Miami’s 3 good choices
Top draft picks closing in on starting spots
DAVIE — Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki hardly has a rookie mindset.
He had one goal the moment he was drafted with the No. 42 pick in the second round earlier this year.
He wanted to be a starter when the season began. So far, he’s on pace to achieve that. He is one of three potential first-year starters, joining linebacker Jerome Baker and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
“You’re not coming out here every day just to be a backup or anything like that,” Gesicki said. “But at the same time, you have to come out here with the right mindset, right attitude and just put your best foot forward and then let everything else fall where it may.”
The 6-foot-6, 245-pound Gesicki gives the Dolphins an added dimension, especially in the red zone because of his height. Coach Adam Gase said his presence could also benefit the running game.
“It just gives us options,” Gase said. “Really, it kind of goes on the defense of how they are going to play us, and then we kind of have to react to that.”
Like Gesicki, Fitzpatrick has been an impact rookie since his arrival. He has impressed mostly with a high football IQ and physicality. With the exception of ad- justing to a higher level, the transition has been smooth. It was expected the moment Gase received a text message from running back Kenyan Drake when they drafted Fitzpatrick in the first round.
Drake and Fitzpatrick played one season together at Alabama.
“Drake texted me and goes, ‘You
have a guy that’s a pro before he’s a pro. When he came in as a freshman, we all thought he was different because of the way he acted, the way he carried himself, the way he studied, the way he learned things. We always just thought he was so much older than what he was,’ ” Gase said. “I think it’s been the same thing here. He’s up here late and he’s here early. He’s always doing something and it’s all football.”
Fitzpatrick said the rookie learning curve was accelerated because of cornerback Bobby McCain, who has been one of Fitzpatrick’s biggest mentors.
“I just watch what he does,” Fitzpatrick said. “That’s how I learn. I don’t want to ask him too many questions. I ask questions when I need to, but I learn just by watching him, observing him and seeing what he does. I just model off of that and learn from what he does as well as what he messes up on.
“The same goes for him. He watches me and he’ll correct me. He’ll say ‘Mink, you could’ve done this a little better. You could’ve done that a little better.’ So, just learning from him and him telling me what I’m doing wrong or what I can do better, that’s it.”
With Baker battling for a starting spot, the Dolphins are proving they made the right decisions with their first three picks. Baker, a third-rounder out of Ohio State, is expected to start alongside former college teammate Raekwon McMillan and Kiko Alonso.
Although undersized, the 6-foot-1, 225-pound Baker has benefited from the guidance of his experienced teammates.
“I lean on them as much as I can, and they all give me the same answer: just focus on this play, on this play, on this play and after practice,” Baker said. “That’s pretty much my approach every day. I look at it as one rep, get better, get better, get better and at the end of the day, I look over it. I try not to think ahead; I try not to think of the past too much. … I know it’s kind of cliché, but that’s honestly what I do: just focus on this play and don’t worry about nothing else.”