Dolphins fill needs, avoid mortgaging future for QB
Fourth-round pick from Notre Dame mainly a blocker.
Top pick Minkah Fitzpatrick, a safety from Alabama, was great value at No. 11, Jason Lieser says.
DAVIE — The Dolphins took tight end seriously in this year’s NFL draft after a few years of struggling at the position.
They took Notre Dame tight end Durham Smythe in the fourth round Saturday at No. 123 overall and will pair him with Penn State’s Mike Gesicki, who they chose 42nd overall on Friday.
Smythe, 6-feet-5, 253 pounds, has been credited as one of the better blocking tight ends in this year’s class, which will be particularly important for Miami if veteran Anthony Fasano does not return. Fasano, who also played at Notre Dame, was someone Smythe studied on film as he developed in college.
While Ge s icki is a basketball-style athlete who the team hopes will become a huge factor in the passing game, Smythe was brought in to fill a different role. In 22 career games at Notre Dame, he caught 28 passes for 381 yards and six touchdowns.
Gesicki and Smythe have a chance to be Miami’s top two tight ends going into the season. Prior to the draft, the team had four players at the position who have yet to prove themselves as viable contributors in the passing game. A.J. Derby would have been the likely starter and he has 37 career catches.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins also picked Arizona State running back Kalen Ballage, Southern Miss cornerback Cornell Armstrong, Ohio linebacker Quentin Poling and New Mexico kicker Jason Sanders on the final day of the draft.
Smythe wore No. 80 for the Irish, as did Fasano.
“He’s a guy I have watched a lot my last four years,” Smythe said of Fasano. “I try to do everything like him.”
Like Fasano, Smythe spoke about taking pride in his blocking. He was the point of attack at Notre Dame. He’s an old-school, in-line player.
Smythe does not have blazing speed and he has not been asked to catch many passes, though surely coach Adam Gase will suggest he is a better receiver than advertised.
Gesicki and Smythe were Senior
Bowl teammates.
“Awesome guy,” Smythe said of Gesicki. “Great dude. Loves football.”
Ballage was chosen with the fourth-round pick obtained from Philadelphia in the Jay Ajayi trade.
Ballage, 6-2, 228, has run the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds, brings power and speed and can return kicks and play all areas of special teams. He once scored eight touchdowns in a game against Texas Tech.
“In my opinion, there are not 130 better players and definitely not 11 better running backs,” Ballage said Saturday, after being picked. “It’s fuel to the fire and motivation for me and I’m just excited about the opportunity.”
Ballage said he considers himself “raw” because he’s had four running backs coaches and three offensive coordinators. He compared his skill set to Cardinals running back David Johnson.
According to scouting reports, Ballage is very strong and has good hands, but runs upright and needs to improve his decisiveness. Ballage provides some insurance behind emerging Kenyan Drake and veteran Frank Gore at running back.
Armstrong, 5-11, 180, was taken with the 209th overall selection, the 35th pick of the sixth round, which Miami acquired in a trade with Kansas City.
Armstrong was named an All-Conference USA honorable mention in 2017 but didn’t appear as a prospect on several draft sites. NFL. com did not have a draft profile compiled on him.
He said he models his game after Bucs cornerback Brent Grimes, an ex-Dolphin.
“Not too big, just a feisty guy,” he said.
Besides double-dipping at tight end, the Dolphins also took a second linebacker when they made Poling their first pick in the seventh round.
Poling is a 6-foot, 235-pounder who was hugely disruptive at Ohio. He got significant playing time right away and piled up 43.5 tackles for loss over four seasons. Last year, he had 163 tackles, five sacks, five pass breakups and two fumble recoveries.
Third-round pick Jerome Baker and Poling join a linebacker crew that has few certainties beyond the fact that Raekwon McMillan and Kiko Alonso will be starters.
Miami used its second seventh-round pick on Sanders, who will replace Cody Parkey, who signed with Chicago as a free agent.
“I knew there were interested,” Sanders said Saturday. “I met with the whole staff, including (special teams) Coach (Darren) Rizzi.”
Sanders said he brings confidence to the game. “I’ve always believed anything under 50 (yards) should be 100 percent,” he said.
Sanders made 111 of 112 extra-points and 25 of 35 field goals in his college career.
General manager Chris Grier said the Dolphins really trust Rizzi to make a judgment on the kickers. Executive Vice President Mike Tannenbaum said Miami probably will bring in a veteran kicker to compete with Sanders.