It's not much of a secret that the Miami Dolphins could stand to upgrade their tight end room. As it turns out, one of the top tight end prospects of the NFL Draft would like to be a part of that upgrade.
Texas tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders met with the media at the NFL Combine on Thursday, and he was not shy about his interest in playing for the Dolphins.
"I would love to be in there," when asked about being in Miami's system. "I would have success. They would set me up for success. I'd love to be a Miami Dolphin."
Sanders met with Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, and what Sanders had gathered about him on TV turned out to be real for the young tight end in person.
"It was great meeting Mike McDaniel. You know how you're seeing him on TV. He's a real cool guy. Laid back guy. He's like that in person, so it was a great experience meeting him and talking to them."
Sanders is considered by many outlets to be the second-best tight end in the draft behind Georgia's Brock Bowers. Sanders is a useful weapon in a downfield passing game, as evidenced by his 15.2 yards per catch last year for the Longhorns.
While the Dolphins haven't used the tight end relatively much in McDaniel's first two seasons, one has to wonder if that's about the players in the building as much as the choice of strategy. According to Sanders, he can provide that downfield element in an NFL passing game.
"They like my vertical passing ability. They can see I can have success at the next level, but I definitely need to work on my run blocking to be a true tight end at the next level for sure."
Sanders is projected to be a late first or second round pick by many outlets. It seems early for the Dolphins to take a tight end at 21, so perhaps he could be a second-round target.
Regardless, adding a playmaker at a position lacking one is something at least worth thinking about.
More must-reads: