Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Keep an eye on Dolphins’ fourth-round selections
The intriguing pair could bring unexpected value
The fourth round is where the draft took an interesting turn for the Miami Dolphins. The fourth round is where the Dolphins decided to forgo a defensive tackle and/or backup quarterback to select a blocking tight end and, the way it looks now, a rotational running back, at best.
It’s where the draft went from practical — Miami selected Alabama safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in the first round, Penn State tight end Mike Gesicki in the second round, and Ohio State linebacker Jerome Baker in the third round — to fanciful.
In the fourth round the Dolphins chose Notre Dame tight end Durham Smythe with the 123rd pick, an adept in-line type with a desire to block, and Arizona State running back Kalen Ballage (pronounced Bah-laaj) with the 131st pick, a big-bodied three-down player because of his passing-game skills.
The first three selections, the most important picks, all made sense.
But the fourth round is where draft opinions could pivot because defensive tackles and backup quarterbacks were available.
If Smythe, and to a lesser extent, Ballage, turn out to be contributors to an offense that struggled last season, the Dolphins get bigtime credit for the foresight and wisdom to upgrade that unit with key pieces, perhaps especially in red-zone or goal-line situations.
But if things go the other way, well, you know that story.
Smythe, who was in a running offense as a senior, figures to play alongside Gesicki and ahead of pass-catching veteran returnees such as MarQueis Gray and A.J. Derby
“The thing with Durham was he’s a really intelligent guy that can play and block at the point of attack and stuff,” offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains said. “I think that both of them are really good players on their own, but I think together, in the rotation of tight ends, they complement each other very well.”
And Smythe, who played in passing offenses early in his college career, can also catch the ball. He had 15 receptions for 244 yards as a senior, an average of 16.3 yards per reception. Six of those 15 receptions went for 20 or more yards, so he’s a blocking tight end with big-play capabilities.
“We based our offensive scheme around running the ball and grinding it out,” Smythe said. “When you run the ball and there’s eight people in the box, every now and then someone can slip behind the defense and really, really extend plays. That’s something that we focused on as a tight end group was being a group there that could provide explosive plays to our offense.”
Ballage, who is powerful and agile at 6 foot 1, 225 pounds, figures to be behind starter Kenyan Drake and Frank Gore. But Loggains, in his first year with the Dolphins after serving as Chicago’s offensive coordinator the previous two years, seems excited about the possibilities with Ballage.
“On third down, you’ve got to be able to protect, to sit in there and block linebackers and do those things and release and catch the ball,” Loggains said. “He’s got all of those traits.”
Ballage, who also returns kickoffs, was used relatively sparingly in college. He’s best-known for an eight-touchdown game against Texas Tech that featured seven rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown.
“What a lot of people don’t know is in that game, I only had 13 carries,” he said. “That’s kind of how it was throughout my college career. I think I had 15 touches that game. That’s kind of how it was throughout my college career.”
But here’s the thing to consider — the Dolphins had draft options aside from Smythe and Ballage.
Miami could have defensive tackles such as R.J. McIntosh (University of Miami), Maurice Hurst (Michigan) or Bilal Nichols (Delaware). Instead, they all went early in the fifth round, McIntosh to the New York Giants at No. 139, Hurst to Oakland at No. 140, and Nichols to Chicago at 145.
Miami could have selected quarterbacks such as Mike White (Western Kentucky), Luke Falk (Washington State), Tanner Lee (Nebraska) or even local product Alex McGough (Florida International University).
White went to Dallas in the fifth round (No. 171), Falk went to Tennessee in the sixth round (No. 199), Lee went to Jacksonville in the sixth round (No. 203), and McGough went to Seattle in the seventh round (No. 220).
Instead of drafting a defensive tackle the Dolphins added veteran Akeem Spence, acquired in a trade with Detroit, to its existing crew of Jordan Phillips, Davon Godchaux, Vincent Taylor and Gabe Wright.
And instead of drafting a backup quarterback, someone who could play immediately if needed and be groomed for the future, they added veteran Bryce Petty, claimed off waivers from the New York Jets, to the existing crew of Brock Osweiler and David Fales.
Usually teams don’t expect a whole lot from fourth-round picks, especially as rookies. This year that’s a little bit different for the Dolphins.