2025 NFL Draft Pivot Points: Miami Dolphins

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• Miami has dire interior offensive line needs: The trio of center Aaron Brewer and guards Robert Jones and Liam Eichenberg combined to surrender nine sacks, 79 total quarterback pressures and a whopping 69 other losses that did not result in pressure in 2024.

• An middle-of-the-field weapon could take the Dolphins’ offense to the next level: Tight ends Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren would each be an intriguing fit in Miami’s high-powered offense.

Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

Every NFL draft has a series of pivot points, where the scope of everything hinges on one team’s decision to aggressively move up or gamble for more value and trade back. 

Looking at last year’s first round, the inflection point wasn’t a trade; it was the first defensive player taken — UCLA edge Laiatu Latu by the Indianapolis Colts — finally at Pick No. 15. This set off a run of six of the next eight picks falling on the defensive side of the ball, five of the six being linemen. 

In the middle of that run, the Jacksonville Jaguars took advantage by trading back from Pick No. 17 with the Minnesota Vikings (who selected Dallas Turner) to Pick No. 23 for Brian Thomas Jr. That paid huge dividends for the Jaguars, as Thomas’ outstanding rookie season was capped by a Pro Bowl appearance and they acquired Minnesota’s 2025 third- and fourth-round picks.

While trying to predict something like a run of 14 straight picks on one side of the ball to start a draft seems daunting, with the first wave of free agency complete, we should be ready to have more detailed discussions on team needs as well as how those needs tie into prospect values. 

This series will examine five teams currently in draft slots that could serve as potential inflection points. By looking at the potential targets of these teams relative to the draft boards, we’ll go through each team’s options not only at their current slot but also at slots after trading backward and forward. Next up are the Dolphins, slated to pick at No. 13 overall. Click to read our previous articles on the Bears and Panthers.

Miami Dolphins

A preseason playoff hopeful, the Dolphins failed to live up to expectations in 2024. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered his third concussion in two years during a Week 2 loss to the Bills, and Miami piled up the losses with no real answer at the position behind him. They went on to start the season 2-6, three of those losses occurring with Tagovailoa out of the lineup. After finishing second in the league in 2023 with 496 points, the Dolphins’ offense stalled out far too often last year, with just 345 total points scored. For Miami to get back into playoff contention in 2025, the club will need to rediscover its explosive playmaking ability from 2023.

THE NEEDS

While Tagovailoa’s injury had little to do with the protection in front of him, Miami’s offensive line struggled to keep quarterbacks upright and in rhythm throughout the season. The interior was particularly porous, as the trio of center Aaron Brewer and guards Robert Jones and Liam Eichenberg combined to surrender nine sacks, 79 total quarterback pressures and a whopping 69 other losses that did not result in pressure (largely due to the quick-game phase of Miami’s offensive scheme). Jones exited via free agency and the team signed James Daniels, but the Dolphins would do well to find an upgrade at the other guard spot via the draft.

One of the other missing components of the offense was a significant third weapon. Tight end Jonnu Smith put up 88 grabs for 886 yards, but with an average depth of target of 5.0 yards, he was little more than a glorified dump-off outlet. The line struggles have deservedly gotten much of the attention, but considering Smith’s usage and the fact he will turn 30 during training camp, Miami would do well to take advantage of the talent at the position available in this draft.

Injuries on the defensive line helped ultimately doom the 2023 version of the Dolphins, and the 2024 team had even worse luck, with star edge defender Jaelan Phillips suffering a torn ACL in Week 4. With Bradley Chubb still out due to his own ACL tear suffered in Week 15 of the 2023 season, the Dolphins were left with a very thin pass-rush unit. Rookie Chop Robinson flashed considerable promise, as he won at an 18.8% rate with seven sacks and 56 total pressures, so as long as everyone returns (and remains) healthy, this should be a significantly upgraded edge unit in 2025. 

The Dolphins’ defense could look to the draft for help on the interior. Zach Sieler has a combined 20 sacks over the past two seasons, but his win rate was under 9.0% in both years with below-average PFF run-defense grades. Benito Jones is their other primary interior player (now that Calais Campbell has opted to sign with Arizona), and he posted just a 51.4 PFF overall grade last season. Cornerback is also a potential early target for the Dolphins, but after investing a second-round pick in Cam Smith in 2023 and not being able to get him on the field much during his first two seasons, they may prefer to address the position later and give Smith the opportunity to win the full-time starting job opposite Jalen Ramsey.

THE TRADE-UP TARGET

With the uncertainty behind what Will Campbell’s natural position will be, the Dolphins may be in a good position to move up a few spots (possibly with Chicago to No. 10). We list Campbell as a left tackle and at No. 6 overall on the PFF big board, but his arm length (32 5/8 inches at the NFL Scouting Combine, 33 inches at his pro day) is likely to have some teams viewing him as a guard, thus dropping his value. That would be an ideal situation for the Dolphins. Not only could they use an immediate upgrade at guard, but they could also use the potential insurance at tackle if 2024 second-round pick Patrick Paul is unable to eventually take over at left tackle for Terron Armstead.

Across 524 pass-blocking reps at LSU last season, Campbell faced the best the SEC had to offer every week and surrendered just two sacks and five hits. He backed up his tape with a strong showing at the combine, posting a 40-yard dash time of 4.98 seconds with a 10-yard split of 1.76 seconds.

The Dolphins have a full slate of picks, including seven in the top 155, meaning they have the capital needed to make a short move up the board to lock in the top lineman in the draft.

STAY THE COURSE

There are plenty of ways the Dolphins could address their guard issues, but there are only so many truly impactful offensive players in the draft class. Tight end Colston Loveland is exactly that, as he was one of the primary offensive weapons on Michigan’s 2023 national championship team and essentially the only receiving weapon for the Wolverines in 2024. 

A huge target at 6-foot-6 and 248 pounds, Loveland runs shockingly clean routes and possesses the strength and ball skills to win contested balls. He amassed 290 of his 582 receiving yards last season after the catch, and his 90.1 PFF receiving grade ranked third among all tight ends in college football in 2024. While Penn State’s Tyler Warren would also be an intriguing fit at Pick No. 13, there is significant buzz about him potentially going in the top 10. He appears unlikely to make it to Miami’s current first-round slot. 

The Dolphins possess possibly the most dynamic duo of downfield weapons in the league in receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and adding a true weapon between the hashes able to create mismatches against linebackers and safeties could help reignite Miami’s offense.

THE VALUE PLAY

With the majority of the draft’s top-end talent likely to be off the board once Miami is on the clock (possibly including the top two tight ends and top three linemen), the Dolphins could look to move back from No. 13. Specifically, teams could be looking to pick off one of the top remaining edge players in the class, such as Marshall‘s Mike Green or Boston College‘s Donovan Ezeiruaku. In fact, we only need to go back two years to the 2023 NFL Draft for a prime example of this, when the Packers traded up from Pick No. 15 to Pick No. 13 (held by the Jets) for Iowa edge defender Lukas Van Ness.

Sticking with my hypothetical of all the top linemen and the two elite tight ends being off the board, Miami could instead look to trade back and address their most glaring need on the other side of the ball, the defensive interior. Michigan has two of those, but the target in a trade-back situation would be Kenneth Grant.

Grant measured 6-foot-4 and 331 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine, and while he did not participate in the athletic workout, his film displays excellent speed and agility for his size. He graded positively on an impressive 26.5% of run plays in 2024, and his 87.5 PFF run-defense grade ranked eighth among all interior defenders. He also produced when rushing the passer, tallying eight combined sacks and 50 total pressures over his last two seasons at Michigan. His win rate on true pass sets last season came in at 14.2%.

Grant looks like an excellent every-down prospect. Sieler’s 67.1 PFF run-defense grade last season makes him the Dolphins’ only returning interior defender with a 60.0-plus mark from 2024, so Grant would be a massive acquisition for the team’s run-defense unit.

This news was originally published on this post .

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