Four players the Dolphins could draft in the first round

By Rhys Knott

The Dolphins will only pick three players in the first days of the draft. They need to hit on all three of them. With 83 players already contracted for 2025 and $7.7 million in cap space the Dolphins team seems pretty set. But Overthecap.com estimate it will cost them more than $12.5 million to sign their draft class! Chris Grier has some decisions to make before the season starts.

That’s not all Grier needs to do. He also needs to identify the areas of their team that need to improve. Miami performed everything in an average but not spectacular fashion 2024. The offense ranked 15th for passing yards and 21st for rushing yards.

Miami’s defense outperformed the offense, but not by much. Anthony Weaver’s unit ranked ninth in both passing and rushing yards allowed.  

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So the offense needs to improve then? Well, Tua Tagovailoa’s concussion issues were the root of the offensive issues. Mike McDaniel has already developed an offense that allows his QB to throw the ball in fewer than 3 seconds. There’s just no way to legislate for the signal caller’s competitive spirit and his habit of diving head-first regardless of danger. 

Without Tua, the offense struggled, and they had to use four different signal callers in 2024! 

The Dolphins signed Zach Wilson. That should be the backup quarterback problem fixed (although having a right-handed QB backing up a southpaw seems suboptimal). However, 17 free agents remain unsigned. But nine new faces have arrived while eight have departed.  

Former Titans punter Ryan Stonehouse is one of the new signings. Stonehouse is a great punter. But it’s not a sexy signing. 

Another former Titan, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, is an unsexy signing—and not one who really fits a traditional McDaniel offense. Beast (as Tua called him) loves fast players. The 6-feet-2 Westbrook-Ikhine ran a 4.68 40-yard dash (in 2020).  

5-foot-9 Braxton Berrios, who left Miami for Houston in 2018, ran a 4.44. If Malik Washington steps up and becomes the new Swiss Army knife player on the offense, Westbrook-Ikhine will earn $3.2 million for riding the pine at Hard Rock Stadium.  

Alex Mattison is more of an odd signing than an unsexy one. Like the Westbrook-Ikhine addition, it points to a different offense arriving in South Florida. Mattison replaces Raheem Mostert, who once clocked 23.09 mph in 2020. Mattison once hit 21.9 mph, again back in 2020. 

But you know who’d be perfect for a Mike McDaniel offense? Travis Hunter. Hunter is a do anything, freak athlete who can pop up in multiple positions, terrifying defenders. That would be fun to watch. He’ll be long gone by the time the Dolphins pick at 13 though.  

However, if Matthew Golden is still available the Texas receiver could land in Miami. Despite displaying blistering speed in Indy, Golden is still somehow underrated heading into the draft. He could revive an offense that ended the season 22nd for scoring. But imagine how Tyreek Hill would react to his team drafting a younger Tyreek Hill. 

The offensive line can also improve the offense. Miami allowed 43 sacks in 2024, ranking 15th in the league. That’s not surprising when backup quarterbacks are involved. Inexperienced signal callers tend to run into sacks. But when your starting quarterback has a history of concussions, you can’t allow a 17% pressure rate. 

Pass defense is another area that needs bolstering in Miami. Chris Grier has signed four new defensive backs and two linebackers. But there are only four defensive linemen on the books. Chop Robinson and Bradley Chubb need the interior of the defensive line to attract the attention of offensive linemen. 

Jonah Savaiinaea. Arizona, OL

Savaiinaea ran the third fastest time of any lineman at the combine, clocking a 4.95-second 40-yard dash. That’s the same time Garrett Bolles ran in 2017. Despite scoring a 9.12 (out of 10) Relative Athletic Score Savaiinaea is still ranked somewhere between the eighth and 11th best tackle in this class. 

Despite playing three different positions, the American Samoa native only allowed eight sacks during three years in Arizona! Savaiinaea has shorter arms than the majority of linemen in the draft, so he will probably play as a guard in the NFL. But his experience at both left and right tackle only adds to his value. 

Savaiinaea received an overall grade of 75.9 from PFF for his 2024 season. Some suggest he could be the 30th overall pick, five picks later than his friend Jordan Morgan went to the Packers last year.

Despite his combine performance, Savaiinaea’s stock has fallen recently. He is now expected to be the 55th overall pick. If that’s true Miami could draft him with their second-round pick. But they would have a very nervous wait on their hands.

It’s never wise to compare a projected second-round pick to a Pro Bowler, but there’s more than a hint of Penei Sewell in Savaiinaea.

Tyler Booker. Alabama, OL

Booker is another versatile offensive lineman. He found himself playing at both right guard and left guard in college. He also found the time to play 77 snaps at left tackle last season. 

The Connecticut native played over 1,000 snaps at Alabama, allowing just two sacks! He became a first-team All-American in 2024 and is ranked as the best guard in the class. 

Unilike Savaiinaea, Booker stuggled at the combine. Falling into the 36th percentile for his 40-yard time and just the second percentile for his 10-yard split! But he plays with much more athleticism than his testing suggests. The 20-year-old has a great first step when he is pass-blocking at guard or tackle. And he will always find someone to block whether he is pulling or just identifying late blitzers. 

In February, Booker expected to be a top 20 pick. But recently he has slipped to 24th. If the Dolphins want to improve their offensive line depth and Mike McDaniel wants to create running lanes for Mattison they need Booker. There’s a bit of John Ridgeway III about the Alabama product, and Ridgeway III has played 45 NFL games in the last three seasons.

Tate Ratledge. Georgia, IOL

We all know Mike McDaniel loves speed and Ratledge is seriously quick for a lineman. Only three linemen ran faster at the combine. Having a lineman who can run a 4.97 second 40 (the same time as Gardner Minshew) can only improve the run game and screen passes. 

Between 2022 and 2024, Ratledge played 36 games for the Bulldogs, only allowing two sacks. 23-year-old Ratledge has a 9.98 Relative Athletic Score (out of 10). That’s the 4th best score for a guard since 1987! 

Beyond the fact not many GMs want to draft interior offensive linemen in the first round of the draft, it’s difficult to understand why Ratledge projects as a third-round pick. He’s ranked the 85th-best player on most big boards, but if we’ve learned anything from the Eagles it’s how important athletic linemen are. 

Even though this would technically be considered a reach it would be worth it to keep Tua healthy. The Dolphins only have two picks in the first 97 picks! They will have to take players they need in the first two rounds rather than the best players available. Ratledge has a Graham Glasgow-esque ceiling, taking him in the first round will be considered a reach by some, but it could well pay off.

Deone Walker. Kentucky, DL

Talking of players who are going to be picked a lot earlier than their position on big boards, Deone Walker is a force of nature. He’s at the opposite end of the athletic spectrum to Ratledge, but there’s no way he falls to the 102nd overall pick (where PFF rank him). 

Walker is the tallest defensive tackle in the class (6-foot-7), falls into the 97th percentile for arm span and at 331 pounds is in the 95th percentile for size. Even though he didn’t test particularly well at the combine he still looked good in the drills.  

His 5.28 second 40-yard time only ranked in the 16th percentile. His 25-inch vertical jump fell into the 6th percentile. Who needs to jump when you can reach above your head and block passes that are nine and a half feet off the ground? 

In 37 games at Kentucky, Walker made 132 total tackles, defended six passes, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble. He also made 10.5 sacks, and the 7.5 sacks he made in 2023 ranked him 7th in the SEC. 

Walker’s draft projection is a bit of a mystery. Some expect him to be a first-round pick (you can’t teach size, after all), especially after his phenomenal sophomore season. He mysteriously regressed last year. Walker solved the mystery, explaining he played the entire year with a “pars defect” or broken back! That is going to give some GMs pause for thought, but the Dolphins could still re-sign Calais Campbell so why wouldn’t they draft the younger version?

RHYS KNOTT

NFL/FANTASY FOOTBALL ANALYST

Rhys has been watching the NFL for 30 something years and still hasn’t managed to pick a team to support. When he’s not fixatED on pass rushers you can find him blithering on about most sports on Twitter @wrhys_writes

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