WEBVTT - Drive Time - Interior Defensive Line Training Camp Preview, Dolphins by the Analytics 0:00:00.320 --> 0:00:09.480 Factors Patrick touchdown. What a win for this Miami Dolphin team. Wow? 0:00:11.119 --> 0:00:14.920 What is up? Dolphins? And welcome to the Drive Time Podcast, 0:00:15.000 --> 0:00:18.840 part of the Miami Dolphins official podcast network, covering your 0:00:19.160 --> 0:00:23.160 Miami Dolphins each and every day. How's it going, Everybody Happy? 0:00:23.239 --> 0:00:26.840 Thursday afternoon? I am your host, Travis Wingfield, and I'm 0:00:26.880 --> 0:00:30.520 here to bring you your daily dose of Miami Dolphins football. 0:00:30.560 --> 0:00:32.920 And on today's show, we are all finished up with 0:00:33.000 --> 0:00:35.239 the offense and moving on to the defense for the 0:00:35.280 --> 0:00:38.240 training camp roster preview series. And there are so many 0:00:38.280 --> 0:00:40.200 guys on this side of the ball. I can't wait 0:00:40.240 --> 0:00:42.879 to break down and dive into their games. We'll get 0:00:42.880 --> 0:00:45.080 started up front with the big boys and the group 0:00:45.200 --> 0:00:47.400 led by Christian Wilkins and Divon gott Shaw on the 0:00:47.440 --> 0:00:50.520 interior defensive line. Plus, it's been out for a month 0:00:50.560 --> 0:00:53.320 and I still have not discussed the Dolphins portion of 0:00:53.360 --> 0:00:57.840 the War and Sharp Football preview publication. We'll rectify that. 0:00:58.040 --> 0:01:00.440 We'll get you caught up on the latest around Dolphin camp, 0:01:00.440 --> 0:01:02.560 and I'll tell you about the worst ending to a 0:01:02.680 --> 0:01:05.679 first day of a new job, imaginable. All of that 0:01:05.720 --> 0:01:08.600 and more on this Thursday, August the sixth edition of 0:01:08.800 --> 0:01:14.880 the Drive Time Podcasts, and we start here with the 0:01:14.920 --> 0:01:18.760 first news that came in late on Wednesday evening. Devon Godshaw, 0:01:18.800 --> 0:01:21.839 Dolphins defensive lineman, has been added to the reserve slash 0:01:21.880 --> 0:01:25.119 COVID nineteen list. We'll get into more about Devon's game 0:01:25.240 --> 0:01:28.920 later in this podcast. Other news from Wednesday, the Dolphins 0:01:28.959 --> 0:01:32.039 had their second player, another wide receiver, opt out for 0:01:32.040 --> 0:01:35.720 the season, with receiver Albert Wilson. Head coach Brian Flores 0:01:35.760 --> 0:01:38.280 had this to say about Albert Wilson's decision quote, I 0:01:38.360 --> 0:01:40.760 support Albert's decision. I know he made it with his 0:01:40.840 --> 0:01:43.280 family in mind. I want what is best for Albert, 0:01:43.280 --> 0:01:45.640 as I do for all of our players. End quote. 0:01:45.920 --> 0:01:47.720 And so this was gonna be the last year on 0:01:47.760 --> 0:01:50.520 Albert Wilson's contract, a three year deal he signed back 0:01:50.520 --> 0:01:53.440 in to join the Miami Dolphins. And I'm never gonna 0:01:53.440 --> 0:01:56.040 forget that Chicago Bears game. And I do recall him 0:01:56.040 --> 0:01:58.640 against Detroit Lions the following week, the play where he 0:01:58.680 --> 0:02:00.560 got hurt, where it looked like he was gonna do 0:02:00.600 --> 0:02:02.800 it again, right, he was gonna rip off another long 0:02:02.840 --> 0:02:04.920 touchdown on a short pass that he turned into a 0:02:04.960 --> 0:02:07.880 massive play another long touchdown, but he got clipped on 0:02:07.920 --> 0:02:10.000 the back of the shoe and it just disrupted his 0:02:10.040 --> 0:02:13.240 steps just enough to tweak and injure that hip. He 0:02:13.280 --> 0:02:15.480 was coming on strong late in the year last season 0:02:15.639 --> 0:02:17.920 at the end of twenty nineteen, but now the Dolphins 0:02:17.919 --> 0:02:20.959 will look elsewhere for production at wide receiver as both 0:02:21.000 --> 0:02:24.320 Wilson and Hearns are out of the picture for season. 0:02:24.480 --> 0:02:26.480 And let's just be real about what this is. This 0:02:26.520 --> 0:02:28.840 is a chance for other guys to step up their games. 0:02:28.840 --> 0:02:31.120 Shachim has been working his ass off all off season. 0:02:31.320 --> 0:02:33.960 Isaiah Ford really shined down the stretch last year and 0:02:34.000 --> 0:02:36.880 earned admiration from Brian Flores and the coaches for his work, 0:02:37.120 --> 0:02:39.760 and Fitzpatrick echoed those sentiments by saying he's one of 0:02:39.760 --> 0:02:42.399 the most studious players he'd ever been around, a guy 0:02:42.400 --> 0:02:44.720 that understands each element of the offense the way a 0:02:44.800 --> 0:02:47.680 quarterback would. Those are the more established and known guys, 0:02:47.800 --> 0:02:49.760 but there are other guys chomping at the bit on 0:02:49.800 --> 0:02:52.120 this roster as well, like Gary Jennings, who was a 0:02:52.160 --> 0:02:54.639 fourth round draft pick just two years ago coming out 0:02:54.639 --> 0:02:57.440 of West Virginia. They had him and David Sills, and 0:02:57.480 --> 0:03:00.560 I remember that conversation among all draft pundits about which 0:03:00.560 --> 0:03:02.520 of those two guys would go first in the draft, 0:03:02.680 --> 0:03:05.359 and Jennings wound up going a couple rounds earlier than Sills, 0:03:05.520 --> 0:03:07.679 and here he is in Miami. He did get hurt 0:03:07.680 --> 0:03:10.600 on the one kickoff return last year, Jakeem's kickoff return 0:03:10.639 --> 0:03:13.000 for a touchdown, but he's back this season looking to 0:03:13.000 --> 0:03:15.440 make an impact on the Dolphins roster. It's a chance 0:03:15.480 --> 0:03:18.359 for Mac Hollins, who also got here in season last year. 0:03:18.560 --> 0:03:21.880 Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network couldn't rave enough about his 0:03:21.960 --> 0:03:25.080 work as a gunner when he came out of North Carolina. 0:03:25.280 --> 0:03:27.480 He got some offensive snaps last year down the stretch 0:03:27.600 --> 0:03:30.120 with the Dolphins as well. Then you've got the two 0:03:30.240 --> 0:03:33.400 undrafted free agents and Kirk Merritt and Matt Cole, both 0:03:33.480 --> 0:03:36.360 unique players. Merit in the sense that he's everything you 0:03:36.400 --> 0:03:39.960 look for from that height, weight, speed, athletic combination you want. 0:03:40.080 --> 0:03:42.200 He started off his career at Oregon, wound up in 0:03:42.280 --> 0:03:45.520 East Mississippi Community College, the site of Last Chance You 0:03:45.600 --> 0:03:48.520 on Netflix, and finished his career in Arkansas State. He's 0:03:48.560 --> 0:03:50.720 one guy that I'm really looking forward to seeing when 0:03:50.720 --> 0:03:52.680 the pads come on and then Matt Cole was this 0:03:52.760 --> 0:03:56.520 year's Prospect X the Sports Illustrated Under the Radar prospect, 0:03:56.720 --> 0:03:59.520 a big time contributor at Mckenjurie State on offense but 0:03:59.600 --> 0:04:02.440 also in kicking game, which we know how much that 0:04:02.520 --> 0:04:05.280 means to coach Flora's And that's the old adage, right, 0:04:05.400 --> 0:04:07.440 the old cliche. If you want to find your way 0:04:07.480 --> 0:04:10.480 onto the roster, maybe beyond the top of the depth chart, 0:04:10.640 --> 0:04:13.000 you better become best friends with a special teams coach 0:04:13.040 --> 0:04:15.760 and work your ass off in that area. All always 0:04:15.800 --> 0:04:18.600 remember the Hard Knocks episode back and I think it 0:04:18.680 --> 0:04:21.200 was two thousand nine with the Jets when they told 0:04:21.200 --> 0:04:23.560 a certain player, I forget who it was, but they 0:04:23.600 --> 0:04:25.719 told him, if you want to make this football team, 0:04:25.800 --> 0:04:27.880 you better get to know everything there is no about 0:04:27.960 --> 0:04:31.440 special teams coordinator Mike west Off, formerly of the Miami Dolphins, 0:04:31.520 --> 0:04:33.320 and really buddy up to him and work on his 0:04:33.400 --> 0:04:35.960 unit because that's your route to the football team. So 0:04:36.000 --> 0:04:37.840 that's the first way you carve out a role as 0:04:37.880 --> 0:04:39.560 one of those U d f A guys. But let's 0:04:39.600 --> 0:04:42.920 also be completely transparent here about this. There are opportunities 0:04:43.040 --> 0:04:45.040 and nobody's going to walk out there and fall into 0:04:45.120 --> 0:04:47.960 a job. In fact, to quote quote coach Flora's from 0:04:48.040 --> 0:04:50.760 last week, we aren't going to just hand out jobs, 0:04:51.000 --> 0:04:53.640 and so there's competition to be had here, and honestly, 0:04:53.720 --> 0:04:56.680 probably a pretty safe bet de pencil Davante Parker into 0:04:56.680 --> 0:04:59.760 the lineup. He played himself into that contract extension last year, 0:05:00.040 --> 0:05:02.520 saw what Preston Williams did early last season. But they 0:05:02.560 --> 0:05:04.560 all have to earn it, right. This is an opportunity 0:05:04.600 --> 0:05:06.479 for the rest of the room, and I'm excited to 0:05:06.520 --> 0:05:09.680 see how all these guys respond. Another group I'm excited 0:05:09.680 --> 0:05:11.440 to see when the pads go on here at practice 0:05:11.560 --> 0:05:13.920 are the guys up front. And we continue our training 0:05:13.960 --> 0:05:16.920 camp roster preview series with another look at a Dolphins 0:05:16.920 --> 0:05:20.040 position group, this time up on the defensive line. Upfront. 0:05:20.240 --> 0:05:22.320 Mary and Hobby coaches these guys, and I had a 0:05:22.320 --> 0:05:25.000 hard time trying to find a way to differentiate who 0:05:25.000 --> 0:05:28.440 goes where is terms of what the defensive allocation is 0:05:28.480 --> 0:05:31.000 for these guys on the roster. You have defensive tackles, 0:05:31.040 --> 0:05:33.960 defensive ends. But Brian Flores talks about his position list 0:05:34.000 --> 0:05:35.960 defense all the time, and so many of these guys 0:05:35.960 --> 0:05:38.919 playing multiple spots along that defensive line. That's kind of 0:05:38.960 --> 0:05:41.880 hard to put them in a box or to pigeonhole 0:05:41.920 --> 0:05:44.240 these guys. We're gonna try anyway here and go with 0:05:44.240 --> 0:05:47.680 the interior defensive lineman again in order of jersey number, 0:05:47.800 --> 0:05:50.720 starting with the Von gott Shaw upfront. Three accrued seasons 0:05:50.720 --> 0:05:53.839 here in Miami, a seventeen draft pick entering his fourth 0:05:54.000 --> 0:05:56.640 with the Dolphins, number fifty six out of L s U. 0:05:56.680 --> 0:05:59.159 He's gonna be twenty five years old on opening day. 0:05:59.320 --> 0:06:01.839 And whether you talk about position or schematics, whatever the 0:06:01.880 --> 0:06:05.280 case may be, Tavon got Chaw is both versatile and adaptable, 0:06:05.400 --> 0:06:08.040 one of the more powerfully imposing and two year defensive 0:06:08.080 --> 0:06:10.680 lineman and all of the NFL. God Shaw has a 0:06:10.720 --> 0:06:13.440 penchant for stacking up bodies against the run and making 0:06:13.480 --> 0:06:16.760 plays at or around the line of scrimmage. He's categorized 0:06:16.760 --> 0:06:19.280 as a defensive tackle on Pro Football Focus. He had 0:06:19.320 --> 0:06:21.800 thirty three run stops last year. Those are tackles within 0:06:21.839 --> 0:06:24.560 two yards of the line of scrimmage, and that led 0:06:24.600 --> 0:06:27.400 the NFL among that group of players. And again, to 0:06:27.440 --> 0:06:30.279 call him just a defensive tackle really would be shortsighted. 0:06:30.440 --> 0:06:33.119 For god Shaw, he moved all over the formation playing 0:06:33.160 --> 0:06:35.160 inside it knows all the way out to the five 0:06:35.200 --> 0:06:38.280 technique outside off the tackle. He lined up pretty much 0:06:38.320 --> 0:06:41.160 everywhere across the defensive line you can for a defensive 0:06:41.160 --> 0:06:43.840 tackle and among the variety of fronts that Flores calls, 0:06:43.880 --> 0:06:47.480 whether god Shaw's playing in aggressive one gap penetrating upfield 0:06:47.480 --> 0:06:50.360 style or a read and react two gaps stack approach 0:06:50.520 --> 0:06:53.279 to the defense. His snap counts have increased each year 0:06:53.320 --> 0:06:55.320 as a pro. He's played in forty seven of a 0:06:55.360 --> 0:06:58.039 possible forty eight career games, and his seven hundred and 0:06:58.080 --> 0:07:00.840 eighteen snaps last year were a career high. He also 0:07:00.960 --> 0:07:03.919 hit career highs and tackles with seventy five, sacks with two, 0:07:04.080 --> 0:07:07.320 quarterback hits with five, quarterback hurries with eleven, and total 0:07:07.360 --> 0:07:11.040 pressures with eighteen. He was the Dolphins Walter Payton Man 0:07:11.080 --> 0:07:13.920 of the Year nominee for the nineteen season, and Brian 0:07:13.920 --> 0:07:16.480 Flores spoke about that distinction and what it is that 0:07:16.520 --> 0:07:19.880 makes Devon the person a special guy. Quote. I think 0:07:19.880 --> 0:07:22.200 he does a lot in the community. He's shown leadership 0:07:22.240 --> 0:07:24.320 throughout time. By the time that I've been here, this 0:07:24.360 --> 0:07:26.520 is a guy who is very genuine and caring about 0:07:26.560 --> 0:07:28.800 giving back he's a good human being and I think 0:07:28.840 --> 0:07:32.280 he's deserving of Walter Payton nomination and quote. There Up 0:07:32.280 --> 0:07:35.080 next on our list Jason Strowbridge, the rookie number fifty 0:07:35.120 --> 0:07:37.680 eight out of North Carolina, a fifth round draft pick 0:07:37.680 --> 0:07:40.000 of the Miami Dolphins back in April. Gonna be twenty 0:07:40.000 --> 0:07:42.240 four years old on opening Day, and like a few 0:07:42.280 --> 0:07:45.120 of his new teammates, Strowbridges football career returns to the 0:07:45.120 --> 0:07:47.920 place where it all began. He was a standout prep 0:07:47.960 --> 0:07:51.000 at Deerfield Beach High School here in South Florida. The 0:07:51.000 --> 0:07:53.600 Dolphins fifth round pick is coming back home after a 0:07:53.640 --> 0:07:57.000 successful college career at u n C. Two hundred and 0:07:57.000 --> 0:08:00.120 seventy three pounds. He has impressive pop and burst. He 0:08:00.160 --> 0:08:03.240 tested in the nine percent tile in the forty yard 0:08:03.360 --> 0:08:06.960 dash with a four point eight nine time percentile in 0:08:07.000 --> 0:08:09.840 the twenty yard shuttle at four point three seven seconds 0:08:09.960 --> 0:08:12.240 and better than the eighty second percentile, and the ten 0:08:12.320 --> 0:08:14.760 yard split, three cone and broad jumps, so all of 0:08:14.800 --> 0:08:18.360 his testing metrics spell explosive player for strode Bridge. Here's 0:08:18.400 --> 0:08:20.760 what coach Flores had to say about strode Bridge. He 0:08:20.840 --> 0:08:23.520 is an outside inside player. He lines up outside in 0:08:23.560 --> 0:08:27.280 some situations inside and others. Good strength, good quickness. There's 0:08:27.280 --> 0:08:29.840 a lot to like about him. He played multiple positions, 0:08:29.960 --> 0:08:32.679 and his very versatile and tough and quote and that 0:08:32.760 --> 0:08:36.080 versatility beared out in Strode bridges alignment splits. According to 0:08:36.120 --> 0:08:40.160 Pro Football Focus and their draft guide, he logged two 0:08:40.240 --> 0:08:42.400 hundred and eighty three snaps in the B gap that's 0:08:42.440 --> 0:08:45.200 between the garden tackle, two hundred and seventy two snaps 0:08:45.280 --> 0:08:48.120 over the offensive tackle, and one hundred and eleven snaps 0:08:48.160 --> 0:08:50.880 outside the tackle, with twenty three snaps in the A gap, 0:08:50.920 --> 0:08:53.320 which is a course between the center and guard on 0:08:53.360 --> 0:08:56.120 the inside. So he really does play every position there 0:08:56.120 --> 0:08:58.199 in college at least, and that's the expectation as you 0:08:58.280 --> 0:09:01.240 hear coach Flora's talk about here with the inside outside player. 0:09:01.440 --> 0:09:03.560 He also had twenty two run stops and twenty eight 0:09:03.640 --> 0:09:06.880 quarterback pressures last year at u n c Up. Next 0:09:07.000 --> 0:09:11.199 is Derval Cirez Neto, one accrued season, second heading into Miami, 0:09:11.360 --> 0:09:14.520 number sixty nine on the Jersey International player out of Brazil, 0:09:14.600 --> 0:09:17.319 going to be twenty eight years old on opening day, 0:09:17.360 --> 0:09:20.120 And this guy really is a fascinating study. He is 0:09:20.200 --> 0:09:23.000 on the International Pathway Program, the first player for the 0:09:23.040 --> 0:09:26.200 Dolphins on that particular pathway, and he took a fast 0:09:26.240 --> 0:09:28.439 ending route to get to the NFL. Six ft four 0:09:29.400 --> 0:09:31.280 pounds and he may well be in the running for 0:09:31.320 --> 0:09:34.360 the biggest human being capable of doing a standing backflip. 0:09:34.360 --> 0:09:36.040 And really he can do it with quite a bit 0:09:36.080 --> 0:09:38.000 of ease. There's a video of it up on Twitter. 0:09:38.200 --> 0:09:40.280 The flexibility as well as the violent hands that he 0:09:40.360 --> 0:09:43.120 has our traits that really made him a judo champion 0:09:43.160 --> 0:09:45.680 back in his home country of Brazil. He's gotten some 0:09:45.720 --> 0:09:48.199 work with the Dolphins offensive line. He spent last year 0:09:48.200 --> 0:09:50.880 on the practice squad with the roster exemption as part 0:09:50.880 --> 0:09:53.520 of that international pathway program. But this guy is big, 0:09:53.520 --> 0:09:57.400 explosive and really powerful and just thickly built too. Also 0:09:57.520 --> 0:09:59.760 up front, Zach Seeler came over last year and in 0:10:00.000 --> 0:10:02.720 he's an acquisition number nine two his second season with 0:10:02.760 --> 0:10:05.760 the Miami Dolphins out of Fair Estate. He's another one 0:10:05.760 --> 0:10:08.160 of these big, long, powerful guys that can really help 0:10:08.240 --> 0:10:10.760 control the point of attack and again play all across 0:10:10.800 --> 0:10:14.000 the defensive line and multiple spots and multiple formations and 0:10:14.080 --> 0:10:16.319 multiple looks. He's got a really nice get off, a 0:10:16.400 --> 0:10:19.400 nice rip move, plays with plenty of power upfront can 0:10:19.440 --> 0:10:22.240 disengage those blocks with those long arms, and he got 0:10:22.240 --> 0:10:25.000 plenty of playing time in that Bengals game last season 0:10:25.040 --> 0:10:27.520 where he had a huge day. Statistically, he had three 0:10:27.520 --> 0:10:30.880 pressures in that game, one sack, two hurries, made seven 0:10:30.920 --> 0:10:34.240 total tackles five run stops in one game. Those, of course, 0:10:34.280 --> 0:10:36.960 are tackles within two yards of the line of scrimmage. 0:10:37.000 --> 0:10:39.800 He also knocked down two passes at the line of scrimmage. 0:10:39.800 --> 0:10:42.200 So Zach Seeler making moves late in the year last 0:10:42.280 --> 0:10:45.319 year after coming over an in season waiver wire claim 0:10:45.480 --> 0:10:48.880 for the Miami Dolphins. Another waiver wire claim comes up 0:10:48.920 --> 0:10:51.160 next on our list here and Ray Smith, who was 0:10:51.240 --> 0:10:53.079 just added to the roster a couple of weeks ago 0:10:53.160 --> 0:10:55.800 out of Boston College, spent some time with the Lions 0:10:55.840 --> 0:10:59.360 and the Niners practice squad. Number twenty three years old 0:10:59.520 --> 0:11:02.240 on open Day. He played in forty career games over 0:11:02.280 --> 0:11:05.200 a four year career at college, totally one and thirty 0:11:05.280 --> 0:11:08.000 eight tackles. As the Dolphins moved on picking him up 0:11:08.040 --> 0:11:10.840 quickly after his release last month by claiming the defensive 0:11:10.880 --> 0:11:14.160 tackle who has explosive testing metrics. At his twenty nineteen 0:11:14.160 --> 0:11:18.400 pro day, he scored in rare territory across multiple athletic metrics. 0:11:18.440 --> 0:11:20.959 His forty yard dash with four point nine three seconds, 0:11:21.160 --> 0:11:23.480 his ten yards split at one six eight, his twenty 0:11:23.520 --> 0:11:25.880 yards split, his vertical as broad jump, his shuttle and 0:11:25.920 --> 0:11:28.240 three cone time. All of those stats, all of those 0:11:28.240 --> 0:11:31.760 measurements measured in the ninety percent tile or better of 0:11:31.800 --> 0:11:35.319 defensive tackles, and those scores earned Smith a nine point 0:11:35.400 --> 0:11:39.640 six four overall relative athletics scorecard, the cumulative measure that 0:11:39.720 --> 0:11:41.760 we talked about on this podcast all the time. From 0:11:41.840 --> 0:11:44.600 Kent Platt, he is at math bomb on Twitter taking 0:11:44.600 --> 0:11:46.920 a look at all those athletic measurements of pro days 0:11:46.920 --> 0:11:50.240 and combined workouts and putting together in one score nine 0:11:50.240 --> 0:11:53.240 point six four out of ten overall for Ray Smith. 0:11:53.520 --> 0:11:56.000 Up next another guy who did very well in that regard, 0:11:56.160 --> 0:11:59.080 drafted in the first round last year, in Christian Wilkins, 0:11:59.200 --> 0:12:01.760 his first season though the Dolphins, entering number two here 0:12:01.800 --> 0:12:04.840 in Miami, number ninety four out of Clemson, twenty four 0:12:04.920 --> 0:12:07.320 years old on opening Day. He was a thirteenth pick 0:12:07.440 --> 0:12:09.719 in last year's draft, and he led all of his 0:12:09.800 --> 0:12:13.040 rookie position mates with fifty six tackles out of six 0:12:13.080 --> 0:12:15.960 players taken in the first round. At defensive tackle, he 0:12:16.040 --> 0:12:19.280 ranked sixteenth and run stops among those tackles with twenty 0:12:19.360 --> 0:12:22.360 nine and seven, and total quarterback pressures with thirty and 0:12:22.400 --> 0:12:24.840 he only missed two tackles all seasons, so very reliable. 0:12:24.840 --> 0:12:27.720 They're a tackler in the middle. Those thirty quarterback pressures 0:12:27.760 --> 0:12:29.960 that he had were the most for a rookie interior 0:12:30.000 --> 0:12:33.760 defensive lineman since and he really embodies the Dolphins desire 0:12:33.920 --> 0:12:36.520 to be this multiple team upfront on defense, with a 0:12:36.640 --> 0:12:39.360 rare first step quickness the requisite strength to hold his 0:12:39.400 --> 0:12:41.920 ground against the run. He is functional whether being asked 0:12:41.920 --> 0:12:44.040 to one gap or two gap. And not only does 0:12:44.080 --> 0:12:46.760 Wilkins play a variety of positions up front, he produces 0:12:46.800 --> 0:12:49.040 from each spot as well. I went back on a 0:12:49.080 --> 0:12:52.000 podcast earlier this summer and charted each of those twenty 0:12:52.080 --> 0:12:54.280 nine run stops and found that they came from nine 0:12:54.280 --> 0:12:57.199 different positions playing across the defensive line. Most of them 0:12:57.240 --> 0:12:59.520 came from the three technique. Nine of the twenty nine 0:12:59.559 --> 0:13:02.080 run stops came from that three technique, which aligns the 0:13:02.080 --> 0:13:05.160 defensive lineman on the outside shoulder of either guard on 0:13:05.240 --> 0:13:08.520 either side of the formation. Gentel manager Chris Career summarized 0:13:08.520 --> 0:13:11.520 the traits the Dolphins found most appealing about Wilkins in 0:13:11.640 --> 0:13:14.640 last April's draft. He said, Christians a very smart, versatile 0:13:14.640 --> 0:13:17.720 football player. He was highly productive. We love the size, 0:13:17.760 --> 0:13:19.839 the athletic ability, and the things he'll add to the 0:13:19.920 --> 0:13:23.040 locker room, not just on the field. Wilkins finished last 0:13:23.040 --> 0:13:25.600 season playing his best football. Over the final ten games 0:13:25.640 --> 0:13:28.640 of his rookie season, Wilkins had twenty four run stops 0:13:28.679 --> 0:13:31.560 that was fourth among interior defensive lineman and twenty four 0:13:31.679 --> 0:13:36.199 quarterback pressures, nineteen among interior defensive lineman. Up next, another 0:13:36.240 --> 0:13:39.160 young player, a rookie undrafted out of Old Miss, number nine, 0:13:39.640 --> 0:13:42.440 Nito Jones. He'll be twenty two years old on opening Day, 0:13:42.559 --> 0:13:44.200 and he was a mainstay in the middle of that 0:13:44.240 --> 0:13:46.920 Old Miss defense last season and throughout the course of 0:13:46.960 --> 0:13:49.800 his entire career really where he logged one thousand, seven 0:13:49.880 --> 0:13:52.679 hundred and sixty five snaps, made fifty two run stops, 0:13:52.720 --> 0:13:55.040 and had forty five quarterback pressures with ten stacks to 0:13:55.080 --> 0:13:58.280 boot from the interior. And he primarily played inside with 0:13:58.320 --> 0:14:00.520 four hundred and fourteen snaps last year in the A 0:14:00.640 --> 0:14:03.480 gap on five in the B gap. He also played 0:14:03.480 --> 0:14:06.280 thirty seven out over the tackle. According to Pro Football 0:14:06.320 --> 0:14:09.000 Focus and NFL dot Com, I thought detailed Jones as 0:14:09.000 --> 0:14:11.319 great as strengths as a space eater in the middle 0:14:11.360 --> 0:14:13.880 of a defense. For you quote, He's country strong with 0:14:13.920 --> 0:14:18.280 good durability, carries, broad thick chest and good muscular build throughout. Arms, 0:14:18.440 --> 0:14:22.200 excellent football character with consistent play motor quick to recalibrate 0:14:22.240 --> 0:14:25.640 his opponent depending on blocking scheme. Arm over wins into 0:14:25.640 --> 0:14:27.840 the A gaps off the snap. Good use of hands 0:14:27.840 --> 0:14:31.160 to work immediately to the edge. Lateral quickness to leverage 0:14:31.160 --> 0:14:33.120 and range down the line, quick to play off the 0:14:33.160 --> 0:14:35.960 block and make a tackle. Agile Russia with strength and 0:14:36.040 --> 0:14:40.400 athleticism to infiltrate pocket against single blocks. And we finish 0:14:40.480 --> 0:14:42.840 up here with yet another rookie, this one a draft 0:14:42.880 --> 0:14:45.040 pick in the second round for the Miami Dolphins, number 0:14:45.040 --> 0:14:48.360 fifty six overall, ray Kwon Davis out of Alabama, number 0:14:49.120 --> 0:14:52.040 twenty three years old on Opening Day. This dude is 0:14:52.440 --> 0:14:56.480 massive and whenever I watch the Jaguars recently or previously 0:14:56.480 --> 0:14:59.160 with the Arizona Cardinals. Now he's with the Baltimore Ravens, 0:14:59.240 --> 0:15:01.800 Klais Campbe always just stood out to me as a 0:15:01.840 --> 0:15:04.840 guy that towered over other fellow huge human beings. And 0:15:04.880 --> 0:15:07.200 that's what ray Kwon Davis looked like. From the appearance 0:15:07.200 --> 0:15:10.120 standpoint on the football field of Alabama, you just can't 0:15:10.160 --> 0:15:12.760 miss him and that length and power that shows up 0:15:12.760 --> 0:15:15.560 on tape that allows him to routinely claude gaps, stack 0:15:15.600 --> 0:15:18.000 and shed against the run, and disengage from blockers as 0:15:18.000 --> 0:15:20.960 a pass rusher. We saw Brian Flores on draft day 0:15:21.040 --> 0:15:23.520 after the Dolphins made that selection, kind of showing someone 0:15:23.560 --> 0:15:25.720 off the side of his screen how he locked out 0:15:25.760 --> 0:15:28.400 and disengages those blockers after that draft pick, and he 0:15:28.440 --> 0:15:31.000 looked pretty excited about the pick. Is in his own right, 0:15:31.160 --> 0:15:33.280 and he registered eighty six pressures and his three year 0:15:33.280 --> 0:15:36.360 career there Alabama with seventy three run stops. He played 0:15:36.400 --> 0:15:39.080 one thousand, eight hundred forty nine career snaps, and he 0:15:39.120 --> 0:15:42.400 earned really consistent Pro Football Focus grades across three years 0:15:42.400 --> 0:15:45.320 there eighty four point nine, eighty one point nine, and 0:15:45.400 --> 0:15:47.640 eighty three point two from his freshman year through his 0:15:47.720 --> 0:15:50.600 junior year there at Alabama. And Flora's talked a lot 0:15:50.640 --> 0:15:53.360 about the hidden production in Davis's game or just a 0:15:53.400 --> 0:15:55.760 player in general in the production how it doesn't have 0:15:55.800 --> 0:15:58.080 to show up in the stat sheet or the box score. 0:15:58.240 --> 0:16:00.280 And I love this quote here from coach Flora's I've 0:16:00.280 --> 0:16:02.440 always told players that you can play a great game 0:16:02.600 --> 0:16:05.120 and have no stats. If you set the edge every time, 0:16:05.280 --> 0:16:07.360 if you're in your gap, if you make every tackle, 0:16:07.560 --> 0:16:09.640 if you force the ball whether wherever we want to 0:16:09.680 --> 0:16:12.040 force it, if you make your block, you can literally 0:16:12.080 --> 0:16:14.800 have nothing on the stat sheet but play a great game. 0:16:15.360 --> 0:16:18.280 I am on record saying that two players, dating back 0:16:18.280 --> 0:16:20.640 to as long as I have been coaching, I truly 0:16:20.680 --> 0:16:23.320 believe that. So when people say statistics, when I see 0:16:23.400 --> 0:16:25.880 Ray Kuan, I see a guy who is defeating blocks, 0:16:26.000 --> 0:16:28.600 taking two blocks, and creating plays for his teammates. There 0:16:28.640 --> 0:16:30.560 are a lot of hidden stats and that I look 0:16:30.600 --> 0:16:32.520 at personally, I think he does a good job and 0:16:32.600 --> 0:16:35.600 maybe some of those hidden stats. End quote, and so 0:16:35.720 --> 0:16:38.480 plenty of new guys up front on that Dolphins defensive line, 0:16:38.480 --> 0:16:41.000 plenty of new guys on the defense in general. And 0:16:41.040 --> 0:16:43.560 that's where we're gonna pivot here into our conversation about 0:16:43.560 --> 0:16:47.360 the war and Sharp Analytics preview. He publishes this thing 0:16:47.440 --> 0:16:51.120 every year. It's a manifesto of great information. I highly 0:16:51.200 --> 0:16:53.760 highly recommend it for any football fans out there because 0:16:53.960 --> 0:16:56.120 it can help educate you on the analytic side of 0:16:56.160 --> 0:16:59.960 the game. His entire mission statement is to maximize efficiency, 0:17:00.200 --> 0:17:02.640 and that's football field and otherwise, I just want to 0:17:02.640 --> 0:17:04.760 go over some of the more intriguing points he has 0:17:04.760 --> 0:17:07.040 on his Dolphins page, which is like five or six 0:17:07.040 --> 0:17:09.480 pages per every team. This thing, it's a it's a dictionary, 0:17:09.480 --> 0:17:12.159 it's a huge the source of information. And first he 0:17:12.200 --> 0:17:15.119 talks about positional spending, which I always find so interesting 0:17:15.119 --> 0:17:16.920 because you can kind of find out what a team 0:17:16.960 --> 0:17:19.600 prioritizes on their roster in terms of where they allocate 0:17:19.640 --> 0:17:22.119 their salary cap money too. And we know the Dolphins 0:17:22.200 --> 0:17:24.399 had money to spend this offseason and they spent it 0:17:24.440 --> 0:17:27.439 in free agency, bringing a lot of talent into this roster. 0:17:27.880 --> 0:17:29.840 As he breaks down the way the Dolphins money is 0:17:29.880 --> 0:17:33.120 being allocated across the positions this year. In total, on offense, 0:17:33.200 --> 0:17:35.639 the Dolphins have the twenty nine most money tied up 0:17:35.640 --> 0:17:38.560 in their offense As far as commitments on the salary cap. 0:17:38.680 --> 0:17:41.560 At quarterback, it's eighteenth most in the NFL. On the 0:17:41.600 --> 0:17:46.520 offensive line, most running back is fourteenth most receiver eighteenth 0:17:46.560 --> 0:17:49.280 most and tight end thirty second most money at the 0:17:49.280 --> 0:17:51.960 tight end position in the NFL for all defense, all 0:17:52.000 --> 0:17:54.760 things considered, all positions, they have the sixth most money 0:17:54.760 --> 0:17:58.639 on the defense, eighteenth on the defensive line, seventeenth at linebacker, 0:17:58.840 --> 0:18:01.840 number one at corner back, at number eleven at the 0:18:01.880 --> 0:18:04.680 safety position. So you see the clear allocation of resources 0:18:04.720 --> 0:18:08.080 there into the defensive secondary, utilizing a bunch of dime, 0:18:08.240 --> 0:18:11.840 quarter dollar and half dollar defensive packages where you have six, seven, 0:18:11.880 --> 0:18:14.280 eight defensive backs on the field on top of what 0:18:14.400 --> 0:18:16.760 now is the base defense in the NFL with nickel 0:18:16.840 --> 0:18:19.560 defense and five defensive backs, you're gonna see more six 0:18:19.560 --> 0:18:22.520 defensive backs packages as the Dolphins did last year. Then 0:18:22.600 --> 0:18:25.280 you see four, and that's commonplace in the NFL, the 0:18:25.320 --> 0:18:29.080 four defensive backpackage, your quote unquote based defense. That is 0:18:29.320 --> 0:18:31.760 one of the most sub package defenses there is in 0:18:31.800 --> 0:18:36.000 the NFL based upon statistics and snap utilization across the 0:18:36.080 --> 0:18:39.040 NFL for all thirty two teams. And so Warren Sharp 0:18:39.080 --> 0:18:42.119 here continues to harp nice rhyme on the offseason the 0:18:42.160 --> 0:18:45.399 Dolphins had and context tells you, well, of course, because 0:18:45.440 --> 0:18:47.600 they had money to spend and a plan for how 0:18:47.640 --> 0:18:50.680 to allocate those dollars. But here's a really interesting tidbit. 0:18:50.920 --> 0:18:54.200 Miami signed as many players this offseason with an average 0:18:54.240 --> 0:18:57.359 annual salary of seven point five million dollars as they 0:18:57.359 --> 0:18:59.919 did the previous seven years combined, and he notes that 0:19:00.080 --> 0:19:04.080