital in this class went to Kansas City in the trade for Tyreek Hill; general manager Chris Grier said his staff will ‘just watch Tyreek highlights’ on Day 1 of the draft. So what did Miami get with the four picks it did have?
“Linebacker Channing Tindall (102) could be a steal. I projected him to go early in Round 2, and the Dolphins landed him late in Round 3. He played in 50 games at Georgia but was behind Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker on the depth chart, which meant he never actually started a game. But when you put on the tape, he was flying around and making plays. He also tested off the charts at the Combine for his size. Tindall found a great fit in Miami.
“Wideout Erik Ezukanma (125) is 6-foot-2, but he dropped way too many passes when I watched his film. Linebacker Cameron Goode (224) could make the team as a situational edge rusher. Skylar Thompson (247) is a fun, late-round quarterback to try out, but he probably is a long shot to make the roster.
“Dolphins fans are surely excited about adding Hill, but there’s not a lot to get rave about with this class, outside of Tindall.”
Kiper gave Miami a B minus. Ezukanma, incidentally, dropped four passes last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
▪ With regard to draft grades, they’re always a shaky proposition to begin with and grading a draft in which inventory was used to acquire an All Pro receiver seems especially counterproductive.
With that as a caveat, NFL.com’s Chad Reuter gave Miami a B and assessed the Dolphins draft this way:
“Miami did not have early picks because of trades for receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, who are obviously very good players. But only time will tell whether the lost draft capital was too high a price to pay. The Dolphins were also without their original third-round selection after trading that pick last April to move up for offensive lineman Liam Eichenberg. However, they used a third-round compensatory pick acquired in the Trey Lance deal with the Niners to land a nice chase linebacker in Tindall.
“With a fourth-round pick gained from a 2021 draft day trade with Pittsburgh, the Dolphins snagged Ezukanma, a reliable receiver without elite speed or quickness. Goode could play inside or outside for the Dolphins, as an instinctive player who fell under the radar at Cal. The Dolphins did not draft a center, potentially leaving Michael Deiter to handle those duties, but did find a potential backup signal-caller in the toolsy Thompson.”
▪ The Sporting News gave Miami a C, adding “Tindall did fill a need well to try to upgrade linebacker but there isn’t anything else to see here with a developmental pass rusher and passer late.”
▪ The Dolphins gave more guaranteed money to Arizona State left tackle Kellen Diesch ($140,000) than to any other draft pick.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein had considered him a potential fourth- or fifth-rounder.
“Diesch is highly athletic with the initial quickness and fluidity to stand out on reach blocks, second-level cut-offs and long pulls in space,” Zierlein said. “He’s scheme-dependent, lacking strength to generate movement as a drive blocker. He lacks functional length and the anchor needed to keep NFL speed-to-power rushers from ruining his day. If he can add the necessary strength and mass, he’ll have a chance to find snaps in a heavily move-oriented offense.”
Mike McDaniel, who worked with Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco, is implementing a wide/outside zone running scheme.
So it’s notable that lead NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, during the NFL Combine, said “outside zone teams, which is the whole Shanahan team, are going to like Kellen Diesch.”
▪ The Dolphins also really like Minnesota’s Blaise Andries, a 6-6, 308-pound prospect who had five starts at left tackle, 11 at left guard, 21 at right guard and nine at right tackle.
Zierlein sized him up this way: “Big lineman with multi-positional starting experience. Andries possesses an NFL frame, but doesn’t generate much push as a drive blocker. His athletic limitations show up when asked to handle move-blocking duties and with his gap-to-gap range in pass protection. Andries’ size and roster flexibility help his chances of finding a roster spot, but he lacks well-defined play traits to make much of an impact.”
This story was originally published May 2, 2022 at 1:09 PM.
