Dolphins Draft Won’t Satisfy Most

The 2025 NFL Draft has now concluded, and everybody can evaluate what every team has done. Fans will look at their teams and will like what their team did or not, or somewhere in between. For the Miami Dolphins fan base, I think it will be mainly in the middle.

They will like some picks, but then they will say you didn’t address this or that. The reality is that teams don’t fill all their needs in the draft because you only have so many picks, teams’ draft boards differ, and some trades can throw things out of whack. 

At the end of the season, general manager Chris Grier said they had to invest in the trenches. I was very critical of Grier last year and at the beginning of this off-season for not getting players to replace Christian Wilkins and Raekwon Davis after they left in free agency. He spent money on older free agents or journeymen, and it backfired. In the days leading up to the draft, he thought he was going to take defensive back Jahade Barron from Texas because Grier values defensive backs, but instead took defensive tackle Kenneth Grant from Michigan.

I don’t just like this pick. I love this pick because Grant is someone we need on the defensive line to complement Zach Seiler. He is 6’4″ and 330lbs, who can push the pocket and be a good run stuffer. He can work on his pass rushing skills, and he can move. Grier stayed to his word to invest in the trenches and on defense, that’s where it all starts up front. People criticized the pick, including Mel Kiper, because he had him rated 30, who cares. Field Yates called it the most confusing pick in the 1st round. Why? 

The Dolphins needed to upgrade their defensive front and get young, and that’s precisely what they did. I understand the feelings about passing on Barron or possibly taking Walter Nolan or Derrick Harmon, but this is a good fit, and who cares where he was rated?  

In the second round, the Dolphins had the 48th pick. Heading into day 2 of the draft, there were good players on the board, but Grier got aggressive and traded up to the 37th pick to select offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea. Grier once again stayed true to his word, investing in the trenches.

Did I like the trade-up?

No, because the Dolphins traded their 3rd-round pick and swapped picks with the Las Vegas Raiders. However, I understood the move because eight offensive linemen were taken in the 1st round, and 10 linemen were considered starters going into this year’s draft, with Savaiinaea being one of them. He is a big, powerful lineman with a nastiness to him that this team needs. Plus, he can play guard and both tackle positions if need be. Grier knew he needed to add some young talent to the offensive line, and he did. Plus, with the trade, he didn’t give up any draft capital in next year’s draft. The Dolphins could have waited till pick 48, but why risk it? I didn’t have a big issue with it, all things considered. The only issue is that it left the Dolphins without a pick for the rest of the night. 

Grier then made another trade in the 4th round, trading out of the round with the Houston Texans and acquiring a 6th-round pick and a 3rd-round pick in next year’s draft. This is a risky move, but I do like adding draft capital in next year’s draft. The Dolphins will have to continue rebuilding the roster in certain areas in the future and must add more talent. 

Grier went to work in the 5th round when he doubled down on the defensive tackle position, adding Jordan Phillips from the University of Maryland.

Again, the theme was invest in the trenches, and this draft was loaded with defensive line talent and felt the Dolphins could double down at the position. Phillips brings another 300lb body to the line and is a good run stuffer. People make a big deal about the fact that he didn’t have any sacks last year.

Look, a lot of defensive tackles don’t get a lot of sacks. They create opportunities for others to get to the quarterback.  

Grier then addressed the secondary with his other two picks in the 5th round with cornerback Jason Marshall and safety Dante Trader. Both players are known for playing on special teams, and that’s where I would expect them to start contributing, but they both could get their opportunities, especially Trader, with the safety position being bare of talent.

Trader can be used in a variety of ways, like him as a deep safety, put him in the box at the line, or as a nickel back at times. Marshall has the physical tools, but not the athleticism, which is fine, and he could develop on the depth chart. 

The Dolphins then took a running back for the 3rd year in a row in the 6th round in Ollie Gordon from Oklahoma State, but unlike the running back from the previous years, Devone Achane and Jaylen Wright, Gordon is a big, brusing running back who can get the tough yardage and pound the defense. That is something that has been missing from this team. The Dolphins needed a bigger physical back. In 2023, Gordon was the Doak Walker award winner with over 1,700 yards rushing, and he can also catch the ball out of the backfield as well as block. However, he had an off year this year, and that could be attributed to several things. His team wasn’t as good; he had about 100 fewer carries, and his offensive line wasn’t very good. Maybe he will be extra motivated. Plus, he loves and feasts off contact. Head coach Mike McDaniel better find a way to use him and get him the ball. Gordon might not play right away, but McDaniel must find a way to use him, especially in short-yardage situations. The Dolphins added another tough player.  

The Dolphins took quarterback Quinn Ewers from Texas in the 7th round. I like the pick because the Dolphins needed to draft a developmental quarterback. Ewers played at Texas in a lot of big games, and yes, he did have good talent, but he left a lot to be desired at times, not coming through in the clutch or making big throws. However, Texas ran a similar offense to what McDaniel runs, and Ewers gets rid of the ball quickly and can throw the ball down the field. Maybe the Dolphins found someone as a backup. 

Then the Dolphins took yet another defensive tackle with their final pick in Zeek Biggers from Georgia Tech, at 6’6″ and 320 lbs. He’s another big body that could develop down the road, and on top of that, he does play special teams and blocked a couple of kicks last year. It didn’t hurt to add another big body in the middle of the defensive line. 

I know there has been a lot of chatter after the draft that the Dolphins didn’t do enough and didn’t draft anyone in the secondary until the 5th round, but the bottom line is that the Dolphins needed to upgrade the trenches on both sides of the ball and add more physical players. If the Dolphins want to shed the finesse label, this could be a start.

The physical style starts up front on both the offensive and defensive lines, not in the secondary. I’ve always believed that a good physical front can help compensate for a lack of talent or help the talent on the back end. The Dolphins also acquired a big, physical running back, which the team has needed and hasn’t had since Jay Ajayi.  The other thing is that teams won’t be able to draft all their needs in the draft for a variety of reasons, such as a lack of draft picks or players going earlier in certain parts of the draft, or whatever.  

The Dolphins are going through a soft rebuild, especially on defense, and they have a lot of holes in certain areas. Plus, they are up against the cap again, and they need to get younger, especially on defense. I know that Jalen Ramsey is likely to be traded, and that’s another talented player lost, but the Dolphins have more talent on the defensive line, and that’s where everything starts. They also have good edge rushers, if healthy, and decent linebackers. I think they could overcome some of those deficiencies.  

The Dolphins got younger on their offensive line and could go through some growing pains, but the additions of James Daniel and Savaiinaea give the line more physicality. Gordon gives the Dolphins a thumper of a running back with an attitude. If the Dolphins are going to shed the finesse label and become more physical, then you need to add more big, physical players with attitude. This was a meat-and-potatoes draft. It won’t win you style points, but it was necessary for this team.