Round 1
Pick 13 (13)
Kenneth Grant
DT Michigan
6-3 331 LBS
- 2022: Played in all 14 games as a reserve (8 tackles).
- 2023: Second-team All-Big Ten Conference. Played in all 15 games with 5 starts for the national champions (29 tackles, 5 TFLs with 3.5 sacks, INT, 6 PBUs).
- 2024: Third-team Associated Press All-American. Second-team All-Big Ten. Started 12 games (32 tackles, 6.5 TFLs with 3 sacks, 5 PBUs). Did not play in the team’s ReliaQuest Bowl win over Alabama.
— by Chad Reuter
Round 2
Pick 5 (37)
Jonah Savaiinaea
G Arizona
6-4 324 LBS
From Raiders
- 2022: Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 Conference. Started all 12 games at RG.
- 2023: Honorable Mention All-Pac-12. Started all 13 games (3 at RG, 10 at RT).
- 2024: Honorable Mention All-Big 12 Conference. Started 11 games (5 at LT, 6 at RT). Team captain.
— by Chad Reuter
Round 5
Pick 5 (143)
Jordan Phillips
DT Maryland
6-1 312 LBS
From Raiders
- 2022 (Tennessee): Redshirted. Played in 3 games as a reserve (1 tackle).
- 2023: Played in all 13 games with 11 starts (28 tackles, 1.5 TFLs).
- 2024: Started all 12 games (29 tackles, TFL).
— by Chad Reuter
Round 5
Pick 13 (150)
Jason Marshall Jr.
CB Florida
6-0 194 LBS
- High school: 5-star recruit, top-30 overall prospect nationally.
- 2021: Played in all 13 games with 7 starts (23 tackles, 2 TFLs, INT, 3 PBUs).
- 2022: Led team with 8 PBUs. Started all 13 games (29 tackles, TFL, INT).
- 2023: Led team with 10 PBUs. Started all 12 games (26 tackles, 3 TFLs with 1 sack).
- 2024: Started the first 7 games (20 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, 4 PBUs, FF). Missed the rest of the season with a shoulder injury.
— by Chad Reuter
Round 5
Pick 19 (155)
Dante Trader Jr.
SAF Maryland
5-10 196 LBS
From Broncos
- High school: One of the top lacrosse recruits in the nation as a midfielder. Originally signed with Maryland to play lacrosse.
- 2021: Played in 12 games as a reserve (16 tackles, TFL, PBU).
- 2022: Started all 13 games (62 tackles, 2 INTs, 4 PBUs).
- 2023: Started 12 games (53 tackles, 2 INTs, 6 PBUs). Joined Maryland’s lacrosse team, playing in all 16 games and earning USILA third-team All-American honors.
- 2024: Honorable Mention All-Big Ten Conference. Started 10 games (59 tackles, INT, 4 PBUs). Missed 2 games due to injury.
— by Chad Reuter
Round 6
Pick 3 (179)
Ollie Gordon II
RB Oklahoma State
6-1 226 LBS
From Browns through Texans
- 2022: Played in all 13 games with 1 start (62-308-5.0, 2 TDs rushing; 12-76-6.3, 2 TDs receiving).
- 2023: Won the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s top RB. First-team Associated Press All-American. Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. First-team All-Big 12. Led the FBS with 1,732 rushing yards (285 carries, 6.1 per) and 2,062 yards from scrimmage (39-330-8.5, TD receiving), ranked second with 21 rushing TDs. Started all 14 games.
- 2024: Honorable Mention All-Big 12. Led team with 880 rushing yards (190 carries, 4.6 per), 13 rushing TDs. Started all 12 games. Arrested in July 2024 on suspicion of DUI.
— by Chad Reuter
Round 7
Pick 15 (231)
Quinn Ewers
QB Texas
6-2 214 LBS
- High school: No. 1 overall prospect nationally.
- 2021 (Ohio State): Redshirted. Enrolled in August, reclassifying to the class of 2021 after graduating from high school a year early.
- 2022: Started 10 games (172-296-58.1, 2,177 yards, 15 TDs, 6 INTs passing; 1 rushing TD). Missed 3 games with a shoulder injury suffered against Alabama.
- 2023: Honorable Mention All-Big 12 Conference. Ranked 10th in the FBS with 69.0 completion percentage (272-394, 3,479 yards, 22 TDs, 6 INTs). Set school record with 19 straight completions against Oklahoma. Threw for 452 yards, 4 TDs against Oklahoma State to help Texas win first Big 12 championship since 2009. Started 12 games (59-75-1.3, 5 TDs rushing). Missed 2 games with a shoulder injury.
- 2024: Second-team All-SEC. Tied for sixth in the FBS with 31 passing TDs (293-445, 65.8, 3,472, 12 INTs passing; 2 TDs rushing). Started 14 games. Missed 2 games with an oblique injury. Threw a TD pass in each of his last 27 games.
- Miscellaneous: Featured on the front of the EA Sports College Football 25 game standard and deluxe editions.
— by Chad Reuter
Round 7
Pick 37 (253)
Zeek Biggers
DT Georgia Tech
6-5 321 LBS
Compensatory Selection
- 2021: Played in 9 games as a reserve (9 tackles). Missed the final 2 games due to injury.
- 2022: Played in all 12 games as a reserve (32 tackles, TFL, PBU, blocked kick).
- 2023: Honorable Mention All-ACC. Started all 12 games (40 tackles, 4 TFLs with 1 sack, 3 PBUs, blocked kick).
- 2024: Honorable Mention All-ACC. Tied for fourth in the FBS with 2 blocked kicks. Started all 13 games (23 tackles, 3.5 TFLs with 1 sack, 3 PBUs, 2 blocked kicks).
— by Chad Reuter
Listen, I’m sorry if the things I post hurt some of your feelings and put you off, but sorry, not sorry. We’re big boys and girls and we’re not casual fans that might talk about this team once a month, or just during the NFL season by the water cooler. No, we do this every day, and possibly put in more work than our current GM Chris Grier. This is not going to be a “Gee whiz fellas, we drafted 9 superstars and picked up 14 more UDFA’s that will be Hall of Famers!!!”. It’s not even going to be “I love our draft, we really nailed it!”. Let’s call it what it looks like right now, Grier used 4 picks to get our first two players, DT Kenneth Grant and OG Jonah Savaiinaea. All of us in our heart of hearts knew we had to get a DT and OG and Grier squandered FOUR PICKS to accomplish this. Let’s throw him a parade!!!!
Is it possible we could have traded back in RD 1 and still have been able to get Kenneth Grant? Possible, this one doesn’t bother me all that much though. I’ve already hammered Grier in my last article stating he doesn’t have any patience, or discipline, because he doesn’t, but we needed to trade away 3 picks to move up in RD 2 from Pick #48 to Pick #37. To be clear, there was not one OL taken in between Pick 38 – Pick 48, which certainly could indicate that Grier completely miscalculated the situation. Now, is it possible that only OG Jonah Savaiineah was the player that all teams wanted, sure, it’s possible, but not likely. This is Grier’s MO, his track record, of trading up. Now we all better hope he did better with this trade up than he did the last time he traded up for an OL in RD 2. In 2021, Grier traded up from Pick #50 to Pick #42 which surrendered our 2nd RD pick #50, and a 2022 3rd RD pick as well. He can’t wait for the draft to come to him, he forces the issue, and in Liam Eichenberg’s case, that was a huge miss. It’s not that I want OG Jonah Savaiinaea to fail, but we all knew we had a ton of spots to fill and we traded away more picks that could have helped us accomplish that. That’s poor management from a guy who has done this time and time again.
Now, is it possible some of our late picks can help this team? Sure, DT Jordan Phillips will get his chance to be part of the defensive line rotation because Grier has let the roster erode to the point where we have no depth there because we have little cap space. Can 5th RD CB Jason Marshall start at CB and be a positive for this team? Not very likely, but if Jalen Ramsey is actually traded post June 1st, then he certainly might get his chance considering the fact that we won’t have one true starting caliber CB on the roster. At Safety it’s a different story. We have two guys that have started and are capable players, but not top tier players by any means. 5th RD pick Dante Trader may also be given a chance to compete with Ashtyn Davis and Ifeatu Melifonwu.
Our 6th RD pick could potentially make an impact, we’ve wanted a big bruising back for what seems like forever and 6th RD pick Ollie Gordon could be that guy. The problem is, Grier traded up into RD 4 last year and used our 2025 3rd RD pick to select Tennessee RB Jaylen Wright. Had to have him! In the 2024 Miami Dolphins season, Jaylen Wright contributed 68 carries for 249 yards, and 3 receptions for 8 yards. Another great trade for GM Chris Grier. Will HC Mike McDaniel allow Ollie Gordon to play this season, and will he also allow Jaylen Wright to earn his draft day trade? Time will tell, but I hate his track record too of giving rookies playing time. It appears as if this year, funny boy won’t have much of a choice!
To finish out the draft, we took a QB, Quinn Ewers from Texas. We followed that pick with another DT, Georgia Tech DT Zeek Biggers, who as I previously stated about Jordan Phillips, Biggers should be given a chance to make the roster and be part of the D-line rotation considering we don’t have a lot of bodies there. To give Grier some credit here, Quinn Ewers is the 5th ranked QB on NFL.com, and his comparison is Sam Howell, who was just traded by the Seahawks to the Vikings. Now that is excellent value getting the 5th ranked QB in RD 7! Well done, zero sarcasm.
So take this draft as a whole, we needed starters at OG, DE/DT and it appears as if we secured that. We also need 2 starting CB’s if we’re taking Grier at his word that they mutually agreed with CB Jalen Ramsey that he should seek a trade. That we absolutely did not accomplish, but it’s possible Ramsey could be traded for a CB in a similar situation, so that would give us one starter. Kader Kohou should man the nickel/slot, but that still leaves one outside CB spot that needs to be filled. There are some free agent CB’s still available, and if trading Ramsey post June 1st can bring us some cap relief, maybe we could afford a guy like CB Asante Samuel Jr. who is a bonafide starter and only 25. Can CB Cam Smith finally make his mark? Not likely, but he may be given one last chance. We have CB’s Artie Burns, Storm Duck, Jason Maitre, Isaiah Johnson, Ethan Bonner and now add in 5th RD pick Jason Marshall. Difficult to think that we have a starter among that group, but sometimes guys step up.
Is our team better than last year’s team? I honestly don’t think so. While we hope that OG Jonah Savaiinaea is better than the group we trotted out at OG last season, we don’t know if he will be. We also don’t know if LT Patrick Paul will be anywhere as good as Terron Armstead, playing on a bad leg for most of the season. Then we have the question as to whether OG James Daniels who is coming off an achilles injury last season can regain his previous level of play before the injury. On the D-line, BIG Kenneth Grant has BIG shoes to fill, because 38 year old Calais Campbell was excellent for us last season. Benito Jones keeps his role as NT and Zach Sieler his at RDE. With the hge questions at CB and smaller questions about safety, it’s hard to think this team is going to be better than last season, which if we’re being realistic, should spell the end for GM Chris Grier, HC Mike McDaniel and also QB Tua Tagovailoa, who was tied to the hip of HC Mike McDaniel. If we have a losing season, I don’t see any way, or reason that this trio should be back another season, not a one. If we get into the playoffs, and actually win one, then we’re talking about something entirely different, and they will have earned the right to be here.
GO DOLPHINS!!!
Finsmob Unleashed 
MikeE,
Don’t worry. You’re not the only one sick and tired of being losers.
Thanks Randy, I know I have some real good company.
I love the Ewers pick. Grier doesn’t always pick poorly but. I look at the Ravens draft every year with jealousy. We’re never as good, they always pick later, and they always get more guys who seem to work out.
Mike, what outcome of the Jonah pick would make you happy?
I’ve said this before, but I think Grier has talent as a scout and should be part of a team and no way in hell should he be the decision maker. He’s a slightly better version of what Ireland was. He can grab some decent players from time to time, but he can’t build a team and he wastes too much capital in drafts and free agency, hurting our chances further.
Mike brought up his impatience and it’s absolutely true. Not just within the drafts, but when going after veterans in order to swing for the fences when we aren’t even up to bat. It’s not like we’ve been knocking on the door of the Super Bowl for the better part of a decade. We’re rarely making the playoffs as a wild card and then getting bounced in the first round.
Seeing all this capital given to the d-line makes me wonder if Weaver is being looked at to take over as HC if McDaniels continues to falter.
I wouldn’t mind that
I expect 1-2 round picks to become solid to above average starters, and I expect some of them to be really good. I kinda feel that way about 3rd round too, but I probably expect a little bit less talent from them. Still, you need 3rd rounders to be major contributors to the team in some way.
Have we signed Scherff yet?
You never know in any round what kind of player a guy is going to be. So many great players have been mid and late round picks or UDFA.
Well you heard it straight from Tim. Nobody knows anything.
Time to cancel the combine along with the draft, and NFL teams can save millions by eliminating their scouting departments.
You missed my point completely. Once you have your players, you never know who’s going to be great. Zach Thomas in the 5th round wasn’t a projected HOF. That was the point.
I understand some of you are not thrilled with this team, my point was that the commentary about it is like groundhog’s day.
So is the never ending blind support by some.
It’s not blind, it’s looking at the potential rather than just saying we suck.
Tim – That’s fine, and you’re right, any pick can turn into a good player, which is why it drives me fucking crazy that Grier continues to squander picks trading up in every draft and you’re more than happy to defend him. What if he didn’t trade up for Jonah and drafted Milum in RD 3 and we got 2 more good players, maybe a S or a CB? It’s not one draft, it’s almost every-single-one. You want to defend him ,feel free, his days of being given a pass by me are long over!
It’s not about defending him, I’m just rolling with what we do and try to visualize the potential. We have no control over this stuff but we are still going to root for the team. I’m not against criticism, I guess seeing it repeated daily is what gets under my skin. Media talking heads do that too. We do have a lot of talent. Now do we as a team put it together and win more games, we shall see.
Tim,
Nothing is black and white but if I offered you a pick in the first round every year or a pick in the 6th, which one would you take? What you said is true, but it isn’t the point.
I want picks. As I said, it’s the lottery idea. Every pick is a chance….large or small….to get a special player. But, I’m valuing picks in the first 3 rounds differently .
Okay let’s not get all crazy here. Was just saying once you get guys in camp you don’t know who is going to be good at the next level. Once we draft our guys and sign the UDFAs it’s fun to get to see their good traits and why they were drafted on video like what BBM is doing. If you just look at the round they were picked in it makes things look more dire.
Tim,
Your eternal optimism is refreshing as always. 🙂
Oh, it’s blind.
Ok, everyone agrees Grief is a piece of shit, not worthy of a GM job, maybe somewhere in the scouting dept
now that we got that out of the way there’s no need for anyone to put it on record to say they don’t like him as GM or what he did in the just completed draft
can we get over this Rufus already?
or Dufus
Well, I guess we can only express unwavering optimism regarding the team until after the season is over and the results are evident? Nothing to discuss here. See you all next season…
F THAT SHIT!
Two weeks until the schedule is released. I guess we can talk about something then…
But you do know who’s going to be good. First round busts are considered that for a reason. They are expected to be good. Most of the best players of the past 25 years have been first rounders. It’s why LTs, QBs, pass rushers and elite CBs are taken early. Disparate impact. It’s why Barkley in the top 5 was incredibly rare but correct. The best of the best in college are usually really good in the pros. It’s why SEC players dominate the first round.
It’s not a science but there’s only one elite 6th round QB ever and one starting 7th rounder. No one picks LTs in the 7th for a reason. Giving up elite picks in the draft is one sure way of reducing your chances of winning a Superbowl. Anything can happen but why play Russian roulette when you don’t have to?
Here are the dates for the 2025 minicamp:
I cannot believe how the players have been able to gut the off season program! 9 days of no-contact practice before training camp. (and very limited padded practices even in July!)
Randy, for me sports are supposed to be fun. We will know if Grier fucked up during the season. I see a path for success this season but we need a few things to pan out.
^ Starting with no major injuries
Once the season starts I won’t be bringing up Grier’s Draft track record because it won’t be a topic that’s timely or relevant, but during and right after the draft, it’s 100% relevant.
Of course but you don’t know if what we did is good or bad yet. Did we find multiple contributors or special? That plays a major role in this season. If we don’t get much impact from this draft we’re likely not going to have a good season. That’s what he’ll be evaluated on.
We know trading picks isn’t the winning formula, he’s been doing it since forever and we haven’t won shit, so I disagree on that. As far as whether our players will be good players, that is unanswered at the moment. Look at the Eagles who were picking at the end of each round, they traded up just one spot in RD 1, and stayed put for the rest. The Ravens probably never trade up, probably same for the Bills
He also compiled picks during the rebuild in 2019. The plan he had took a setback last year. Can we rebound?
Who is your sleeper from our draft? My first reaction to my own question is Dante Trader Jr. I like his instincts and that gets you on the field.
I agree on trader
although in terms of immediate impact next year, I think there are 4 prospects likely to be more productive (Grant, Saviaanaea, Phillips and Gordon)
but trader is the guy that can come out of nowhere and contribute
Grier = Asleep at the wheel
It’s funny, I feel like he’s coked up at the wheel. Never stays put, can’t wait, just so frigging impulsive.
that would make him more detail oriented
Steve, I have known a few coke heads in my time and one thing I can say about all of them is they were not “more detail oriented” because of the coke…
Mike, the trade up for Savaiinaea will be graded on his performance. If he’s a good guard for us it was worth it. If he’s less than projected like Eichenberg was then that’s a problem. Let’s hope he was right.
No offense, but that’s a narrow-minded way to look at it. Because we traded up, we couldn’t make earlier selections at other spots like CB and S, maybe even another OL. His performance will certainly count, and if he’s an All-Pro, we can overlook the trade up, If he’s just an average starter, losing those picks hurts the team, and again, he’s been doing this all too often.
it won’t matter if he’s a good OG
I dont know of the rumors are true that the patriots were going to snag him so we had to move up
but I don’t really care about giving up a 3rd of the player is a good OG
@RapSheet
The #Vikings have given Pro Bowl LB Andrew Van Ginkel a 1-year, $23M extension to keep him in Minnesota in a deal done by agent Drew Rosenhaus.
Good for Van Ginkel! They guy works his ass off and is finally getting paid.
That is huge. Guess we trained him well.
Tim,
I’m hopeful every year. I still expect to win every game…until we don’t. That’s what is so fun about just being a homer fan. I have absolutely no issue with fans being fanatics. It should be fun. For me, none of our conversations around here affect my emotional connection to the team
I have to see how this OL comes together and the defense has to be a little better than last year. Too many big drives and plays. I still don’t trust Tua to go win a game, and he has to. That’s the NFL unless you’re the Eagles. I’m still thinking around 10 wins if things go right. I don’t think this team knows how to win big games yet, and teams usually learn that in the playoffs. We have to actually start doing something in the playoffs for me to get too giddy.
I can be hopeful and realistic at the same time!
Tim Knight
says:
April 29, 2025 at 1:26 pm
You missed my point completely. Once you have your players, you never know who’s going to be great. Zach Thomas in the 5th round wasn’t a projected HOF. That was the point.
____________
That’s a platitude, not an actual point. Randy had a point, which you missed. Saying anything can happen isn’t a point. It’s just contrarian nonsense.
Krishna says:
April 29, 2025 at 7:17 pm
I believe he was engaging in discussion with Randy, and not being contradictory.
Somehow you needed to feel important and interjected….lmao!
My take.
Piggy – you should care about the 3rd, because it was a 2nd RD pick and 3rd RD pick, plus a swap of 4th RD picks or something like that. Always wasting draft capital. How bout you think of it like this . . .
To draft Jonah Savaiinaea and Jaylen Wright it required a 2nd RD pick, two 3rd Picks, a 4th RD pick, and then a swap of 4th RD picks.
if that doesn’t seem like way too much, look at the good teams like Philadelphia, Baltimore, Pittsburgh that NEVER do stupid shit like that, and are always more successful than we are.
if your going to include the Wright trade up shouldn’t you include the 3rd we got next year?
with the 3 trades we moved up 11 spots in the 2nd, 2 3rds out 1 back so net a 3rd, dropped down 8 spots into 5th, gave up a 7th to get a 6th net 45 spots
doesn’t seem like we lost too much, up 11 valuable 2nd rd picks, gave up a 3rd, added 45 later
Tim, Brian and Piggy
Would you guys want to meet up and go to.a Mets game this season?
I believe he was engaging in discussion with Randy, and not being contradictory.
Somehow you needed to feel important and interjected….lmao
My take.
That was to sb7mvp
And I was engaging in discussion with Tim and you felt the need to interject. Who needs to feel important again?
As he was engaging with Randy…lol. You keep missing the point!
Let’s do ABCs…lol
I think you just inadvertently called yourself out….lmfao.
Grier has invited criticism through his words and actions.
Last year, OL is good because Tua gets the ball out too quick. That’s a fundamental flaw in understanding how a team should be built and allocating capital.
Let’s let home grown, his own picks, “earn their rights to FA”. This is another fundamental flaw in his vision of building a perennial playoff franchise.
We fill self-inflicted holes with replacement draft picks instead of building on a foundation. That’s a major flaw in his GM duties.
He’s been here 20+ years…wtf is taking do long? Lmao!
GM=General Manager. He does NOT know how to manage generally…lol!
So many other examples…lol
…well it is doo, but I meant so
You’re preaching to the choir
Tim Knight
says:
April 29, 2025 at 3:37 pm
Who is your sleeper from our draft? My first reaction to my own question is Dante Trader Jr. I like his instincts and that gets you on the field.
————-
Just me, man… I’m not big on Dante Trader. Quite obviously, I hope he works out very well for us. We’ll see!
For me (though he didn’t get drafted), it’s Jalin Conyers, who we signed as an UDFA. If he can be taught how to block like a champ (he’s got great size to block @ 6’3″, 260 pounds, unlike Mike Gesicki @ 6″6′, 240 pounds), he’s going to be a straight up menace for Defenses to handle.
I see a great future for Conyers if he continues on his current trajectory. That’s my sleeper right there.
Conyers is (currently) a ‘poor man’s’ version of Tyler Warren. In a couple of years, I could see him becoming a perennial Pro-Bowler.
I don’t see it in Trader either and on Conyers I’m all in
HELL YEAH!!!
To me Trader looks like a good fit in zone schemes which Weaver runs a lot. He sees the play and isn’t shy to come up and tackle or be where he’s supposed to be in coverage. He doesn’t have very good deep speed but he shouldn’t be put in that position. He does a lot of other things really well. I could see us using a rotation of safeties until the best rise to the top. Sometimes it’s about the right fit.
Piggy, I was asking sleepers not 1st and 2nd round who are considered starters.
So I watched Quinn Ewers video. He’s definitely a competitor and seems to have the patience for the play to develop. I want to see if he can make those throws at the next level. What I like about this pick is he’s trying to beat out Zach Wilson so with Tua having a history of durability issues, those two are going to be in a competition.
At times he does display that tight Marino type quick release but the ball doesn’t have the same velocity. He’s going to have to play very smart and accurate to succeed in the NFL. Skylar Thompson wasn’t that. Now it’s Ewers time to get that opportunity.
Did you watch the Kurt Warner video? Warner thinks he needs to just let it rip, and is totally capable of doing that. It seems as if he prefers to put more touch on the ball or throw a more catchable ball, but his coaches here will likely have him throwing with a lot more pace than he does now. I hope he beats out Zach Wilson, that would be great for him, and the team to potentially replace Tua next year when his contract becomes intolerable at $60M or so
my sleeper is Jordan Phillips
Hmmm…I hope there’s a few sleepers/acorns…
Ewers is enigma to me. I’ve watched him for 2 years with Sarkisian (good coach, imo) under the rabid UT fans who wanted Manning to start. The “boosters” are the reason he entered the draft as I believe he had a year of eligibility left…not sure.
My point, he is not soft, makes great throws, extends the play with his legs and heart, then, inexplicably, he has these wtf moments….lol.
that’s what I saw live as well, it seems to come from no where
I believe it’s in his head, watching from tge bench and being coached up should help
Maybe, you’re correct. The constant “we want Arch!” perhaps had an effect at certain times. If he would/could eliminate the mental lapses, he might flourish in the NFL.
I just took a look at our 2026 cap situation.
Tua $56.4M
Hill $51.9M
Chubb $31.2M
Ramsey $25M
Armstead $22.1M
I guess there’s nothing we can do about Armstead since he’s retired, but the first 4 just gotta go! A little spring cleaning will open up tons of space and roster spots.
Tua will probably not last the season so hopefully we drafted a sleeper QB, a la another “Purdy” in Ewers.
Did anyone here know that Savaiinaea went to the same High School that Tua went to?
I think his brother was the same year as Tua.
Jonah Savaiinaea said he never blocked for a QB that wasn’t Samoan. What’s he gonna do when Tua gets hurt this year and is gone next year?
Lol…good point!
Read that about Jonah, too. That’s wild!
Krishna – Glad you read that too, people might think I’m slandering The Frajeel! lol
Yep…lol
Random sport”s news, PSU letting men play women’s sports…oops. Losing $175M in federal funds.
According to USA Today article, US government says Penn violated Title IX.” Now, rereading and need to correct! Not PSU, but University of Pennsylvania.
So is that UPENN?
UPENN is in the city of Philadelphia so not surprised it’s a woke institution.
Just wondering . . . Do you guys expect the D to be this?
RDE Zach Sieler
NT Kenneth Grant
LDE Jordan Phillips
ROLB Bradley Chubb
RILB Tyrel Dodson
LILB Jordyn Brooks
LOLB Jaelan Phillips
LCB Storm Duck or (2025 3rd pick traded to draft Jonah Savaiinaea) JKJBBLOL
RCB Jalen Ramsey
SS Ifeatu Melifonwu
FS Ashtyn Davis
barring injury or someone really tanking or really excelling, I think you probably hit it on the head.
although left or right could be up in the air from down to down.
Most of it yes
I think KJ Britt or Willie Gay might start over Dodson
also Robinson might take one of those edge starting spots
and Cam Smith might push to start but the likelihood of signing a CB in the next couple of weeks seems high
I would have loved to have one more DL for rotational purposes. Still a little mad about giving up that 3rd and 4th instead of using it on DL or in the secondary
An example of a tough coach and player:
“We had to have him,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “If this were the regular season, he’d probably miss another week or two. But it’s the playoffs, and he’s Jimmy Butler. It’s what he does.”
PFF’s favorite pick for the Dolphins this draft
MIAMI DOLPHINS: DI JORDAN PHILLIPS (ROUND 5, PICK 143)
Phillips might just be an early-down defender, but he’s a good one with a 7.6% solo run-stop rate in 2024. The former high school weightlifter and wrestler is strong as an ox with good natural leverage to potentially anchor the middle of Miami’s defense.
From the Sun Sentinel:
But people are more comfortable blaming injuries and scapegoating the guards for the offense’s shortcomings.
The Dolphins are 4-16 against playoff teams in the McDaniel era, losing by an average score of 29-20. That’s two possessions. That’s not a close loss, that’s close to a butt-kicking.
Tyreek and Waddle haven’t had a 100-yard receiving game against a playoff team in the past two years. Tua has 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions against playoff teams in that span.
They’ve been ineffective.
It’s little wonder the Dolphins are 2-10 against playoff teams in the past two years.
This one-dimensional offense needs to change its failing approach.
This offense is, first and foremost, above all else, incredibly Tyreek-centric, which explains why they can’t get rid of him regardless of his behavior.
In the past two years, the Dolphins are 11-0 when Tyreek has 100 or more yards receiving and they average 35 points per game.
When Tyreek has 99 or fewer yards the Dolphins are 7-16 (.304) and average 18 points a game.
The run game, which has piled up hollow yards, doesn’t lead to wins.
The Dolphins are 8-11 in the past two years when they rush for more than 100 yards. They were 6-5 in 2023, when they had the league’s No. 1 offense and No. 6 rushing game, and 2-6 last year, including 0-4 against playoff teams.
The offense has been figured out. All you have to do is stop Tyreek. It’s that simple.
This is a coaching issue, a strategy issue and a philosophy issue.
And it starts here: The Dolphins roster remains poorly constructed and the team’s vision remains blurred.
Well, we traded up to get a Samoan OG who only blocks for Samoan QB’s. Maybe we found the path to winning?
this is a really bad analysis
it’s a Tyreke centric bc we can’t run the ball
we tried to run the ball a lot last year and failed
we had more 2nd and longs than any other team
running the ball and fixing the the first down productivity will change the offense
and that was all about the OGs and the TE play of Julian Hill and Smythe
Pharoah Brown, Jonah Savaiinaea, and James Daniels can radically change that
you can’t criticize the Dolphins as poorly constructed and criticize the change in construction at the same time. We have been a physical team – it’s why we can’t win late in the year or why we can’t best good teams or for that matter Buffalo
spending your first 3 picks on DL, OL, and DL is a change in our construction
Same with the signing of Brown and Daniels
for that matter signing Westbrooke-ikhine is consistent with a more physical team as is the drafting of Ollie Gordon
you also can’t discount injuries. But many of our injuries have been self inflicted in the sense that we haven’t been willing to get guys with injury history of the talent is right.
to that extent I would call the Daniels signing consistent with that flaw in building the team. But in general getting younger on the OL and DL is better to prevent injuries and will help prevent a lot of the shuffling we’ve had to do that last few years. The oldest starter on the OL today is 27. It’s a young OL
the criticism would be fine if you wanted to criticize the team in December
but now in Late April, you can see the vision, all except this SS writer of course….
I think we’ll see an intense battle for QB2 .
btw both Ewers and Zach Wilson are rostered at 6″2 214.
which coincidentally is my own exact same size.
yes I’ve lost 33 lbs since the last fest I attended with just 10 to go to reach goal.
I realized I was way too old for that much load on my spine.
Good on you Naples! That’s excellent!
Oh oops i meant to say my sleeper is Ollie Gordon.
I think he’s pro ready and his willingness to block and grind through contact will get him meaningful snaps.
good call on the roster Mike E, and I like it except of course CB.
I think if Artie Burns plays his best, his experience and speed will get him on the field, although Duck might start.
we still might sign a starting CB in FA though.
I think Gordon goes to the practice squad
I think our biggest flaw right now is our secondary
you might be able to cover that up with a good pass rush, but that’s not ideal
I think we’ve achieved being a more physical team this offseason
we will see if it pans out on the field but the team looks like it’s built different to me
Looks like the Dolphins will be in line for a 2026 compensation pick. Dolphins only signed 2 players who counted against the formula and lost 3. The comp pick could be as high as a 4th.
Dolphins could actually get a 2nd compensation pick with Ogbah signing with the Jaguars. It depends on how the money that’s paid to Ogbah is broken down to see if he qualifies to count. The total amount of the contract says he qualifies but the breakdown could change that.
Is Grier playing the comp formula game now. We have been signing a lot of players mostly on 1yr contracts. Getting the best possible players they can at a cost where it does not impact the formula.
Could they have signed better players? The money says so. We never used up our cap last year and had a bunch left over. This year, the same. We have over 17m in cap right now.
The 4th round comp will be around pick 139. Not sure what we may get for Ogbah, if anything.
The Miami Dolphins are projected to carry over $3,001,697 in their 2025 salary cap. This figure represents the amount of money they will have leftover from the 2024 season to spend on their 2025 team.
so not much, and yes Grief is playing the comp pick
It would have been more but Grier does give out a bunch of incentives that have to be paid once the the season is over. We had close to 15m toward the end of last season. I guess that is why he hangs on to the cap.
That compensatory pick is far from guaranteed. You have to figure we pick up a couple more free agents, probably DB’s and maybe more before the season
100%
we actually didn’t even receive what we expected this year in this years draft
so comp picks are hard to rely on imo
we’ve already reached out to some free agent cornerbacks too
we will probably sign more guys soon. If we don’t do it now, we will do it after the round of cuts in the nfl. Those signings count toward the analysis too
piggy,
I think we need to wait and see how physical this team is. It’s not just about size. Both Grant and Jonah are huge guys, but neither of them is a really physical player. They might become more physical, but it’s really not how I’d describe either player. Phillips is a physical player. Physicality is a mindset and doesn’t have much to do with size. It just helps. Lol
I applaud their efforts to lean into it with some picks though. I would also say that our scheme doesn’t really lend itself to being a physical offense. Our OL are playing on their heels most of the time.
yes – I agree we wait
I will go further with it – of course we wait
we don’t know the result now
but the SS quote isn’t saying that
the SS quote is omitting this effort to be more physical – which I think is as plain as the day is
“This one-dimensional offense needs to change its failing approach.”
seems like a strange thing to see when you see it changing with the only way it can before the start of the season – by changing the personnel
I’m honestly a little tired of people shitting on the Dolphins this offseason
I give fans on this blog a lot of latitude without confrontation bc I already know everyone here is a loyal fan and I know you guys
but I don’t give the media shit for printing sensational inflammatory stuff to stir people’s emotions – they know we are all psychos and they prey on it to get attention …lol
I pick apart the substance or lack of substance of what most local and national reporters say – bc they annoy the shit out of me.
I know what this team didn’t achieve. I probably watch this team more than most of them and have done it for longer than them – as most of you have as well
they don’t need to tell me that we are bad when we are bad. I can see that
if one of them has decent analysis about where we need to improve and why – I think it’s worth a read but when it’s just trying to make the fanbase foam at the mouth – I hate it
Piggy, I’m not sold. How does adding two players make the team more physical? Oh, the additional backups we added?
I’m not being snarky, is James Daniels substantially more physical a blocker than what we had? (I don’t know, is he?) we still have an undersized center and smallish speedy skill position guys. We added a “short yard specialist” at RB and then drafted Ollie but most of our RB’s and LB’s are smaller speedier guys.
I do not see at ALL the “plain as day” attempt to become a more physical team.
WHY do you believe so?
DO NOT READ THIS:
https://www.si.com/nfl/dolphins/news/diving-into-instant-dolphins-draft-grades-then-and-now-01jt3rsnjqct
It will hurt your feelings….
I like Grant. Potential is a filthy word, but he has a lot of it. I hope he can get the coaching he needs and takes it to reach it. I’m looking forward to watching him develop.
I’m such a positive beotch
Fast Facts: Dante Trader Jr.
Apr 30, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Travis Wingfield
Writer
Jason Marshall Jr. is Florida born and bred throughandthrough. The Miami Palmetto Senior High product received offers from every blue blood program in the country, ultimately deciding to head upstate where he’d become a four-year starter for the Florida Gators.
After hearing his name called for the 150th pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, Marshall Jr. will play his professional football games in the same ballpark he went to as a kid.
Full-circle moment
“Being a little kid and just going to the stadium, sitting in the stadium seats and like, ‘Man, I’m dreaming to be here.'” Marshall Jr. said. “And today that opportunity came up and now I’m going to be on the field.”
Among the programs in the mix for Marshall Jr. out of high school was the team that shares Hard Rock Stadium with the Dolphins, but he wanted a different experience. He listed different scenery, being able to meet new people and have different opportunities as his reason for heading north instead of staying home at the University of Miami for his college years – and he made a great choice.
Marshall Jr. started all four years at Florida with 45 games played and 39 starts. He intercepted two passes, made 7.5 tackles for a loss, including a sack, and had 27 passes defensed. He was also a two-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll (2022, 2024).
Physical and disruptive
The NFL has become prominently a zone league. The teams that pace the pack in terms of using man coverage typically hover right around 50-50. The Lions were the only team that played more man than zone last year.
That’s not to say man coverage is an irrelevant skill – far from it. Teams like to play zone on early downs and protect the long ball before switching to a blitzing front with man coverage on third downs, and that’s what Marshall Jr. excelled at during his time at Florida.
His height and weight both check in at over the 80th percentile among all cornerbacks to measure at the scouting combine, and his play style is one of pure aggression. He was battle-tested for four years in the SEC and did some of his best work in press coverage against the nation’s top wide receivers.
For his career, Marshall Jr. allowed just 68 catches on 143 targets across 1,228 snaps in coverage. That’s good for a completion percentage of just 47.6 and 0.97 yards per coverage snap.
Explosive and twitchy
All that experience in the SEC gave Marshall Jr. plenty of NFL replicable snaps. His range and nose for the football helped him match some of the best route runners in the country every season. He displayed smooth feet and ability to quickly transition out of breaks.
At the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, Marshall Jr. jumped 37.5 inches in the vertical and 10feet, 5 inches on the broad jump, both of those registered in the 80th percentile among corners. He also scored a 1.54-second 10-yard split time, which was in 83rd percentile.
For more on Jason Marshall Jr., and the rest of the Dolphins 2025 draft class, download the Drive Time Podcast with Travis Wingfield.
Miami Palmetto was the high school I was supposed to go to, before we moved😜
I’m pretty sure I saw Chris Grier in the grocery store yesterday.
was he shopping in the bargain section?
lol
He brought a handful of bruised and rotten vegetables to the front and demanded he pay more than the asking price.
And you didn’t take him out? What kind of fan are you?
Right
Mike E. says: April 30, 2025 at 12:37 pm
That compensatory pick is far from guaranteed. You have to figure we pick up a couple more free agents, probably DB’s and maybe more before the season
——————
That window has closed as of 4pm this past Monday. Any FA signed up to “4:00 p.m., New York time, on the Monday following the NFL Draft” count against the comp formula.
We can sign whoever we want now and it won’t affect anything.
There are still a few things that can affect comp pick projections between now and when they are officially announced (See Wilkins). We just have to wait until Ogbah contract hits to figure that one out.
This is also why Tankathon updated their 2026 draft order adding comp picks, of course still subject to some change but not much.
BBMike – Thanks pal, didn’t realize that!
LOL @ SB!
seems Ollie will be our 3rd down back often, once his pass blocking translates to NFL
Nice to have a skilled back for that role
Hopefully he’s a dawg, like what we see from KCs back, who fight for every inch
I like the nastiness he brings when blocking. I also like what he said about blocking
They have us finishing about the same as last season:
Round 1, pick 14
Round 2, pick 46
Round 3, pick 78 and pick 85 (from HOU)
Round 4, pick 114 and pick 139 (COMP)
Round 5, pick 154
Round 6, pick 195
Round 7, pick 228
do they have other teams drafting in different spots, than about where they drafted this year
Everyone about the same.
It’s more a starting point than a prediction
That translates to just missing the playoffs again. I believe a future GM and/or HC would like this list of Draft selections.
And if we’re already behind the 8-ball by the time the trade deadline arrives, we’re going to have a fire sale.
From what I’ve been reading, do NOT expect Arch Manning to declare for the Draft next year. And that really sucks as a Phins fan under a potential new GM/HC next year.
Yeah, they want him to stay in college.
YUP!
Oh that great QB, that couldn’t beat out Mr “almost” Irrelevant?
this was brought up on a podcast with Alain, Omar, Douglie and 1 other guy, and Alain says oh that 17 yr old (Manning)
Tua started his Sophmore season
If Grier is still here next season, we should be happy Arch Manning doesn’t declare for the draft. Only problem is, when does the nightmare ever end???
I fundamentally believe the nightmare ends when Steve Ross sells, but that’s just me and my $.02.
But that he’s already selected his successor doesn’t bring me much hope, either.
The only thing that really concerns me about this team are injuries. I think we have the potential to be a contender if we catch a few breaks.
playoff contender as in top of expectations would be win 1 game, unless of course Josh Allen gets hurt and Trubisky kicks our ass🤷♂️
Every team needs to be concerned about injuries, not just this team.
But THIS team is so poorly built that ONE injury can derail our season. (and not just to Tua)
I honestly and wholeheartedly believe we will struggle to stay ahead of the Patriots and Jets. That will be our “contention “. The Bills will kick our ass as long as Josh Allen is healthy
M13,
We have no shot of getting Arch Manning. He’s likely going number one.
It’s become exhausting to be a fan. Go team!
I’m tired as fuck! Agreed!
PANTHERS WIN IN 5! Sorry OD, I know you like the Lightning even though you were a Panthers fan.
You guys, it’s so awesome when your team wins. I wish you call could feel this feeling…..
BWAAAA HAAA HAAAA HAAA HAAAA! JK I wish the dolphins would win a playoff game!
Probably never with “The Frajeel”. Just saying . . .
Tim – Did you happen to catch the Mets game last night? Mets fans booing Soto. It’s bound to happen, guy takes his family to the game and plunked down $500 for tix and the $765M man can’t buy a hit when the team needs one.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Gpvsoe9XAAAX5QG?format=jpg
EIGHT!?!?
They should walk a mile in our shoes!
I think we filled a lot of areas we didn’t have with this draft and UDFA (lots of holes allow easy help) and why this draft will be successful (may not lead to 2025 team success, but future success) thinking situational plays
the 3 DTs are obvious as was Jonah, Ollie for short yardage and pass pro, Ewers developmental QB, the DBs were more projects, Conyers as an every down TE prospect (Julian without the head issues), and the UDFA WRs
Who did we miss out on at 98, that could’ve changed our draft?
https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/miami-dolphins/news/falcons-pro-bowl-free-agent-land-6-million-deal-dolphins/11fbd8a2789e297910defbf1
Justin Simmons anyone?
How about getting a CB before we get another safety?
“Spotrac currently projects Simmons to land a one-year, $5.8 million deal so if Miami believes they have a contender, it’s a move that could pay off.”
If Miami believes they have a contender, they should seek psychiatric help immediately!
But we drafted so good, and Tua, and . . .
Yeah, I don’t own a pair of two tone orange and teal tinted glasses (like the old 3D glasses, except allows you to see improvements that are not there) so I don’t agree that this was a good draft.
He’s big and plays hard but he is limited athletically. He seems limited to 0-2 technique. A big body who can compete in the interior but not really a playmaker other than a knack for batting down passes and kicks on STs. I would say his projection is down the depth chart and STs.
Mike, Soto isn’t raking yet but he’s always on base. He’ll get hot at some point.
He’s too good not to, but I was just pointing out that fans were booing him. A little early for it I thought, but . . .
Well as you probably know, I’m not a fan of booing our own. 😜
Soto hit his first homer at Citi Field as a Met today. We’re down 3-1 top of the 7th.
So…….
Last week I was over my neighbor’s house and she comes in and in a very demanding tone of voice commands me to take off her sun dress. I was a little nervous because we’ve never been together like that and have never seen each other naked. Then she told me to take off her bra and panties. So I did.
Then she told me if she ever catches me in her house again trying on her clothes that she is going to call the cops!
😂
😆
If we can land S Justin Simmons on the cheap, I’m all for it. He’s certainly not chopped liver at this point in his career, but I wouldn’t pay a premium price for his services, either.
I do believe that Dolphins Nation as a whole is beginning to see the corner Grier has painted us into.
Another selling point for Steve Ross to a future GM/Coach? Cap rollover space. So if we don’t go balls to the wall in post-Draft FA, I’d say it confirms a mandate is in place.
Just my $.02.
What’s the mandate?
I don’t see a mandate really. I see them trying to keep enough cap to make sure they have enough to cover incentives at the end of the year so those incentives don’t cut into the next years cap.
Who came up with these weenie hut JR rules for the offseason program?
Per the rules of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, these are the Phase One rules:
— QBs can throw to receivers with no coverage.
— Kickers and Punters can kick, but players cannot field the ball and no snappers or holders can be involved.
— Long Snappers can snap into a net.
— Defensive players may not catch balls at all regardless of who is throwing them.
That’s truly messed up, IMO!
They must of had some soft woke ass motherfuckers on that rules committee.
it’s a give and take negotiation
BTW, BBM’s pathology shows no cancer!! If I can just get past these damn muscle spasms all around my chest cavity, I will be GTG.
👍
great news!
Awesome!!!
Awesome Mike! So happy to hear that! 🍻
— Kickers and Punters can kick, but only while wearing lingerie and players cannot field the ball and no snappers or holders can be involved.
lingerie and snappers…🤔
Struggles last year:
no pass rush, couldn’t run it on 3rd/4th and short, Tua missed several games, OL was awful, injuries
what else would you say we struggled with?
Hopefully we correct such things 🙂
The availability of Chubb and Phillips along with Chop is a big deal.
Tua staying healthy is a big deal.
The OL playing at a respectable level is a big deal.
I’m not worried about any other area of the team.
I’m not a fan of “superblogger” Brian Miller, but I think he is spot on in this “article”
https://phinphanatic.com/4-miami-dolphins-need-monster-seasons-or-gone-2026
NEW BLOG UP!!!