Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Dolphins top 10
Columnist Omar Kelly looks to the team’s future.
The Miami Dolphins are embarking on a youth movement, investing in the team’s stable of youngsters with the hopes early playing time will produce a favorable return.
On offense, Kenyan Drake will be given an opportunity to prove he can be a featured back. DeVante Parker is entering his third season as a starting receiver, and the offensive line features three potential starters who are 26 years old or younger.
Defensively, the Dolphins have invested two first-round picks and two secondround picks on players they believe will eventually serve as the cornerstone of their defense.
Here is a look at 10 Dolphins whose development could transform the franchise into a perennial playoff team:
Tailback Kenyan Drake (age 24) –
Late last season Drake showed he possesses everything needed to become a featured back in the NFL, justifying why the Dolphins made the Alabama backup the third back selected in the 2016 NFL draft. It’s unrealistic to think that Drake can maintain his 5.0 yards per carry average, but the fact that he’s a big play threat every time he touches the football should take some pressure of Miami’s passing game. There are only two concerns regarding Drake and that’s durability and maturity, but if he follows Frank Gore’s lead both could be a factor this season.
Receiver DeVante Parker (age 25) –
Parker, who has caught 139 passes for 1,908
yards and scored eight touchdowns throughout his three seasons, hasn’t lived up to his first-round stats because of injuries, which have slowed him down each season. But the talent to be an elite receiver who can change a game is there. If Parker, who averages 13.7 yards per reception, can stay healthy long enough to develop chemistry with Ryan Tannehill, Miami’s passing game might takeoff. Offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil (age 23) – While the Dolphins’ 2016 first-round pick has been a two-year starter at both guard and tackle, Tunsil hasn’t been a stabilizing force on Miami’s offensive line. His 2017 season at left tackle, the position he played in college at Ole Miss, was plagued by sacks (six) and penalties (12). The hope is that Tunsil will improve in his second season protecting the quarterback’s blindside, and that Josh Sitton’s presence at guard will help stabilize the left side of the offensive line.
Offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James (age 26) – James, the Dolphins’ 2014 first-round pick, has been a reliable, consistent presence at right tackle for four seasons – when healthy. He’s usually not a problem, but only had one season (2016) where his performance was better than average. James, who will likely become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, could be a run-blocking force if he does a better job of getting to the second level.
Defensive tackle Davon Godchaux (age 23) – Godchaux put together a respectable rookie season, contributing 40 tackles and forcing one fumble in the 15 games he played. The former LSU standout will likely be called to start more than the five games he started last season, and handle 700-plus snaps in Miami’s defensive tackle rotation. The hope is that he’ll stay healthy, continue to blossom,
and produce his first NFL sack, and much more.
Inside linebacker Raekwon McMillan (age 22) – The Dolphins hope the return of McMillan, who spent last season on injured reserve rehabbing an ACL he tore in his right knee on his first NFL snap in the exhibition season, will address the team’s weakest unit. McMillan, a 2017 second-round pick, will serve as the defense’s playcaller, and must prove that he has the size to disengage and the range to be effective in coverage. Cornerback Xavien
Howard (age 24) – Howard has the size, speed, and footwork to become an elite cornerback, and he teased Dolphins fans late last season with back-toback two interception games. But Howard, Miami’s 2016 second-round pick, hasn’t yet shown the consistently needed to be viewed as a shutdown cornerback. He’s best utilized in press coverage, so it would be ideal for defensive coordinator Matt Burke to build a coverage scheme that plays to his strengths. Offensive guard Jesse Davis (age 26) – Davis’ transformation from former practice squad player to full-time starter has the potential to make him the biggest hidden gem the Dolphins have discovered since safety Yeremiah Bell’s rise to prominence.
Davis, who started 10 games at guard and tackle last season, will hopefully settle into the starting right guard spot and become a reliable pass blocker and surge creator for the run game. Defensive end Charles Harris (age 23) – Despite what Miami officials say Harris, the Dolphins’ 2017 first-round pick, had a disappointing rookie season (19 tackles and two sacks) because he wasn’t a factor on a defense that produced the sixth-fewest sacks last season. At this point Harris is behind Cameron Wake, Robert Quinn, Andre Branch and William Hayes on the defensive end depth chart. He’s a hard worker, so it’s possible that changes by September. Free safety Minkah
Fitzpatrick (age 21) – The Dolphins’ 2018 first-round pick appears to be a quick study, which explains why he’s corralled a few interceptions during Miami’s OTA practices the past two weeks while working with the second-team defense. If his development continues, Fitzpatrick could eventually push T.J. McDonald for the starting safety spot opposite Reshad Jones. Miami’s defense needs more turnovers, and that was Fitzpatrick’s specialty (nine interceptions and two forced fumbles in three seasons) in college.