Dolphins check out a top running back, linked to another. And more on tight end situation
A six-pack of Miami Dolphins notes on a Monday:
▪ Among the Dolphins’ interesting decisions on Friday night:
If there’s a running back they really like who’s available at 51 or 84, do they pick him? Or do they prioritize greater positions of need (tight end? offensive line?) and wait to see if the Vikings part with Dalvin Cook, who also interests them?
There’s no firm indication what the Vikings will do with Cook; trade discussions with Miami earlier this offseason did not result in a deal, partly because the teams didn’t agree on draft pick compensation.
But the Dolphins continually have been linked to Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs, who is rated by most as the second-best back in this draft behind Texas’ Bijan Robinson.
Though many expect Gibbs to be selected before Miami’s first pick at No. 51, NBC’s Peter King said Monday: “If there was some way to climb into the twenties to nab explosive back Jahmyr Gibbs, coach Mike McDaniel would love to do it.”
We hear the Dolphins also like Texas A&M running back Devon Achane and have spent considerable time with him in the past two weeks, according to an Aggies source.
At the NFL Combine, Achane ran a blazing 4.32 in the 40-yard dash.
Achane, 5-9 and 188 pounds, averaged 7.0 yards per carry on 130 rushing attempts in 2021 and 5.6 on 196 carries last season. As a receiver, he has caught 65 passes for 554 yards in three seasons.
Gibbs, who is projected to go ahead of Achane in most mock drafts, averaged 5.2 yards on 143 carries at Georgia Tech in 2021 and 6.1 yards per carry on 151 rushes at Alabama last season. As a receiver, he has 103 receptions for 1,212 yards through three seasons (two with Georgia Tech, one with Alabama).
I found this interesting in comparing the two: Achane averaged more yards after contact, per carry, than Gibbs (3.6 to 3.3) last season and had more runs of 15 yards or more last season (36 to 23). Pro Football Focus also gave Achane a higher “elusive rate” than Gibbs.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein said Achane “can be a complementary slasher with the ability to mismatch coverage out of the backfield or from the slot. However, he’s simply too talented and explosive as a runner to be confined to gadget duty.”
In a mock draft in which they alternate making picks, ESPN’s Todd McShay drafted Gibbs 48th and Mel Kiper Jr. picked Achane 85th. The Dolphins have picks at 51 and 84.
“My comp for Achane? Darren Sproles,” Kiper said of the former three-time Pro Bowler. “That’s because Achane has a ton of value as a returner and in the pass game. He needs to hit his ceiling to be as productive as Sproles, of course, but he is my third-ranked back in this class.”
▪ One person who speaks to the Dolphins said his impression is they would like to draft a tight end.
An NFL evaluator who has studied this tight end class said knowing McDaniel’s system and what the front office values in tight ends, the players projected in their draft range who would make the most sense, in his view, are South Dakota State’s 6-5 Tucker Kraft, Oregon State’s 6-6 Luke Musgrave and Penn State’s 6-4 Brenton Strange.
The evaluator said all three can be decent or better NFL receivers and blockers. Though Musgrave is better known for his receiving skills, NFL.com Zierlein said he has the “technique, strain and demeanor” to be an effective blocker.
Miami officials flew to work out Kraft; McDaniel spent time with Strange on his campus; and the Dolphins also have spent time with Musgrave.
Iowa’s Sam LaPorta spent time with Dolphins people at his Pro Day and has been consistently liked to Miami at 51 in mock drafts. That evaluator noted that LaPorta isn’t quite as big (6-3, 245) as the Dolphins ideally like their tight ends to be. Dolphins tight ends Durham Smythe and Eric Saubert are 6-5.
Michigan’s Luke Schoonmaker, 6-6, would be an option at 84.
Dolphins tight end Tanner Conner is 6-3, 232, but he’s a developmental receiver-turned-tight end project.
“If you are picking between Sam LaPorta, Tucker Kraft from South Dakota State or Luke Schoonmaker from Michigan, I think all of those guys are plug-and-play and impactful right away,” NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said.
Incidentally, the Dolphins never pursued any of the top free agent tight ends this offseason (Dalton Schultz, Hayden Hurst, Austin Hooper, Josh Oliver). The Dolphins conveyed early in free agency that they didn’t want to spend much money on tight end; they made a low-money offer for Irv Smith Jr., who joined Cincinnati instead.
▪ In that Kiper/McShay mock draft, Kiper took Penn State’s Strange for Miami at 51, adding: “I struggled a little bit with this one, Miami’s first pick of the draft. Could it go with a running back or will it fill that need on the veteran market? I like Strange’s upside as a pass-catcher, and he is more rounded than Mike Gesicki, who left for New England in free agency.”
At 84, McShay picked Notre Dame defensive end Isaiah Foskey, who had 10.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss last season.
“It’s a little surprising that Foskey slid this far, as he plays with really good explosion off the edge,” McShay said. “And with only four selections, Miami has to nail every one of its picks, and this is good value at this point in Round 3.”
▪ Brandon Jones isn’t the only Dolphins safety recovering from an injury that could limit him this offseason.
We hear new Dolphins safety DeShon Elliott is still working his way back from a shoulder injury. He might not be fully ready for mandatory minicamp but is expected to be fine for the regular season.
Elliott sustained a shoulder injury on Dec. 18 against the Jets, missed two games and gutted it out though Detroit’s win at Green Bay in the NFL’s final regular-season game.
Jones, meanwhile, continues to recover from last October’s ACL injury.
▪ Doctors told quarterback Tua Tagovailoa that once he’s many, many months removed from a concussion, there’s no medical evidence to suggest he’s more likely to get another one than someone who hasn’t ever been concussed.
▪ Dolphins receiver Chosen Anderson got a one-year, $1.16 million deal, with a $152,000 signing bonus. The base salary is not guaranteed. His cap hit is $1.1 million, but his dead money hit would be only $152,500 if he’s cut.
This story was originally published April 24, 2023 at 11:42 AM.
