Kelly: Dolphins pay steep price to land one of draft’s elite guards
Imagine the conviction one must have in a player to trade away two of your more valuable assets in the 2025 NFL draft to get him?
The Miami Dolphins are either convinced that Jonah Savaiinaea is the player that can transform last year’s most disappointing unit, or so desperate they’d rather take one solid NFL player - who could likely become a rookie starter - instead of taking a shot at getting three.
Let’s hope, pray it was conviction that motivated Miami to trade away a third, and fourth round pick to move up 11 spots in the second round to select Savaiinaea with the 37th pick, making him the fifth selection in the second round.
“This is a player we’re very convicted on for what he can add,” general manager Chris Grier said moments after making the trade and pick, ending his second day hours earlier than expected. “His size, his power. He’s got versatility. He’s played tackle and guard. He’s an athletic kid.
“We spent time getting to know him and he’s the right type of guy for us. He loves ball and is very competitive.”
Miami also acquired Las Vegas’ fifth round (137th) in the exchange, which means they subsequently swapped a fourth for a fifth.
The Raiders walked away winning the trade by two points, which is the equivalent of a seventh round selection. That means it was like leaving your change at the register.
However, the Dolphins now have one less pick, and one less shot at landing a premium player in this draft.
Is there a price too steep to possibly, finally, address the weak interior of Miami’s offensive line, which has been a problem for this franchise for more than a decade, with two exceptions (the 2016 and 2023 season)?
“Setting the pocket for protection is something he is very, very skilled at,” coach Mike McDaniel said. “The idea of adding not only a fierce competitor, but someone who plays with a tonality of violence and aggression, that’s something Chris and I talked with length about how many people can fit that bill.”
The first two days of the 2025 draft, the selection of nose tackle Kenneth Grant, and Savaiinaea serve as proof the Dolphins are laboring to change the team’s DNA.
McDaniel and Grier are clearly working to shed the soft, finesse reputation this team has, and walking away with one of the premium offensive linemen in this draft was critical to achieving that goal.
Heading into the draft it was universally understood there were 10 offensive lineman capable of becoming day one starters if their health wasn’t a factor.
With eight of them selected on the first day, all that was left was Savaiinaea, and a mystery player I have yet to identify because just about everyone I respected provided a different name.
There’s no position Grier has struggled with in the draft more than offensive linemen.
With the exception of Laremy Tunsil, who was a gift from the bong Gods during the 2016 NFL draft, Grier’s history of drafting offensive linemen has been hit or miss.
Isaac Asiata (2017), Michael Deiter (2019), Solomon Kindley (2020), Larnel Coleman (2021), and Ryan Hayes (2023) were all draftees that fizzled out, making quick exits off the Dolphins roster.
Outside of Tunsil, Robert Hunt was Grier’s biggest draft hit when it comes to offensive linemen, but he left the franchise for a $100 million contract with the Carolina Panthers.
Austin Jackson struggled early, but has turned into a solid NFL starter the past two seasons, and the story of Liam Eichenberg hasn’t concluded. But it’s doubtful Miami still views the 2021 second-round pick as a starter based on the struggles he’s had as a 52-game starter, and how little Miami re-signed him for as a free agent.
Savaiinaea is penciled in as Eichenberg’s replacement at whatever interior spot free agent addition James Daniels doesn’t play. And more than likely his new job will be to help create a clean pocket for Tua Tagovailoa, and it’s a job the fellow Polynesian takes seriously.
“As soon as I saw the Florida number I thought Tua,” said Savaiinaea, who went to the same Hawaii high school as Tagovailoa, attending Saint Louis High School in Honolulu.
Savaiinaea and Tagovailoa have met at the 2022 Polynesian Bowl, and much like Tagovailoa, Savaiinaea prides himself on representing American Somoan, and the Polynesian culture.
“I’ve only blocked for Polynesian quarterbacks in my career. God doesn’t make mistakes.”
When it comes to the 2025 draft, and this trade, let’s just hope that’s the case because it likely will dictate everyone in the organization’s fate.
This story was originally published April 25, 2025 at 10:16 PM.
