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They needed a bigger, badder defensive line.
So, they drafted Michigan 330-pounder Kenneth Grant.
They needed a tougher, tone-setting offensive guard.
So, they traded up for Arizona’s Jonah Savaiinaea.
The Miami Dolphins also needed two starting cornerbacks, another safety, a young quarterback to mold, a landing spot to trade unhappy veteran Jalen Ramsey, another one for unpredictable Tyreek Hill and some good, young depth especially on the tissue-thin trenches.
It was a to-do list that couldn’t all get done in one draft.
The odd part was they didn’t really try to tackle it after those top two picks. Or they couldn’t try as the day broke wrong for them. Something, considering a team with expansive needs shrunk their draft to the point the secondary looks especially full of questions right now.
But start here: The Dolphins corrected their self-made problems at the top of the draft. They needed to toughen this team, needed to bring more power on their lines and general manager Chris Grier’s opening picks should do that.
Grant means the defensive line can return to being a strength of the team — well, if Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips stay healthy, of course. And if they get a secondary to help. Throw in fifth-round defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, and the stated goal of building the defensive line was reached.
Savaiinaea means the Dolphins won’t have a starting offensive lineman over 27 years old, reflecting a philosophical change from having the league’s oldest roster last year. He means folks can calm down about Liam Eichenberg starting (he won’t). Savaiinaea also means this offense took another step toward having an inside running and actual short-yardage game.
These opening picks replace 2019 first-round tackle Christian Wilkins and 2020 second-round guard Rob Hunt. They went out the door for big money as the Dolphins let them hit free agency rather while choosing to invest in the likes of Hill and Ramsey. Which leads to the problem of this draft.
Start here: The Dolphins entered with four picks in the first four rounds, and with so many needs the prime question was how to expand those draft picks. Instead, they shrunk them. They left with only Grant and Savaiinaea in those four rounds.
Part of that was trading up from the 48th to 36th for Savaiinaea cost their third-round pick (98th overall). That’s an expensive move for a non-premier position. If he’s as good as they think, all is good. But the day-after question is if a combination like Georgia guard Tate Ratledge, taken 57th by Detroit and Western Kentucky cornerback Upton Stout, taken 100th by San Francisco, would impact the roster more?
The other part of that is they traded their fourth-round and sixth-round pick for Houston’s fifth-rounder and a 2026 third-rounder. A head-scratcher. Not just because this was still in the meat of the draft as analysts framed it. But Grier, too. He’s under fire to win this year. Now, a fourth-round pick isn’t going to change the team’s fortune. But he could help.
Chris Perkins: A glance at Miami Dolphins’ 2025 draft class and how they fit
You can come up with reasons why this was done, but I prefer think the obvious one: Grier saw this in the team’s best interest. He got some value by the draft chart, recouped the pick spent on Savaiinaea and will find cornerbacks off the remaining free-agent pile. Asante Samuel Jr. Stephen Gilmore. Someone. Two, actually.
Trading Ramsey remains a must. There’s no plan to bring him back. Hill presents enough of an internal problem if they can’t trade him. Grier and coach Mike McDaniel have to reclaim this team’s culture. And you wonder why they had no interest in Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders?
Sanders would be a fit for McDaniel’s offense and was great value in the fifth round. But the Dolphins aren’t equipped to handle the noise around him. It has enough headaches right now with Ramsey, Hill and a cratered culture.
So, they took Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers in the seventh round. That’s not an investment. It’s a training-camp arm. A hope. Like the six other picks in the fifth, sixth and seventh round.
They entered the draft needing so much they couldn’t do enough. What they did in getting bigger and tougher on the lines was nice. There’s just a lot of work left to be done.
Chris Perkins: Breaking down the AFC East’s draft . . . Dolphins’ grade might surprise you
Continue reading...
So, they drafted Michigan 330-pounder Kenneth Grant.
They needed a tougher, tone-setting offensive guard.
So, they traded up for Arizona’s Jonah Savaiinaea.
The Miami Dolphins also needed two starting cornerbacks, another safety, a young quarterback to mold, a landing spot to trade unhappy veteran Jalen Ramsey, another one for unpredictable Tyreek Hill and some good, young depth especially on the tissue-thin trenches.
It was a to-do list that couldn’t all get done in one draft.
The odd part was they didn’t really try to tackle it after those top two picks. Or they couldn’t try as the day broke wrong for them. Something, considering a team with expansive needs shrunk their draft to the point the secondary looks especially full of questions right now.
But start here: The Dolphins corrected their self-made problems at the top of the draft. They needed to toughen this team, needed to bring more power on their lines and general manager Chris Grier’s opening picks should do that.
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Grant means the defensive line can return to being a strength of the team — well, if Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips stay healthy, of course. And if they get a secondary to help. Throw in fifth-round defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, and the stated goal of building the defensive line was reached.
Savaiinaea means the Dolphins won’t have a starting offensive lineman over 27 years old, reflecting a philosophical change from having the league’s oldest roster last year. He means folks can calm down about Liam Eichenberg starting (he won’t). Savaiinaea also means this offense took another step toward having an inside running and actual short-yardage game.
These opening picks replace 2019 first-round tackle Christian Wilkins and 2020 second-round guard Rob Hunt. They went out the door for big money as the Dolphins let them hit free agency rather while choosing to invest in the likes of Hill and Ramsey. Which leads to the problem of this draft.
Start here: The Dolphins entered with four picks in the first four rounds, and with so many needs the prime question was how to expand those draft picks. Instead, they shrunk them. They left with only Grant and Savaiinaea in those four rounds.
Part of that was trading up from the 48th to 36th for Savaiinaea cost their third-round pick (98th overall). That’s an expensive move for a non-premier position. If he’s as good as they think, all is good. But the day-after question is if a combination like Georgia guard Tate Ratledge, taken 57th by Detroit and Western Kentucky cornerback Upton Stout, taken 100th by San Francisco, would impact the roster more?
The other part of that is they traded their fourth-round and sixth-round pick for Houston’s fifth-rounder and a 2026 third-rounder. A head-scratcher. Not just because this was still in the meat of the draft as analysts framed it. But Grier, too. He’s under fire to win this year. Now, a fourth-round pick isn’t going to change the team’s fortune. But he could help.
Chris Perkins: A glance at Miami Dolphins’ 2025 draft class and how they fit
You can come up with reasons why this was done, but I prefer think the obvious one: Grier saw this in the team’s best interest. He got some value by the draft chart, recouped the pick spent on Savaiinaea and will find cornerbacks off the remaining free-agent pile. Asante Samuel Jr. Stephen Gilmore. Someone. Two, actually.
Trading Ramsey remains a must. There’s no plan to bring him back. Hill presents enough of an internal problem if they can’t trade him. Grier and coach Mike McDaniel have to reclaim this team’s culture. And you wonder why they had no interest in Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders?
Sanders would be a fit for McDaniel’s offense and was great value in the fifth round. But the Dolphins aren’t equipped to handle the noise around him. It has enough headaches right now with Ramsey, Hill and a cratered culture.
So, they took Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers in the seventh round. That’s not an investment. It’s a training-camp arm. A hope. Like the six other picks in the fifth, sixth and seventh round.
They entered the draft needing so much they couldn’t do enough. What they did in getting bigger and tougher on the lines was nice. There’s just a lot of work left to be done.
Chris Perkins: Breaking down the AFC East’s draft . . . Dolphins’ grade might surprise you
Continue reading...
