Dolphins Rookie Stock Report After Week 4

The Miami Dolphins got their first win of the season Monday night, but how did the team’s rookie class perform? 

Just like every week, we’ve reviewed the group’s tape to see just how well or poorly they played in Week 4. Miami’s rookie class had high expectations coming into the season, but has been off to a mostly slow start. 

Let’s see if anyone started to turn things around against the Jets. 

Kenneth Grant 

Week 3: Slight Stock Down 

Week 4: Stock Down

If you only watched the Jets’ first drive, you’d probably think Grant had one of the worst games he could have. He was getting flat-out bullied to start the game, and even crashed into his own guy on a designed stunt. 

That said, Grant played better after that first drive. He blew up one running play in the second half with his quickness and had a few nice bull rushes. 

It’s good to see Grant not completely bottom out after a rough start, but he wasn’t an impact player Monday. He’s still too high with his pad level, and his athletic profile just isn’t popping up consistently. 

Grant probably hasn’t been as bad as some would have you believe, but he hasn’t been good either. 

Jonah Savaiinaea 

Week 3: Stock Down 

Week 4: Stock Down

It’s been quite the struggle for Savaiinaea this season. He was OK in Week 1 against the Colts, but it’s been all downhill since then. 

His Week 4 was par for the course at this point. He’s a respectable run blocker with clear strength and toughness, allowing him to generate some push up front. He’s a tad inconsistent in the way he frames blocks, but that’s where he’s done the best work. 

On the other hand, his pass protection remains a mess. He’s losing right off the snap way too often, as he remains inaccurate with his first punch and unbalanced. He’s an easy mark for opposing defensive linemen right now, and it’s causing a lot of problems for Tua Tagovailoa and the passing game as a whole. 

Savaiinaea deserves a good grace period, and I’m skeptical that his issues would be fixed on the bench. He needs to get used to NFL speed, and that happens on the field. 

Still, it’s been a rough start for the second-round pick. 

Jordan Phillips

Week 3: Slight Stock Down 

Week 4: No Movement 

Phillips played a season-low 16 snaps Monday night, while Matthew Butler saw an increase in snaps. Butler isn’t a 1-to-1 replacement for Phillips, so take that with a grain of salt, but it’s worth keeping an eye on. 

As for Phillips’ play, he also struggled on the Jets’ opening drive. He did at least flash into the backfield on one play, but couldn’t make the play. Other than that, it wasn’t a banner start for the rookie. 

Like Grant, I thought Phillips settled in for the most part. He stacked a bunch of his 1-on-1 reps and made a nice shed and tackle on a 5-yard carry. There was one rep where he got blocked to the ground, but it was clear that he slipped and lost his footing. 

This hasn’t been Phillips’ best stretch, but the traits of a starting nose tackle are still present. 

Dante Trader Jr. 

Week 3: No Movement

Week 4: No Movement

Trader’s snap count took another dip Monday. He played just nine defensive snaps against the Jets, down from 12 against Buffalo and from his peak of 20 in Week 1. 

The safety wasn’t tested much in coverage during his nine reps, but he did miss an open-field tackle on Garrett Wilson on a short catch. The only reason Trader doesn’t get a stock down designation is that he recovered a fumble on special teams. 

Ollie Gordon II 

Week 3: Stock Up 

Week 4: No Movement

Gordon’s numbers were not good Monday night. He had 10 yards on just six carries, which definitely makes him a candidate for a stock down designation. 

That said, the tape shows that Gordon wasn’t given much of a chance on his runs. His longest run was 7 yards, and it came courtesy of Patrick Paul and Jonah Savaiinaea moving bodies. 

Otherwise, there wasn’t much there for him on his other carries. He might have had some room on one carry in the third quarter, but he slipped and fell before he could get going. 

There’s no need to panic about Gordon’s performance. He’s still running hard, but the blocking just wasn’t there for him Monday.