Feedback, details on the Dolphins’ undrafted rookie skill players on offense and D-linemen
In part 3 of our 4-part series on the Dolphins’ undrafted rookies, some feedback and details on the Dolphins’ additions at five positions, with a rookie minicamp beginning next Friday:
TIGHT END
▪ Campbell’s Julian Hill:
He had 38 catches for 659 yards (17.3 average) and five touchdowns last season. At 6-4 and 250 pounds, Hill is considered a skilled receiver physical and willing blocker.
More than 10 teams pursued him, and the Dolphins gave him $42,500 guaranteed, according to a source.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein says he “plays his position with the physicality teams will be looking for. Hill has average hands and short-area quickness. He can catch through contact, but he will drop some very catchable ones.
“He can play in the slot or attached as a wing. He comes off the ball ready to hit and drive until the whistle sounds. Hill’s athletic testing and willingness as a blocker help his chances of making a team.”
Zielein said Hill has “excellent feel for attacking zone coverage” and is “an above-average toughness as a point-of-attack blocker.”
And he quoted a national scout for an AFC team with this comment: “I know we like him. He’s one of the tougher blockers at tight end in this class and I think he can make a team as a late-round guy.”
This should be a fascinating battle among sixth-round rookie Elijah Higgins (who’s transitioning from receiver), second-year Dolphin Tanner Conner (the former Idaho State receiver) and Hill. It’s possible two could make the team, depending on whether the Dolphins add a veteran to supplement Durham Smythe or Eric Saubert.
RECEIVERS
▪ Cal Poly’s Chris Coleman:
Coleman, 5-11, caught 58 passes for 912 yards and five touchdowns last season.
He began his career at Fresno State and had 16 catches in three seasons before moving to cornerback, where he made 11 tackles. He played 24 games at Fresno before transferring to Cal Poly after the 2020 season.
Dolphins receivers coach Wes Welker reiterated the team’s interest in a conversation with Coleman on Saturday.
Coleman told Cal-Poly’s website last weekend that he had “tears of joy and fulfillment” after the Dolphins offered him a contract.
“Being able to sit back and have some whiskey, reminiscing on the past 17 years it took to get to this point,” was satisfying, Coleman said.
“I’ve already graduated and I’m getting my master’s, but I’m a football player and I enjoy playing football. If I can make a career out of it, then I definitely will.”
▪ Western Kentucky’s Daewood Davis:
Davis, 6-2, had 63 catches for 872 yards and seven touchdowns for the Hilltoppers last year.
Davis — who attended Somerset Academy in Pembroke Pines — started his career at Oregon, was a receiver initially, then switched to defensive back and caught 10 passes for 102 yards in three seasons there for Mario Cristobal.
He transferred to Western Kentucky after the 2020 season and caught 43 passes for 763 yards (a 17.7 average) in 2021.
And this stands out: He caught 15 touchdowns in 25 games at Western Kentucky.
Draftnetwork.com calls him “a big-play wide receiver that can effectively stretch the field. His speed is instant and sudden; he can reach top speed fairly quickly. He offers versatility as a run threat on reverses and pop passes. Davis finds and settles in the soft spots of zone coverage. There is upside as a run after the catch option.”
RUNNING BACK
▪ BYU’s Chris Brooks:
Brooks, who’s 6-1 and 235 pounds, averaged 4.5 yards per carry in four years at Cal (382 carries) and 6.5 in one season at BYU (130 carries), scoring 20 touchdowns on the ground. He also caught 60 passes for 443 yards and seven touchdowns in his college career.
NFLdraftdiamonds.com calls him a “tough, reliable back who excels as a north-south downhill runner and shows exceptional hands in the passing game. Ordinary athleticism limits his playmaking ability as a receiver and runner due to him struggling to consistently outrun linebackers and defensive backs” with good speed.
QUARTERBACK
▪ Arkansas State and former FSU quarterback James Blackmon:
He will quarterback the team during Miami’s rookie minicamp beginning on May 12 but isn’t much of a pro prospect, and it’s questionable if he will even make it to training camp.
He played four years at FSU, where he had 43 touchdowns and 26 interceptions.
He transferred to Arkansas State after the 2020 season and had eight touchdowns and four interceptions in 2021 and 14 and three last season.
DEFENSIVE LINEMAN
▪ Southern California defensive tackle Brandon Pili:
The Dolphins gave him $100,000 guaranteed, and he has a chance to win the backup nose tackle job, depending in part on the caliber of veteran player signed in the months ahead.
The 6-3, 316-pound Pili missed the 2021 season with a torn Achilles but had 25 tackles, including 2.5 for loss and a sack last season. He had 10 tackles for loss and four sacks in 40 games at USC.
NFLdraftbuzz.com lists these among his strengths: “Shows impressive burst and enough quickness to occasionally threaten the edge as a pass rusher. Played with good leverage, even on the nose, despite average bulk. Hustle defender with a good bull rush inside that can close and get home when quarterbacks leave the pocket. His motor is excellent, and he’s quick to locate the ball and make plays against the run.”
On the flip side, the website said he “lacks closing speed and inconsistent quickness off the snap prevents him from being an elite pass rusher.”
▪ Mississippi State defensive end Randy Charlton:
The 6-3, 265-pounder had 36 tackles, including seven for loss, 16 quarterback pressures and four sacks last season. He played three years at UCF and the past two at Mississippi State, where he had four sacks each of the past two seasons.
NFLdraftbuzz.com said he’s a “strong tackler. Has good power in hands and can anchor, shed, and chase. He’s strong in the upper body and consistently swats away blockers... He’s instinctive, reading, reacting and locating the ball quickly, and finishing plays as an authoritative, wrap-up tackler.”
But the website said he has “neither elite strength nor elite speed, lacks the speed and range to consistently chase down plays in pursuit.”
He has a decent chance to make the practice squad.
▪ UCF defensive tackle Anthony Montalvo:
He’s undersized at 6-foot-1½ and 284 pounds, but he tested well at his Pro Day and has been productive, with 43 tackles, including 6.5 for loss, and two sacks for UCF last season.
He also has 17 career tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries in five seasons at UCF.
He’s facing an uphill climb to stick.
QUICK NOTES
The Houston Texans signed offensive tackle Greg Little, who appeared in 17 games and started seven for the Dolphins last season.
▪ Marshall quarterback Henry Colombi, who attended Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna and Davie University School, received an invitation to Dolphins rookie minicamp next weekend. (He’s not listed among the aforementioned players because he’s believed to be attending on a tryout basis. All of the players mentioned will be under contract and count toward the 90-man roster limit.)
Colombi will reportedly join Blackmon at Miami’s minicamp next weekend.
Colombi played two years at Utah State (where he threw 69 passes), then two years at Texas Tech (where he threw 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions) and then played last season at Marshall, where he threw six touchdowns and four interceptions.
Here’s Part 1 of the series on the Dolphins’ six new rookie offensive linemen.
Here’s Part 2 of the series on the Dolphins’ four new rookie linebackers.
This story was originally published May 5, 2023 at 11:22 AM.
