Five Guard Prospects for the Dolphins

The guard position has been an eyesore on the Miami Dolphins offensive line for a few years. Last year, Liam Eichenberg and Robert Jones took most of the snaps at guard and did not play well at any point in the season.

Both players are impending free agents, meaning the Dolphins have a huge need at guard, whether they bring back Jones or Eichenberg. The 2025 NFL Draft will afford the Dolphins a few good options to upgrade the guard spot, and the team’s 10 picks mean they’ll have ample opportunity to do so.

With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of five guards who might fit what the Dolphins are looking for. This is a difficult exercise this year because the “guard” class is filled with a lot of players who were tackles in college.

For example, most analysts' top interior offensive lineman is LSU’s Will Campbell, who played zero guard snaps in three seasons with the Tigers.

That forced us to make a few judgment calls for this list, which means leaving off popular Dolphins selections like Oregon’s Josh Conerly Jr. and Texas’ Kelvin Banks, who could play guard but will likely be viewed as tackles.

Top Guard Prospects for Dolphins

Armand Membou, Missouri

Membou is one of those judgment calls, as he played zero guard snaps in college but started two seasons at right tackle for the Tigers. Whether he plays guard or tackle likely will come down to the scheme, but we think he can reach a higher ceiling as a guard for the Dolphins.

He’s a good athlete who excels in close-quarter combat with heavy hands, good strength, and solid leg drive. Simply put, Membou is a people mover in the running game. He’s got the strength to create holes early in reps by uprooting defensive linemen out of their gaps.

Membou is also a solid athlete, which is extra important for a Dolphins team that wants to run a lot of outside zone concepts.

In pass protection, Membou shows the foot speed to mirror speed rushers and the anchor to handle power rushers. Maintaining the integrity of the pocket is extra important for the Dolphins Tua Tagovailoa is a shorter, injury-prone quarterback.

If Membou does lose in pass protection, it’ll be because he missed his first punch, not because he was pushed back directly into Tua’s lap right off the snap.

Membou is one of the few players with enough athletic ability to run Miami’s outside zone scheme and give the team some much-needed physicality on the interior.

Current Round Projection: Top 15 Overall

Grey Zabel, North Dakota State

Zabel played left tackle at North Dakota State last season but has taken 363 career snaps at guard, and that’s where he lined up when he dominated the Senior Bowl last month. 

The former FCS prospect’s calling card is power and aggressiveness, which translate wonderfully to the running game. Zabel’s tape is filled with him driving defenders off the line of scrimmage and downfield. He’s also quite good at turning defenders out of gaps to seal off rushing lanes on zone concepts.

Zabel’s pass protection is rough around the edges on tape, but he showed a lot of improvement in Mobile, Alabama, last month. He spent the entire Senior Bowl winning 1-on-1 pass protection reps. He showed impressive strength to maintain the pocket, great footwork to mirror pass-rush moves, and the tenacity to finish plays to the ground.

Like Membou, Zabel is athletic enough to operate Miami’s outside zone scheme. Although that might not be his best fit, having Zabel in the lineup would incentivize the Dolphins to vary their running game.

The Dolphins need to get tougher in the middle of the offensive line, and Zabel would be the perfect player to begin that process.

Current Round Projection: Early 2nd

Donovan Jackson, Ohio State

Jackson has steadily risen up draft boards after Ohio State’s national championship run. He took over for starting left tackle Josh Simmons halfway through the season after playing the first 2.5 years of his career at guard.

His left tackle tape got off to a rough start against Penn State’s Abdul Carter. Still, Jackson got better each week, culminating in an impressive series of performances during the College Football Playoffs.

Despite his strong tackle play at the end of the 2024 season, Jackson could be considered a potential starting guard. He can move defense linemen off the line of scrimmage and does an excellent job working double teams with his teammates. He plays with a physical mentality that matches his strengths as a run blocker, too.

As a pass protector, Jackson has the athletic ability to match rushers, but his strike timing and hand placement make him an easy target for experienced pass rushers. He tends to just throw his hands without much thought about where they should go.

Jackson’s ceiling seems a little bit higher at guard. He’s still a little heavy-footed when dealing with speed rushers at tackle, and for the Dolphins specifically, he would likely grade out as an above-average athlete at guard.

Current Round Projection: Late 1st - Early 2nd

Jonah Savaiinaea, Arizona

Savaiinaea is another tackle convert some teams will view as a guard. The transition could be easier for Savaiinaea since he logged 790 snaps at right guard in 2022 before splitting time between left and right tackle in his remaining two seasons.

Savaiinaea is another mauler who does his best work in the running game. He has the right mentality, size, and disposition to enforce his will on opposing defensive lines, clearing running lanes with vertical push.

The biggest issue with projecting Savaiinaea to the Dolphins is how he fits their scheme. The Arizona product would transition much better to a gap scheme than a zone one. He’s not a bad athlete, but that’s not where his strengths are.

If the Dolphins draft Savaiinaea, they’ll need to commit to running less outside zone. That would likely benefit the team, but that change would ripple into other position groups. For example, center Aaron Brewer wouldn’t fit that scheme change, nor would running back De’Von Achane.

That’s not to say the Dolphins would have to overhaul the entire scheme to accommodate Savaiinaea. In an ideal world, Savaiinaea would allow Miami to run just enough power/gap concepts to keep defense off balance while still being a primary outside-zone team.

However, finding that balance is tricky, especially for a team that needs improved guard play immediately.

Current Round Projection: 2nd

Tate Ratledge, Georgia

Ratledge is the only player on this list who didn’t play any tackle snaps in college.

He has played a lot of football (2,068 snaps in three seasons) and performed many different responsibilities during his time with Georiga. He blocked all kinds of varying pressure stunts and ran almost every type of run concept you could imagine.

Ratledge is a sturdy, experienced pass protector with the length and strength to hold up well at the NFL level. He does a good job leveraging his strength to stun opposing rushers, and he’s got the length to lock them out as needed.

Although Ratledge projects as a functional player in just about any scheme, he’s only a modest athlete, meaning his projection to Miami’s outside zone scheme is a little murky. Still, he would likely be a better fit than someone like Savaiinaea.

Ratledge also lacks developmental upside. He doesn’t project as a player who will dominate and consistently improve every season. Ratledge checks a lot of boxes, but outside of power, nothing on the physical traits side excites you about him becoming a stalwart member of an offensive line.

However, it’s hard to deny the appeal of an NFL-ready player for the Dolphins.

Current Round Projection: 2nd

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