The majority of Dolphins’ draft picks should contribute as rookies
DAVIE — The Miami Dolphins talked up quarterbacks for months and left the NFL draft without selecting one.
Miami had a glaring need at defensive tackle, but didn’t use one of the team’s eight draft picks on that critical position to address the departure of Ndamukong Suh. And for the first time in franchise history the Dolphins didn’t select an offensive lineman in the draft.
What the Dolphins did do was select a safety they hope will become a rookie starter, a pair of tight ends they feel complement each other well, and a pair of athletic linebackers who have the potential to eventually help the team’s most troublesome unit on defense.
Take a look at what the Dolphins’ eight draft picks bring to the team, and what their roles could be as rookies:
First round (pick No. 11) – Alabama’s Minkah Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick played cornerback and safety during his college career, and won the Bednarik Award as the best defensive player in college football, and the Thorpe Award as the best defensive back in 2017. He has the speed, size and athleticism to play both in the NFL, but will be used as a free safety in Miami. The Dolphins hope he can unseat T.J. McDonald for the starting spot opposite Reshad Jones, which would allow McDonald to become a nickel package linebacker. Fitzpatrick pulled down nine career interceptions and returned four of them for touchdowns at Alabama, so the hope is that he can improve Miami’s total of nine interceptions in 2017.
Second round (pick No. 42) – Penn State tight end Mike Gesicki
Gesicki is a phenomenal athlete who has a prototypical blend of size (6-6, 252), long arms (34 inches), speed (4.54 in the 40-yard dash) and athleticism. He doesn’t possess the strength to create movement as an in-line blocker, and his limitations as a blocker means his presence on the field will telegraph the offense’s intentions. But Gesicki should have an impact right way as a flexed-out pass catcher. Gesicki’s main competition for the role is A.J. Derby, who the Dolphins added late last season, and MarQueis Gray, a role player for the past two seasons.
Third round (pick No. 73) – Ohio State linebacker Jerome Baker
Baker’s blend of speed (4.53 in the 40-yard dash) and strength (22 reps of 225 pounds) is rare, and indicates that he could be a starting weakside linebacker in a 4-3 scheme in time. He led the Buckeyes with 72 tackles (eight for loss) 3.5 sacks, and three pass breakups in 13 starts, and will be reuniting with former fellow Buckeye Raekwon McMillan, the Dolphins’ 2017 secondround pick, who he started alongside in 2016. Baker’s viewed as a coverage specialist because of his impressive speed and range. But his run defense needs work. He’ll compete with Stephone Anthony, Chase Allen and Terence Garvin for a role as one of the three linebackers in Miami’s base defense.
Fourth round (pick No. 123) – Notre Dame tight end Durham Smythe
Smythe’s talent as a run blocker should create an opportunity for him to become a rookie starter, but his playing time will likely be package based, which makes him the ideal complementary piece for Mike Gesicki, the Dolphins’ second-round pick. Smythe caught 28 passes for 381 yards and scored six touchdowns in four seasons at Notre Dame. He’s a decent route runner and it’s possible that he can become a reliable pass catcher in the mold of Anthony Fasano. He’ll likely compete with Gavin Escobar for the in-line tight end role.
Fourth round (pick No. 131) – Arizona State tailback Kalen Ballage
Ballage has great size (6-2, 228), impressive speed (4.46 in the 40-yard dash) and soft hands, which helped him catch 82 passes for 684 yards and two touchdowns. He was never utilized as a featured back at Arizona State, which explains why he never rushed for 1,000 yards in a season in his four years at ASU. But Ballage averaged 4.4 yards per carry and scored 29 touchdowns in his 47 games He’ll compete with Senorise Perry and Brandon Radcliff for the role as Kenyan Drake and Frank Gore’s backup. He could also push to be Miami’s kickoff returner since that’s a role he handled in college.
Sixth round (pick No. 209) – Southern Mississippi cornerback Cornell Armstrong
Armstrong recorded 146 tackles, five interceptions and forced one fumble in his four-year career at Southern Mississippi. He missed three games his senior season with an injury, but still managed to contribute 22 tackles and two interceptions. According to ProFootballFocus.com, he allowed 17 receptions on 46 targets in 2017. Armstrong posted a 39-inch vertical and ran a 4.43 40-yard dash at his pro day. He’s likely competing with Jordan Lucas and Walt Aikens for one of the final defensive backs spots in the 53-man roster, and will need to excel as a gunner on special teams.
Seventh round (pick No. 227) – Ohio linebacker Quentin Poling
Poling had 373 tackles, 18 sacks, seven interceptions and forced five fumbles during his four seasons as a starter for Ohio. He had an impressive total of 43.5 career tackles for loss, which shows he has the intelligence to diagnose plays before they develop. He ran a 4.58 40-yard dash with a 38-inch vertical leap and a 10-foot-7 broad jump, which indicates that he’s a pretty good athlete. He’ll likely be competing with Mike Hull and Chase Allen for the role as Raekwon McMillan’s backup, and will need to excel on special teams to make the 53-man roster.
Seventh round (pick No. 229) – New Mexico kicker Jason Sanders
Sanders connected on 25 of his 35 career attempts in his three seasons as the Lobos kicker, and had a career-long of 53 yards. Last season, Sanders made 10-of-15 field goals and all 28 of his extra point attempts. He was 2 of 3 on field goals from 50-yards or longer last season, and four of his misses were from 40-yards or longer. He’s the only kicker the Dolphins brought in for a 30 visit to the team’s Davie facility, but he’ll likely be competing with an undrafted rookie for the job during training camp and the exhibition season.