Speaker 1: This is Drivetime with Travis Wingfield. What is up, Dolphins
Speaker 1: and welcome to the Draft Time Podcast. I am your host,
Speaker 1: Travis Wingfield. And on today's show, it's Christmas Eve. Dolphins
Speaker 1: football is back on the grass tomorrow and I'm gonna
Speaker 1: have you guys covered on every single platform, every single
Speaker 1: medium you can imagine. Before that, though, let's go ahead
Speaker 1: and conclude our two part series here and take a
Speaker 1: look at this defense that has undergone quite an overhaul
Speaker 1: this offseason under Anthony Weaver, who's back as the first
Speaker 1: repeat DC on the team since Josh Boyer, and fresh
Speaker 1: off of season where the defense finished fourth in total
Speaker 1: defense in the NFL. The swarming pass rush, the big
Speaker 1: bodies inside the deepest linebacker room possibly in the league,
Speaker 1: and a connected secondary. All of that today from the
Speaker 1: Baptist Health Studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex. This
Speaker 1: is the Draft Time Podcast. Hey, let's go ahead and
Speaker 1: jump right into this today, because it is like when
Speaker 1: it's eight pm on Christmas Eve and you tell your
Speaker 1: kids the sooner you go to sleep, the sooner Santa
Speaker 1: Claus arrives, we can go ahead and wake up and
Speaker 1: open our presence. Our presence await tomorrow and yesterday we
Speaker 1: did the offense. Today of the defense, Let's go ahead
Speaker 1: and move inside to the interior defensive line and start
Speaker 1: with mister Zach Steeler, who it was reported on I
Speaker 1: don't know what day it was, Drew Rosenhaus said, the
Speaker 1: Zach's either will in fact be here for camp. He's
Speaker 1: a guy that has double digit sacks each of the
Speaker 1: last two years. The only defensive tackle to do that power, polish,
Speaker 1: just enough wiggle to win the length that dictates everything
Speaker 1: we do upfront. When you have a long pocket collapser
Speaker 1: inside like this guy, and a linebacker room full of
Speaker 1: guys with instincts, quick first steps, and enough blitzing chops
Speaker 1: to impact the picture for the opposing quarterback, well, it's
Speaker 1: the perfect combination. That was the one thing I felt
Speaker 1: this defense had cooking all year last year was Zach
Speaker 1: winning from multiple alignments and Jordan Brooks and eventually Terrell
Speaker 1: Dotson getting downhill from their off ball linebacker positions. The
Speaker 1: edge position was decimated by injury. The corner room had
Speaker 1: some very up and down performances, but this was part.
Speaker 1: This part was consistent and set the table for the
Speaker 1: rest of the defense. To produce the way it did.
Speaker 1: Now we sprinkle in Willie Gay, we get the edges
Speaker 1: back in the you know, in the mix. Another year
Speaker 1: of connectivity on that back end and the secondary. We'll
Speaker 1: see what happens with the with the personnel. But I
Speaker 1: think with Zach, the ability to play more inside is
Speaker 1: only going to benefit him. I think he's a good
Speaker 1: end and kind of saved us when we got decimated
Speaker 1: by injury. But inside he's one of the game's most
Speaker 1: dominant forces. Speaking of dominant forces, Kenneth Grant, I think
Speaker 1: has every chance in the world to be that. And
Speaker 1: if I'm right about Zach as a table center, then
Speaker 1: I think we've duplicated that here with KG. He's a
Speaker 1: better athlete, not quite as long, but heavier and bigger
Speaker 1: than Zach is. And if he can learn from Zach
Speaker 1: Seeler and Coach Clark, and if KG can become even
Speaker 1: seventy five percent of the technician that Zach is, that
Speaker 1: I think we're gonna have something really really special there.
Speaker 1: I think we're gonna look back at his Michigan tape
Speaker 1: and I think about Charles Davis saying, like grade the Flashes.
Speaker 1: I think we'll look back at that tape, akin to
Speaker 1: that meme of Drake and Lil YACHTI looking at the
Speaker 1: computer screen and being like, oh, I understand it now,
Speaker 1: Like the tape was was rare and it would not
Speaker 1: at all surprise me to look back and be like, oh, yeah,
Speaker 1: this guy was an obvious game wrecord. Why didn't he
Speaker 1: go higher in the draft? I can't wait to watch
Speaker 1: him play. To me, like Dexter Lawrence's tape was that
Speaker 1: way in college and he kind of got bypassed because
Speaker 1: people thought he was only a nose go figure. Jeffrey
Speaker 1: Simmons was kind of similar to and Andre Sweat a
Speaker 1: little bit last year in that same vein. I think
Speaker 1: that KG is going to be every bit as good
Speaker 1: as Zach Steeler, and if that's if that's the case,
Speaker 1: you're talking about like the next Williams wall here and
Speaker 1: your younger folks, the Vikings used to have Pat and
Speaker 1: Kevin Williams as the best defensive tackle rotation really maybe
Speaker 1: ever for a lot a long time there in Minnesota.
Speaker 1: Jordan Phillips the other rookie that I could not be
Speaker 1: more bullish on on this roster. I guess really, I
Speaker 1: mean KG Phillips and Jonah all kind of fall in
Speaker 1: that category for me. But pure strength, the grip strength,
Speaker 1: when you shake his hand, you know, as one hundred
Speaker 1: and sixty pound podcaster, it feels like you're gonna get
Speaker 1: your hand broken. His pad level, his first step, the
Speaker 1: anchor for double teams. I think we stole Phillips where
Speaker 1: we got him in the draft. I think you can
Speaker 1: use him in that Wilkins role where he plays that
Speaker 1: three tech and two and two I technique over the
Speaker 1: guard and prevents those duo and inside zone runs from
Speaker 1: getting their second level climb where they want to catch
Speaker 1: and climb off that first level and go get a linebacker.
Speaker 1: I also think we're going to look back at his
Speaker 1: college sack production, just like we did with Chop, Like
Speaker 1: if you're grading off of sacks, you're taking shortcuts to
Speaker 1: the evaluation process. Because the tape is really good and
Speaker 1: he was an impactful player at Maryland there in college.
Speaker 1: It might take some time like it did with Chop.
Speaker 1: I never think a rook is gonna come out and
Speaker 1: be like, you know, a table setter or a big
Speaker 1: producer right away. I think KG and Jonah could be that,
Speaker 1: But I think for Jordan. It might take a few
Speaker 1: a few months maybe, but I think we got ourselves
Speaker 1: a player here in Jordan Phillips, and then the rest
Speaker 1: of the rotation to me is kind of you know,
Speaker 1: we'll see how it works out over the course of
Speaker 1: the next month. Bnito Jones probably in line for a
Speaker 1: pretty specific role on this defensive line. He's got the
Speaker 1: best year of his career last year working with Coach Clark,
Speaker 1: both as a space eater but also as a pass rusher.
Speaker 1: There were some wins there and that wasn't really his
Speaker 1: game with the Lions or here previously. But I think
Speaker 1: the way we can play big off the edge, like
Speaker 1: with Zach and Kalais last year or now with Chubb
Speaker 1: and Phillips' ability to kick inside and play bigger end positions,
Speaker 1: I think Benito can get more isolation snaps on just
Speaker 1: the center where he, you know, gives that center forty
Speaker 1: pounds of a mismatch and he can go to work
Speaker 1: on that nose position. That's kind of where you guys
Speaker 1: pass rush wins last year when the guards couldn't help
Speaker 1: on him. Between his ability to play the nose like
Speaker 1: twenties snaps a game, then how you can rotate you know,
Speaker 1: Zach kg JP, hopefully Zeke Biggers in that mix as well.
Speaker 1: I think there's a lot of options for how you
Speaker 1: get different guys on the nose, different guys at those
Speaker 1: two and three technique positions, and you've got a pretty
Speaker 1: good buffet of options there if you're Coach Weaver and
Speaker 1: Coach Clark. Speaking of that, I think Matthew Butler is
Speaker 1: kind of my unsung guy in the group in general.
Speaker 1: Limited playing time with the Rares over three years, a
Speaker 1: massive scheme change that made him expendable there, And that's
Speaker 1: as far as I would look in terms of like
Speaker 1: why he was let go. When he was let go,
Speaker 1: I would look at him akin to some of the
Speaker 1: additions last year that we were hoping could be those
Speaker 1: fifteen twenty snap per game rotational guys like a Tier
Speaker 1: Tart who got out the door and went and had
Speaker 1: a really good year with the Chargers, and Jonathan Harris
Speaker 1: and Nevill Gallimore didn't have the same production, but those
Speaker 1: were guys that you kind of thought might be in
Speaker 1: that type of vein, and I think Matthew Butler can
Speaker 1: be that. To me, he's more of a three tech
Speaker 1: than a nose, but he too has position of flexibility.
Speaker 1: I think he's got some good wiggles of pass rush.
Speaker 1: I think the room got really deep, really fast. Quite frankly,
Speaker 1: Zeke Biggers. It's funny because I think the positions these
Speaker 1: guys played in college almost across the board, like it
Speaker 1: isn't uniform to what they'll be as pros. And all
Speaker 1: that means is there are options and again flexibility a
Speaker 1: buffet of options. Right. But he played almost entirely over
Speaker 1: the guard in college, which when I looked at the
Speaker 1: numbers and that you know is corroborated by the film.
Speaker 1: I was kind of surprised that he was basically a
Speaker 1: two to two I and three technique. And if you're
Speaker 1: new to the podcast, A two technique is head up
Speaker 1: over the guard. You are a helmet to helmet, face
Speaker 1: mask to face mask. A two I means you're off
Speaker 1: the inside shoulder. A three means you're off the outside
Speaker 1: shoulder of the offensive guard. But I think he's a
Speaker 1: picture perfect nose build at this type. Like I look
Speaker 1: at him as the if Benito Jones gets hurt. I
Speaker 1: think Zeke Biggers is kind of the guy that you
Speaker 1: slot in as that next nose tackle like he's like
Speaker 1: Kenneth Grant and Jordan Phillips, and that he's young, and
Speaker 1: I think the best football's ahead of him for all
Speaker 1: three of those guys. Matthew Dickerson was a guy that
Speaker 1: had a nice spring after playing some reps down the
Speaker 1: stretch last year. It's an important camp for him to
Speaker 1: kind of see if he can't carve his way into
Speaker 1: this young group and holds some of these guys off,
Speaker 1: because if he can, that's a good thing for the
Speaker 1: Miami Dolphins. AJ Huntley is a massive man. I love
Speaker 1: that he played against the Michigan offensive line every single
Speaker 1: day in practice, and like the rest of the room,
Speaker 1: he has some surprising wiggle for his size. And then
Speaker 1: Ben Stilly sort of an outlier in terms of the
Speaker 1: style and body composition to me of the rest of
Speaker 1: the room. But I can't sit here and act like
Speaker 1: I wasn't massively impressed by him in his first preseason
Speaker 1: with the Miami Dolphins said I thought he could play
Speaker 1: in the league back then, and that's what he's done
Speaker 1: for a few years with the Arizona Cardinals. I think
Speaker 1: this room has really built the vision of coach Weavers
Speaker 1: defense not going to rehash the point I've made on
Speaker 1: this podcast probably four or five times now for the
Speaker 1: last several months that the Ravens, Titans, and Seahawks and
Speaker 1: Dolphins defenses who have this similar scheme and type of
Speaker 1: you know, philosophy defensively virtuatle groups that typically center around
Speaker 1: one or two dominant types with Sealer and Grant hopefully,
Speaker 1: and then you know Sweat and Simmons and tennessee Mattabek,
Speaker 1: Michael Pearce in Baltimore, and then Seattle has a million guys.
Speaker 1: You could put Travis Jones in that group in Baltimore
Speaker 1: now that Pierce has gone, But then a bunch of
Speaker 1: guys that kind of orbit around what you have in
Speaker 1: those top two, guys that can play twenty snaps in
Speaker 1: various roles and stay fresh and be adaptable to all
Speaker 1: the schemes they'll see. If there's one question, I would
Speaker 1: say that it's you're counting on a bunch of young
Speaker 1: players to be good players right away. But as long
Speaker 1: as Grant and Phillips are that, then I think you
Speaker 1: have a very deep interior defensive line, one of the
Speaker 1: deeper ones in the league. If you get all of
Speaker 1: that off the edge. Just go ahead and do this,
Speaker 1: We'll take a break Chop Robinson. If I had to
Speaker 1: pick a breakout player on the roster, it would definitely
Speaker 1: be him, And that almost seems disingenuous because he kind
Speaker 1: of had that breakout in the second half of last season.
Speaker 1: So a breakout means something like double digit sacks. I
Speaker 1: don't think is a stretch at all for him, and
Speaker 1: just a consistent problem on third downs, which again pro
Speaker 1: rate in the second half of the season last year.
Speaker 1: That's what he was. He was one of the best
Speaker 1: in the league. He was sensational all spring long. He
Speaker 1: is a guy that the coaches are going to boast
Speaker 1: about throughout the course of training camp, possibly the best
Speaker 1: player on the field throughout OTAs. I think you saw
Speaker 1: his full skill set start to blossom late playing more
Speaker 1: nosebacker like he did at Penn State, when that was
Speaker 1: an absolute shoot for teams when they would sneak him
Speaker 1: down over the center and say, deal with the one
Speaker 1: to six ten split get off and a guy that
Speaker 1: has like outside edge rushing prowess on top of Jordan
Speaker 1: Brooks and Willie Gay, like, there's just so much to
Speaker 1: contend with when he does that. We saw him kick
Speaker 1: into that position late last like the last game of
Speaker 1: the year, and I think there's more on the menu
Speaker 1: for him in that regard. He's a case study and
Speaker 1: how they've sort of pivoted the mode of roster building, right,
Speaker 1: we went from this pretty veteran team to taking these
Speaker 1: uber talented twenty one year olds dripping with upside. And
Speaker 1: I think Chopp is already the best version of himself,
Speaker 1: and there's a rocket attached to his upward trajectory. Watch
Speaker 1: for him to move all over the formation, be a
Speaker 1: matchup nightmare, and be a guy that's talked about around
Speaker 1: the league as a true game wrecord. I think that's
Speaker 1: in store here for Chop Robinson and listing Chubb first
Speaker 1: and kind of doing I guess my projected depth chart
Speaker 1: going into this, and you know, the coaches will say, like,
Speaker 1: we don't do depth charts this time of year. That's
Speaker 1: more for like you know, official league purposes. But if
Speaker 1: I'm kind of projecting out here on a podcast for
Speaker 1: the sake of entertainment and what you guys, you know,
Speaker 1: like the power of evaluation and projection, I do think
Speaker 1: Chop might be on top of that list. But I
Speaker 1: say that with the utmost respect for the next two
Speaker 1: guys that if they returned to their pre injury form,
Speaker 1: are right in that mix as well. And we'll start
Speaker 1: with Bradley Chubb because the combination of Phillips and Chubb's
Speaker 1: return allows us to use Chop in that sort of
Speaker 1: X factor role I just talked about. You saw it
Speaker 1: in Dallas with Micah. Having DeMarcus Lawrence and Dorance Armstrong
Speaker 1: as lockdown edge defenders against the run with plenty of
Speaker 1: pass rushed juice on their own allowed them to get
Speaker 1: Parsons on the field as a floating third edge type.
Speaker 1: And last year they lose Dornce Armstrong and Micah had
Speaker 1: a bit of a down year. He was hurt, but
Speaker 1: he did. He wasn't as productive when he was out there,
Speaker 1: and now they're not. They're gonna have no DeMarcus Lawrence either,
Speaker 1: so they're gonna have to replace that player as well.
Speaker 1: But Chubb's length and strength off the edge, what he
Speaker 1: provides from a leadership standpoint, plenty of ability to rush
Speaker 1: the passer out why but also kick inside and do
Speaker 1: it in there. I'm not sure there's an individual on
Speaker 1: the roster. I'm rooting for more than Bradley Chubb this year,
Speaker 1: and I think he'll be back to his pre injury explosiveness.
Speaker 1: This is not going to be a player that you
Speaker 1: have to like ramp up, because he was ramping up
Speaker 1: last December and now he's basically full go. We just
Speaker 1: need him and our next guy to be healthy. And
Speaker 1: I think this defense can work as currently constructed, even
Speaker 1: with some of the questions you might have on the
Speaker 1: back end. Because for Phillips, if it's not Chubb, JP's
Speaker 1: the one I'm rootting for the hardest on this entire team.
Speaker 1: Like he doesn't seem phased by an incredibly unlucky situation
Speaker 1: that puts him in a spot where like I mean,
Speaker 1: I don't know, I'd be curious to ask JP this candidly,
Speaker 1: Like what enters your mind when you think about like
Speaker 1: the physicality of football, Like what happens to your career
Speaker 1: if you do go down for a third straight year,
Speaker 1: Like that's got to be something that a player would
Speaker 1: think about. But I think that he's wired the right
Speaker 1: way to allow him to be the impactful guy and
Speaker 1: to play without hesitation and be an impact player right away,
Speaker 1: And don't forget before chop, this was the athletic freak
Speaker 1: on the team if he had even ninety percent of
Speaker 1: his explosiveness and get off and power that he plays
Speaker 1: with with his experience and now his newly added block
Speaker 1: deconstruction over the last three or four years, Like I
Speaker 1: am pumped about these top three guys in this edge group.
Speaker 1: Now from there there are some questions after that, right,
Speaker 1: and it's kind of like role players trying to find
Speaker 1: out where they fit in. I think Quentin Bell could be,
Speaker 1: at his peak, the perfect type of fourth edge on
Speaker 1: your depth chart. He can play on special teams, he
Speaker 1: can set the edge in the run game, and he
Speaker 1: can win the occasional one on one where he gets
Speaker 1: a shot off the edge. You need players like Quentin
Speaker 1: Bell in every single room. A grinder, a workout warrior
Speaker 1: who came from undrafted cut, you know, a practice squad,
Speaker 1: to a guy that makes your roster flashes production. Guys
Speaker 1: love him. I think guys like him are very valuable
Speaker 1: to your roster, and then you kind of get into
Speaker 1: a mix of players that kind of have something to prove, right.
Speaker 1: Mohammed Kamara was a player that was a highly decorated
Speaker 1: college pass rusher, goes in the fifth round of the draft,
Speaker 1: has a wicked first step. He talked about how his
Speaker 1: rookie year was a lot of like kind of getting
Speaker 1: things down from a mental standpoint, and that kind of
Speaker 1: has slowed down for him, which is a trope. I'm
Speaker 1: aware of that, but it's it's true for a lot
Speaker 1: of these guys. With the depth here, I think he
Speaker 1: has a chance to keep developing and just kind of
Speaker 1: be an ace in the hole. Like, Hey, if your
Speaker 1: biggest pass rush for us to start the year comes,
Speaker 1: you know, October thirtieth against the Ravens because we lose
Speaker 1: a player for a game and you've just been kind
Speaker 1: of working in the shadows, that's great. I would love that.
Speaker 1: So from Okamara, just like keep on the you know
Speaker 1: the path, and keep working and the opportunity will come
Speaker 1: when it comes. Grayson Murphy, I think the same is
Speaker 1: true for him, and I'm actually pretty high on this guy.
Speaker 1: I think that Murphy has a really good chance to
Speaker 1: be that fourth actually, and I think he's the biggest
Speaker 1: sleeper on the entire team. Like dominant camp last year,
Speaker 1: great opening drive of the preseason that I've talked about
Speaker 1: way too much, gets hurt comes back and just keeps
Speaker 1: on doing it. No tas just be ready for the
Speaker 1: notes every day to have a Murphy play in the
Speaker 1: camp because he's got a wicked dip, ghost rip trio
Speaker 1: of moves that will allows him to corner angle back
Speaker 1: to the quarterback. He has a lot to deal with,
Speaker 1: and he got after the quarterback all through spring ball.
Speaker 1: And then Cam Good was a guy that also has
Speaker 1: had a major injury that kind of restarted his career.
Speaker 1: He was a core special team guy before that brutal
Speaker 1: injury at the end of twenty twenty three, which if
Speaker 1: his leg doesn't freaking break like we make that tackle
Speaker 1: and maybe that game is different, maybe win the division,
Speaker 1: like it all could have been different because that hole
Speaker 1: that Deontay Hardy hit on that ninety yard punt return
Speaker 1: happened because a guy freaking broke a leg and it
Speaker 1: kind of wiped out his twenty twenty four season. For
Speaker 1: the most part, I just love how this room is
Speaker 1: a bunch of guys that all have a different type
Speaker 1: of appreciation for the game. Given the recent injury. Luck like,
Speaker 1: they're not gonna take it for granted. I think that'll
Speaker 1: feel all of them collectively from good all the way
Speaker 1: up to Bradley Chubb and then Derek McClendon. Not hard
Speaker 1: to see the fit here. You plug in his collar
Speaker 1: rido tape and you see a guy that stands up
Speaker 1: and rushes the edge, mugs up in the a gaps.
Speaker 1: I always like when you have depth pieces that somewhat
Speaker 1: replicate the skills of the guys the top of the room,
Speaker 1: and his game is like chops and that's something worth
Speaker 1: inving and developing. In my opinion, this group will go
Speaker 1: as far as health as the health takes them, and
Speaker 1: we need it to. This front seven has to be
Speaker 1: healthy and has to be dominant to kind of, you know,
Speaker 1: help the secondary be productive in their own right. So
Speaker 1: speaking of that secondary, let's go ahead and take a
Speaker 1: quick break, come back and do the back seven. We'll
Speaker 1: do off ball linebackers. Next Draft Time podcast brought to
Speaker 1: you by AutoNation. We've done the edge and the defensive tackles.
Speaker 1: Now let's go ahead and move to the off ball linebackers.
Speaker 1: As by the time you hear this podcast, depending on
Speaker 1: when you get to it, we might be on the
Speaker 1: field already in twenty twenty five season might be underway
Speaker 1: and I'm very excited about this group of players, the
Speaker 1: off ball linebackers, starting with a player that when I
Speaker 1: watched his tape last year after we signed him, I
Speaker 1: just thought Jordan Brooks was going to be an absolute
Speaker 1: stud for us, and he went above and beyond that.
Speaker 1: I feel pretty confident in my expectation that we can
Speaker 1: drop Brooks in from about the point that he found
Speaker 1: himself right around Week six or seven last year, and
Speaker 1: that could be give or take. He was playing good
Speaker 1: football before that, you could tell he wasn't all the
Speaker 1: way comfortable in the system yet, and once he got
Speaker 1: to that level, it became great football, like all pro
Speaker 1: type of football. Electric first step, outstanding twenty yards down
Speaker 1: the field in coverage, who can flip his hips like
Speaker 1: a defensive back. Running Backs hate seeing him come on
Speaker 1: blitz because he can usually run through them or around them,
Speaker 1: Exceptional range to the sideline, a real dog mentality. Like
Speaker 1: you hear all the stuff about you know, finesse football
Speaker 1: team and whatever you want to call it, Like Jordan
Speaker 1: Brooks defies all of those narratives, and he's going to
Speaker 1: be a big reason why this thing shifts and turns
Speaker 1: around this year. In that rang in that capacity rather,
Speaker 1: and I just think he's one of the very best
Speaker 1: at his position, and getting more comfortable in the defense
Speaker 1: signed me up for that. Speaking of more comfortable, Tyrel
Speaker 1: Dodson got here last November and took off. I mean,
Speaker 1: his leadership role has blossomed this spring and summer, getting
Speaker 1: guys on the field, directing post practice walkthroughs, drilling on
Speaker 1: the rules and fundamentals. He's got playmaking chops tie for
Speaker 1: the team leading interceptions last year despite playing was a
Speaker 1: ten games. If he can help you on special teams,
Speaker 1: also if you endure injuries down the depth chart, and
Speaker 1: that's where I feel like this room can really kind
Speaker 1: of have like a multiplying impact on the entire roster.
Speaker 1: Because I can get guys on special teams, I can
Speaker 1: get guys off the edge playing a middle linebacker role
Speaker 1: like in blitz them, I can play them in coverage.
Speaker 1: It just gives you so much more again flexibility, like
Speaker 1: this front does. I also think there's a very strong
Speaker 1: chemistry built there with him and Jordan Brooks. That Green
Speaker 1: Bay game last year turned me off initially, but I
Speaker 1: thought he responded in a way that was more telling. Right,
Speaker 1: It's about how you respond to adversity than when you
Speaker 1: actually have adversity. I thought Dotson did a great job
Speaker 1: of that. Willie Gay was my number one off ball
Speaker 1: linebacker free agent fit for the Dolphins, and we got him.
Speaker 1: He's ours, boys, we got him. I think pigeonholing him
Speaker 1: into one position is disingenuous. I've seen, you know, his
Speaker 1: tapes buying Josh Allen effectively playing the hook and covering
Speaker 1: up the tight ends and coverage. But his best trait
Speaker 1: to me is getting downhill as a blitzer and that
Speaker 1: pair with the instincts and coverage where he can peel
Speaker 1: back and make a pick. He did it on the
Speaker 1: last day of OTA's back in June. And the way
Speaker 1: he can, you know, we can open things up for him,
Speaker 1: Like what a fit he's going to be in this defense.
Speaker 1: I think he's gonna way out perform the contract that
Speaker 1: he got. Quite personally, very excited about him, and I
Speaker 1: cannot wait to see what his role becomes in this defense.
Speaker 1: kJ Britt is a different type of player, but it's
Speaker 1: pretty clear to see what the Dolphins want at this position,
Speaker 1: smart dog hitting type of linebackers throwbacks. Watch his Buccaneers
Speaker 1: tape there's no false steps. He's always where he's supposed
Speaker 1: to be. He's out the most athletic player in the league.
Speaker 1: But he's a big boost to your base defense, your
Speaker 1: short yardage, and just makes you a tougher football team.
Speaker 1: Chang Tyndall is a guy that you've kind of been
Speaker 1: waiting on for a few years to show something and
Speaker 1: it hasn't developed yet. I think the way the Dolphins
Speaker 1: attacked this room this offseason kind of tells you what
Speaker 1: their expectation is. But you never know, like you could
Speaker 1: get an opportunity injuries happened, special teams work, that's been
Speaker 1: his calling card the last couple of years. You're always
Speaker 1: going to take a you know, a mid round draft
Speaker 1: pick who can run and play on special teams to
Speaker 1: keep him around because those are valuable pieces to your
Speaker 1: roster on the back end of things. But this year
Speaker 1: has to be his opportunity to take the next step
Speaker 1: because if he doesn't, you know it's gonna he'll be
Speaker 1: a free agent. So I think for Tyndall, any type
Speaker 1: of impact you get from him and the depth that
Speaker 1: he could provide would be a boost for this defense.
Speaker 1: To Kwan Jackson, if you make it out to a
Speaker 1: Dolphins Friday practice as in your in the media, which
Speaker 1: is probably none of you, guys, but chances are you're
Speaker 1: going to see Dawan Jackson in a Camo practice jersey,
Speaker 1: which is for the Scout Team player of the week. Guys.
Speaker 1: Laud his ability to see it and communicate it and
Speaker 1: give the Dolphins offense good looks in practice throughout the week.
Speaker 1: Eugene Assante a UDFA legit one of the best personalities
Speaker 1: on the entire team. He was the man at the
Speaker 1: special Olympics event, just you know, he had that infectious
Speaker 1: type of personality and aura to him. And I'm using
Speaker 1: the word aura before it became what you young kids
Speaker 1: made it these days. But he talked at that event
Speaker 1: about his and the rookie classes love for the game,
Speaker 1: and I think that's kind of a foreshadowing of how
Speaker 1: this team wants to be and how it wants to
Speaker 1: be built going forward. I think Cassante is the quintessential
Speaker 1: player for how this team wants to change its makeup
Speaker 1: this offseason. Emery Hunt also picked him to make the
Speaker 1: team on the UDFA podcast. This room is very smart.
Speaker 1: I don't think it's far off from what the secondary
Speaker 1: aspires to be as a team unit. They are hungry,
Speaker 1: they live for football, and they have the skills to
Speaker 1: make it all go. I'm very bullish on the Dolphins
Speaker 1: front seven. Now pivot to the backside, and that's where
Speaker 1: the questions are on the defense. Right an offense, it's
Speaker 1: probably to his health, getting the receivers back on track,
Speaker 1: your tight end room, your offensive line depth, that's probably
Speaker 1: where your questions exist. I would say most of the
Speaker 1: question on the defense here come in the back seven.
Speaker 1: There's not really any mystery besides that we hear reporting
Speaker 1: all the time about the Dolphins being in touch with
Speaker 1: off you guys that aren't on the on the on
Speaker 1: the current market, not on a football team. And I
Speaker 1: bet you that changes here in the coming days and
Speaker 1: weeks because I just don't imagine the Dolphins go at
Speaker 1: it with what they currently have. But if they do,
Speaker 1: here's what it looks like. Caterkohu. Big year for him
Speaker 1: to seize his position as the leader in the room.
Speaker 1: I thought he played his best ball as a perimeter
Speaker 1: cornerback last year, like it was the best he ever
Speaker 1: looked outside. I still think his best positions in the slot,
Speaker 1: but he's a better player in man coverage, which is
Speaker 1: an interesting dynamic for a defense that really kind of
Speaker 1: had its calling card last year and with the current construction.
Speaker 1: In my opinion, I don't know how much this defense
Speaker 1: is built to play like consistent man coverage, but I
Speaker 1: think that his ability to play man is an interesting
Speaker 1: pairing with a really well grouped together and core concept
Speaker 1: of zone coverage that they can the match out throughout
Speaker 1: the course of the season. But his ability to blitz fit,
Speaker 1: the run, play, the screen, it all just screams modern
Speaker 1: day slot corner. They use him to invert their zone
Speaker 1: coverage at times, so clearly the staff is comfortable with
Speaker 1: loading him up with a wealthy wealthy a healthy plate
Speaker 1: of responsibility. Storm Duck showed his chops down the stretch
Speaker 1: last year. It was okay tape to me. I thought
Speaker 1: he had a really good spring, plays a physical style
Speaker 1: of coverage. I think the way that he and Cater
Speaker 1: and Isaiah Johnson and BJ Adams and Already Burns really
Speaker 1: all the guys they've brought in or been developing, describes
Speaker 1: how this defense can give opposing offenses fits with a
Speaker 1: dominant front seven and a good blend of disguise man
Speaker 1: in his own coverage and in those man coverage reps,
Speaker 1: long physical corners who can get hands on guys and
Speaker 1: disrupt timing at the line of scrimmage. Storm is a
Speaker 1: super super smart Polish player. In year two, I would
Speaker 1: expect him to take a bigger jump because of the
Speaker 1: kind of digestion of the playbook. Am I super super
Speaker 1: comfortable going into the year going into Indianapolis with him
Speaker 1: as your cornerback two? No, But that's that's a lot
Speaker 1: of teams have situations like that, and I think we
Speaker 1: can find out more over the course of the next
Speaker 1: month that puts us in a position to have the
Speaker 1: answers we don't currently have Isaiah Johnson. If it's not
Speaker 1: Grayson Murphy as my hidden gem, then it's Isaiah Johnson.
Speaker 1: His length is absurd and when you get into third
Speaker 1: and seven and you want to blitz and play man
Speaker 1: covers in the backside, he's a guy that is probably
Speaker 1: the best option to go line up over the X
Speaker 1: and just challenge him with press and take away short
Speaker 1: routes and force a deep shot into you know, Minka
Speaker 1: Fitzpatrick's center field coverage or Ashton Davis's you know, track
Speaker 1: speeds out on the sideline. He was awesome in the spring.
Speaker 1: He's got go go, gadget arms. He finds the football.
Speaker 1: The long speed is the question, but I think you
Speaker 1: can mask that with some of the stuff you ask
Speaker 1: him to do in certain positions. Camp Smith, I kind
Speaker 1: of view his production right now as a bonus. In
Speaker 1: individual drills, he looks like an all pro. Then we
Speaker 1: go to team drills and it kind of goes the
Speaker 1: other way. At his best, he's a pliable, quick change
Speaker 1: of direction cornerback with ball skills to match. He's had
Speaker 1: his problem staying on the field, which is well documented,
Speaker 1: but if he puts all together, he could be a
Speaker 1: pivotal part. That kind of solves this question for you.
Speaker 1: If not, you're going to have to look elsewhere and
Speaker 1: we'll see what happens. I'm not going to count him
Speaker 1: out yet, but it's been a rough couple of years
Speaker 1: for camp Smith already. Burns. I thought the limited tape
Speaker 1: with the Seahawks was really good, albeit just a you know,
Speaker 1: one hundred and fifty snaps whatever it was, especially in
Speaker 1: the slot reps. But he's also had issues staying on
Speaker 1: the field. If he can play, he can play. But
Speaker 1: he hasn't done much of it throughout the court of
Speaker 1: his career. Ethan bond are the fastest guy on the
Speaker 1: team right I'm excited to watch him in camp after
Speaker 1: developmental year, coming off a nice rookie season, but I
Speaker 1: think he's got a long way to climb up this room.
Speaker 1: Jason Marshall junior real man coverage chops. He kind of
Speaker 1: fits that mold of like gets a third long challenge
Speaker 1: guys in the in the at the line of scrimmage.
Speaker 1: I'm curious to see how he takes some of the
Speaker 1: more complex zone and man match concepts that makes this
Speaker 1: defense go, because that's a lot to ask for a rookie,
Speaker 1: and if you're gonna put a guy out there, he
Speaker 1: has to be versed in that against you know, some
Speaker 1: of these great passing attacks. Fortunately, we don't see a
Speaker 1: great passing attack until week two or week three, and
Speaker 1: even that's like Josh Allen and then a bunch of guys,
Speaker 1: like the first time we see a really deep receiving
Speaker 1: core is until like the Atlanta game. I guess Kendall
Speaker 1: Sheffield had a nice spring after being added late in
Speaker 1: the process. He's had some wins against some of the
Speaker 1: top receivers on the roster, but his tape previously is
Speaker 1: not the best. Ethan Robinson and bj Adams. I put
Speaker 1: them together because I feel like they're games juxtapose one another.
Speaker 1: Adams isn't in your face long pressner, where Robinson has
Speaker 1: the speed, the quickness and the field. Two of the
Speaker 1: guys I'm watching the most when we get in the
Speaker 1: second half of the preseason games this year. And then
Speaker 1: Ryan bump Cooper, he was here, released then brought back
Speaker 1: after the Matrex injury. His best work comes inside. There
Speaker 1: are so many ways this room can go with guys
Speaker 1: that earn work options on the market if you don't
Speaker 1: like the way the camp goes for some of them.
Speaker 1: But also just diverse skills that allow you to be
Speaker 1: flexible on a down to down basis, but also each
Speaker 1: week with different types of wide receivers. So there is
Speaker 1: some upside. I think there's more questions than the res upside.
Speaker 1: The biggest question on the entire roster, and make no
Speaker 1: mistake about that, but we're gonna get some answers over
Speaker 1: the next four or five weeks. Last break right there,
Speaker 1: come back and do safeties and special teams and get
Speaker 1: the heck out of here Draft Time podcast brought to
Speaker 1: you by Auto Nation. We talk about the front seven
Speaker 1: and the impact they can have on the cornerback position.
Speaker 1: I think what the Dolphins were able to get from
Speaker 1: the Jayleen Ramsey trade, who again, let's be totally transparent
Speaker 1: about that, he was gone. You were losing him, and
Speaker 1: I felt it was going to be a draft pick
Speaker 1: next year to get Minka Fitzpatrick back in that deal.
Speaker 1: A guy that basically gives you another corner in a
Speaker 1: certain sense because of his ability to do so much
Speaker 1: as a safety, even including coming down and playing in
Speaker 1: the slot. It kind of shifted the landscape of how
Speaker 1: I view the secondary to where now, like, I think
Speaker 1: one more addition does the trick here. And I just
Speaker 1: loved watching his tape so much. He's a lot like
Speaker 1: Tua in terms of how he sees the field. You know,
Speaker 1: gets a read, goes and makes a perfect play that
Speaker 1: leads to a big play, Insane ball production, incredibly smart.
Speaker 1: He can play corner in a pinch, can be a
Speaker 1: part of your big nickel with three safeties, and play
Speaker 1: like a quasi linebacker role where he's kind of spamm
Speaker 1: in the middle of the football field. He can play
Speaker 1: in the post, although I think that's not his best
Speaker 1: position because Pittsburgh kind of had him twenty five yards
Speaker 1: off the football and misused him, and between Tara Austin
Speaker 1: and Keith Butler before him, I always thought Minka didn't
Speaker 1: get utilized in the best way, which is kind of crazy.
Speaker 1: He produced the way he did. But I think that
Speaker 1: his best work is as a robber, which is where
Speaker 1: you kind of play a split safety look and then
Speaker 1: you come down and try to pick off crossing routes
Speaker 1: and hook and hook's own receivers. But a hook defender
Speaker 1: who gets in the middle of the trash and just
Speaker 1: makes life tough on the opposing offense. He can he
Speaker 1: can cross off one route and climb down to the
Speaker 1: check downs and cross off the short game as well.
Speaker 1: I just think that he has a lot of good
Speaker 1: football ahead of him, and I think it's a huge
Speaker 1: win that we got him for a player who wasn't
Speaker 1: going to be here anyways. I fat to melafon Wu
Speaker 1: is one of the players I was most excited about.
Speaker 1: Provided he can stay healthy, which is a question for
Speaker 1: a lot on this roster. I understand that, but man,
Speaker 1: when he is healthy, he is awesome. He's another one
Speaker 1: of these guys I think could look back on as
Speaker 1: a real steal a free agent. He kind of reminds
Speaker 1: me of Brent Grimes a little bit. Not the same
Speaker 1: position obviously, but Grimes was cheap because he came off
Speaker 1: the Achilles injury and you got like an all pro
Speaker 1: for like, I think, if he has that type of skill,
Speaker 1: if he can just stay on the damn field, only
Speaker 1: forty three games across four years, but he's a hitter,
Speaker 1: he gets off blocks, he can blitz really effectively, fluid
Speaker 1: hips a former cornerback, I think him and Minka has
Speaker 1: potential to be a really special duo back there. And
Speaker 1: then when you add that third safety into the mix,
Speaker 1: a guy with the range of Ashton Davis who had
Speaker 1: the famous eight picks on just over one thousand reps
Speaker 1: in his career, exceptional ball skills. I thought the tape
Speaker 1: at times was tough, especially as a tackler from depth
Speaker 1: and in like man coverage. But I think that what
Speaker 1: he can do in this defense as kind of a
Speaker 1: third option, I think can suit his skill set and
Speaker 1: get the most out of his game. Patrick McMorris, as
Speaker 1: you get into your depth. You have your analogs to
Speaker 1: the projected starters, right like McMorris to me, plays a
Speaker 1: lot like Ifi Mela Fan who does a great run
Speaker 1: defender from depth on tape, a big hitter, limited fall steps,
Speaker 1: special teams, chops. I thought he was kind of tracking
Speaker 1: towards being an impact player last year. Then he gets
Speaker 1: hurt if he can pick up where he left off.
Speaker 1: Excited about the prospects for Patrick McMorris. Elijah Campbell has
Speaker 1: been an ace on special teams, long tenured player, been
Speaker 1: on the field for some sub packages. I know he
Speaker 1: expects to get some work at safety this year, and
Speaker 1: Coach Weaver has kind of alluded to that throughout the
Speaker 1: course the last twelve to fifteen months. Looking forward to
Speaker 1: seeing what Elijah Campbell can bring to the defense this
Speaker 1: year and on special teams. Dante Trader Junior speaking of
Speaker 1: guys being where they're supposed to be when they're supposed
Speaker 1: to be there, one of the best students of the
Speaker 1: game as a rookie I've ever met in my life.
Speaker 1: Made some plays in spring football, but if you heard
Speaker 1: him on the on the podcast a couple months ago
Speaker 1: or a couple of weeks ago, he was really dialed
Speaker 1: in and just kind of brings that type of mentality.
Speaker 1: Jordan Colbert had a nice camp last year, gets a
Speaker 1: spot on the practice squad, now has a chance to
Speaker 1: compete against a good deep room here and try to
Speaker 1: make his move. And then John Saunders, the only UDF
Speaker 1: in the group, he fits the mold smart player on tape.
Speaker 1: I think the Minca tred just solidified this room. It
Speaker 1: slots everybody into their role to me really perfectly, and
Speaker 1: I'm excited about it. I mean, between Iffy and Minka,
Speaker 1: those are big additions that I think are going to
Speaker 1: be a way better safety tandem than we had last year,
Speaker 1: and that can be a big impact for this defense.
Speaker 1: Special teams. Jason Sanders, longest tenured Dolphin. Feels weird to
Speaker 1: say that former first team All Pro countless game winners
Speaker 1: and clutch kicks from beyond fifty yards, including the twenty
Speaker 1: twenty three playoff clincher versus Dallas, twenty twenty four buzzer
Speaker 1: beaters against the Jaguars overtime winner against the Jets last year.
Speaker 1: He also booted Miami to victory with five field goals
Speaker 1: in each of the wins over the Rams and Niners.
Speaker 1: He's been money in the bank last two years and
Speaker 1: really his entire career outside of like what these three
Speaker 1: or four game slumps he goes on had a rough
Speaker 1: twenty twenty two, but outside of that, he's just I mean,
Speaker 1: it's every kicker, right, they go on these streaks. But
Speaker 1: he's a position that you have expectation of one hundred
Speaker 1: percent success rate to do it at a clip better
Speaker 1: than eighty five percent. Pretty nice to have that in
Speaker 1: your back pocket, especially with his range that he's displayed
Speaker 1: the last couple of years. Joe Cardona replaces Blake Ferguson.
Speaker 1: Happy about that one hundred and sixty career games all
Speaker 1: with the Patriots. Jake Bailey had a nice bounce back
Speaker 1: a year last year, but I thought could still stand to,
Speaker 1: you know, punt the football better, and you get Ryan
Speaker 1: Stonehouse in house to be that competition rocket of a leg.
Speaker 1: The booming fifty three point one yard punting average is
Speaker 1: first two years breaking NFL records, gets hurt, comes back
Speaker 1: and winds up fifty point six yards per boot. So
Speaker 1: he is right there in terms of his impact as
Speaker 1: a big, big leg punter, and I think that he
Speaker 1: probably has the first step out of the gate here
Speaker 1: in the punting competition. All right, that's it. The next
Speaker 1: time you hear me. Actually, I think I'm gonna put
Speaker 1: another podcast out today. We'll see. I'm gonna talk to
Speaker 1: my bos first to see how he feels about it,
Speaker 1: but I think I'm gonna do a podcast with some
Speaker 1: training camp storylines to look at, and then also covering
Speaker 1: media availabilities of Minka and Darren Waller, who I believe
Speaker 1: are going to talk to the media today, so keep
Speaker 1: an eye out for that might be a double feature.
Speaker 1: And then we are full go every single day that
Speaker 1: the Dolphins are on the field Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday.
Speaker 1: We'll have Sunday off Monday Tuesday Wednesday, So lots of
Speaker 1: Dolphins podcasts coming your way breaking down all things Dolphins practice,
Speaker 1: media availabilities. Keep it locked right here, But until then
Speaker 1: you all please be sure subscribe, rate, review the show,
Speaker 1: follow me on social at linkld NFL, follow the team
Speaker 1: at Miami Dolphins, check out the YouTube channel for Dolphins HQ,
Speaker 1: Draft time content, media availabilities, and a heck of a
Speaker 1: lot more, and last button not least, Miami Dolphins dot com.
Speaker 1: Until next time finds up Caroline, Cameron and Willow Daddy
Speaker 1: come and hope