Rookies must hit playbooks
This weekend’s minicamp is players’ first introduction to life in the NFL.
With the Dolphins’ recent draft class reporting for rookie minicamp today, they’ll need an iPad more than shoulder pads.
The first step toward securing a spot on the roster will take place indoors as 20 rookies dive into a playbook they’ll need to nail down by the time Miami hits the field for organized team activities in two weeks.
The goals are incremental, starting with sim-
ply proving they’re serious enough about this opportunity to stick around for the four weeks of offseason practices. After that it’s earning the right to stay for training camp in July, when the real competition for jobs begins. The 85-90 players Miami has in camp will scrap for 53 spots.
Of the 20 players expected in Davie this week, only the first five draft picks can reasonably assume anything about their future. Players picked in the sixth or seventh round, along with the dozen undrafted free agents, have nothing close to guarantees.
As the rookie class begins its venture into this new world — going from college star to that guy who carries Cameron Wake’s pads off the field — here’s the outlook for the eight players Miami drafted last month:
Minkah Fitzpatrick, safety, first round
As good as he is and as much as everyone raves about him being pro-ready, Fitzpatrick is no guarantee to knock T.J. McDonald out of the starting lineup. McDonald is 27 and looked good enough a year ago that Miami gave him a four-year, $24 million extension before he played a game. The test run of him and Jones on the back end didn’t go smoothly, and he’ll probably show up to OTAs ready to prove himself again.
The key for Fitzpatrick is to learn quickly and show versatility. The more he can do, the more defensive coordinator Matt Burke will look for places to get him on the field.
Mike Gesicki, tight end, second round
Gesicki is the most likely player in this draft class to earn a starting job, and the Dolphins are banking on him doing so. They have no one like him at the position. He was drafted to be the receiving threat this roster is missing at tight end, and his physical ability should be overwhelming compared to his competitors on the depth chart.
Route-running is the No. 1 job for Gesicki. If he is reliably in the right spots for Ryan Tannehill during offseason practices, it bodes well for his role in the offense going forward.
Jerome Baker, linebacker, third round
As thin as the Dolphins are at linebacker, Baker’s in for quite a fight at the position. Undrafted veterans Mike Hull and Chase Allen have stayed on the team because they’re technically sound, and former first-round pick Stephone Anthony is in a contract year. Baker also has to outplay seventh-rounder Quentin Poling.
Baker is more of a coverage linebacker than a thumper, which should work well with Miami’s needs. The plan for now is to install Raekwon McMillan at middle and Kiko Alonso on the outside. Baker has the requisite speed to capture the other outside job.
Durham Smythe, tight end, fourth round
By their admission, the Dolphins basically drafted one tight end to catch passes and one to block. Smythe is the blocker, but he’ll have to be more than that. Even Anthony Fasano, a role model for him, was a factor in the passing game. Over an eight-year span beginning in his third season, Fasano averaged 31 catches, 352 yards and four touchdowns.
That’s a good goal for Smythe. The Dolphins currently have A.J. Derby as a pass-catching threat and MarQueis Gray as a seasoned, savvy player who blocks well and occasionally springs loose as a receiver.
Kalen Ballage, running back, fourth round
Be fast and know the plays. Gase won’t ask much more than that out of Ballage. Kenyan Drake is the clear starter for the Dolphins at running back, and Frank Gore isn’t here merely to play professor. Ballage needs to get himself ready to fill in for Drake this season and to play with him starting in 2019.
In the meantime, he’s got an opportunity to be a threat on special teams. He clocked a 4.46 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine and was an effective kick returner each of his last two seasons at Arizona State.
Cornell Armstrong, cornerback, sixth round
The Dolphins’ plan for cornerbacks? Have a lot of them. Xavien Howard and Cordrea Tankersley are the starters, Bobby McCain and Tony Lippett are reinforcements and it’s “Hunger Games” for everybody else.
Armstrong has 4.4 speed, but he wasn’t a particularly outstanding high school or college player. He’ll have to be convincing to assure himself of making the cut over the next four months, as he’ll be competing with Torry McTyer, Jordan Lucas and others.
Quentin Poling, linebacker, seventh round
The Dolphins currently have eight linebackers on the roster, and Poling is the last in line. Additionally, the team is bringing in Cayson Collins from North Carolina and Mike McCray of Michigan as undrafted free agents, and there typically isn’t a huge difference between seventh-round picks and undrafted guys.
Poling has good strength and speed, which gives him a nice start in trying to win a job as a special teamer and second-string linebacker. While he’s got some decent competition, this is a position that’s pretty wide open.
Jason Sanders, kicker, seventh round
Sanders’ situation comes down to the fairly simple question of whether he can outperform undrafted Florida Atlantic kicker Greg Joseph. Whoever makes more kicks and looks better on kickoffs will take Cody Parkey’s old job — unless, of course, someone better becomes available in free agency.
Sanders made 25 of 35 field goals (71 percent) in his college career and hit 111 of 112 extra-point tries. Joseph, who played at American Heritage in Delray Beach, made 57 of 82 field goals (70 percent) and 165 of 170 extra points.