1 day Ago By Brian Marr, Dolphins Talk
I believe the Miami Dolphins had a better draft than many experts are giving them credit for. The Athletic, for instance, has the Dolphins’ draft class ranked 31st out of 32 teams, with only the Minnesota Vikings trailing them. Pro Football Focus was more kind to the team, giving them a B and praising their selection of Michigan’s defensive linemen Kenneth Grant with the 13th pick.
Overall, the draft class has been ranked middle of the pack or worse, but I believe that it comes down to the team drafting for need and not going out of their way to create a flashy moment. Coming into the draft, the Dolphins had four spots that needed addressing: offensive line, defensive line, cornerback, and safety. The reason for these positions being so dire was obvious.
The defensive line needed upgrading because Calais Campbell signed with the Arizona Cardinals instead of re-signing with the Dolphins. Even if Miami had retained Campbell, he would have only served as a temporary fix; the team’s real issue was that former first-round pick Christian Wilkins left in free agency in 2024 to sign with the Las Vegas Raiders. The team already has the criminally underrated Zach Sieler at defensive tackle.
Sieler has posted 10 sacks in each of the past two seasons. Now, the Dolphins will pair Kenneth Grant with Sieler. Should Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips successfully return from injury in 2025, that would constitute an imposing unit.
The offensive line saw Terron Armstead retire this offseason and homegrown talent Robert Hunt sign with the Carolina Panthers last offseason. To begin to address their glaring need in the trenches, the team traded up with the Las Vegas Raiders for the 37th overall pick to select Arizona’s Johan Savaiinaea, a player who has spent time at guard and tackle during his collegiate career. While some fans thought it was a reach and a waste of resources to trade up from pick 48 to 37, it has since been revealed that the New England Patriots were eyeing Savaiinaea at pick 38.
I believe it’s commendable that the Dolphins identified a player they wanted and didn’t let them slip away. Savaiinaea should prove an essential piece in protecting Tua and keeping him on the field this season. The Dolphins’ secondary has taken an enormous hit heading into 2025.
First, they lost safety Javon Holland in free agency to the New York Giants. Then, just days before the draft, the team announced that it was attempting to move on from Jalen Ramsey . That revelation was shocking given the fact that the team just gave the All-Pro a pay raise in the form of a 3 year $72.
3 million extension last offseason, making Ramsey the highest-paid cornerback in the league. To replace these high-profile players, the team selected Jason Marshall Jr., a cornerback out of Florida.
Marshall Jr. is an experienced player with good size; the biggest knock against him is that he is recovering from a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the final six games of 2024. They also drafted Dante Trader Jr.
out of the University of Maryland, a solid player who should provide depth for the team and, if all goes well, become a starter or at least a valuable contributor. My favorite pick for the team was running back Ollie Gordon II from Oklahoma State. He’s coming off a rough season with the Cowboys, where he only rushed for 880 yards and 13 touchdowns, but in 2023, he had an outrageously good stat line.
Gordon II rushed for 1,732 yards, 21 touchdowns; he added 330 yards in the passing game and another TD. He won the Doak Walker Award as the top running back in college football for his efforts. The potential is there, but what excites me most is his size, 6’2”, 225 pounds.
He should add a tough style of running that the team desperately needed this past season. When I look at this draft class, I admit that it doesn’t blow me away, but at the same time, I struggle to understand the negative chatter that surrounds it. I believe that in a few years, we’ll look back and potentially this class will serve as a reboot of sorts for the franchise—a shift from pursuing the biggest names or flashiest moves towards filling out the roster with sensible picks.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this class, so be sure to leave a comment below the article! For more sports opinions, you can follow me on YouTube @WickedGoodSports and X @TheFakeBMarr This article first appeared on Dolphins Talk and was syndicated with permission..
