2 weeks Ago
Miami Dolphins fans clamoring for offensive line help got their wish in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft, though it came at an extra cost. The Dolphins selected guard/tackle Jonah Savaiinaea from Arizona with the 37th overall pick after making a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders. The full trade had the Dolphins acquiring that 37th overall pick, the fifth of the second round, along with a fifth-round pick (143rd overall) for the Dolphins' second- (48th), third-round (98th) and one of their two fourth-round picks (135th).
Savaiiinaea is projected as a guard in the NFL and it certainly would stand to reason he would be a starter as a rookie in 2025. That would complete a starting offensive line of, from left, tackle Patrick Paul, guard James Daniels, center Aaron Brewer, Savaiinaea and tackle Austin Jackson. This is the second time in five drafts the Dolphins moved up in the second round to select an offensive lineman, the previous trade involving the move up to select Liam Eichenberg with the 42nd overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.
SAVAIINAEA'S DRAFT PROFILE Savaiinaea was projected as a second- or third-round pick by NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein. This is what Zierlein wrote about Savaiinaea: "Durable three-year starter who is built like a right guard but has valuable protection experience as a collegiate tackle.
Savaiinaea doesn’t have the athleticism to stick at right tackle in the NFL, but can play there in a pinch with some help. He’s very wide and can engulf smaller opponents as a base blocker while sealing off double teams and down blocks. His feet often deaden on contact, creating opportunities for defenders to leak through his edges in both the run and pass games.
Savaiinaea’s size works to his advantage and he could become a serviceable starting guard in time." Savaiinaea started 36 games at Arizona, playing at right guard in 2022, right guard and right tackle in 2023 and left tackle and right tackle last season. He was a team captain.
Savaiinaea became the fifth offensive lineman the Dolphins have selected in one of the first two rounds in the past six drafts, following Austin Jackson and Robert Hunt in 2020, Eichenberg in 2021 and Patrick Paul in 2024..
