As a draft analyst, Senior Bowl week is probably one of my favorites of the entire year. The chance to watch some of the best prospects go head to head for a full week is truly the stuff I live for. To make things even better, the Dolphins were afforded the opportunity to coach the National Team this year. 

This comes as the NFL has canceled athletic testing at the combine and put limits on how teams can meet with draft prospects this offseason. This means the Dolphins coaching the Senior Bowl this year will give them a pretty big edge over the competition. 

I’ve decided to take the liberty of breaking down the position groups and giving Dolphins fans a few names to watch for throughout the week. This will be a two-parter with the first part highlighting the National Team and the second part highlighting the American Team. 

 

Quarterbacks: 

QB isn’t really a need for the Dolphins, but it never hurts to take a shot on a player late in the draft or through a UDFA contract. 

Feleipe Franks, Arkansas 

The QB group in Mobile isn’t exactly filled with world-beaters, and the Dolphins drew the short straw with their assignments. Franks is the one who sticks out most to me because he provides the most potential moving forward. The former Florida QB transferred to Arkansas this past season and saw a vast improvement in his play. He’s a good athlete with all the arm the talent in the world. He’s probably a late day-three option or someone worth stashing on the practice squad. 

Running Backs: 

Everyone knows about Alabama’s Najee Harris, so let’s talk about some other prospects instead. 

Michael Carter, North Carolina 

Carter spent this past season apart of a two-headed monster in the UNC backfield with Javonte Williams. Carter was the “lightning” of the duo as he frequently used his quickness and burst to break off big runs. He’s also got a pretty solid receiving profile out of the backfield, which is something Miami desperately needs. Carter’s running style is pretty similar to that of Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed, except he’s got a lot more polish at this point in his career. 

 

Rhamondre Stevenson, Oklahoma 

Stevenson was suspended by the NCAA for the first five games of the season but was incredibly impactful when he returned. Stevenson is listed at six feet tall and 246 pounds, which is huge, in case you were wondering. He’s a throwback power back capable of consistently picking up extra yards through contact. He’s got a little juice for a big guy too. Stevenson could help the Dolphins round out their RB room with a diverse skill set. 

Other Name(s): Demetric Felton, UCLA 

Wide Receivers: 

Again, everyone knows about Alabama’s Devonta Smith so let’s think outside the box slightly. Also, he’s only doing meetings and won’t actually practice with the team. 

D’Wayne Eskridge, Western Michigan 

I recently wrote about Eskridge on Blue Chip Scouting if you want to take a deeper dive into his game. I’ll give you a brief summary here, though. Eskridge’s game is predicated on speed and acceleration. Western Michigan clocked him running a 4.33 40-yard dash, and, trust me, his speed shows up on film. He would provide Miami with a true vertical threat and someone who can make plays after the catch. Don’t be biased against small school players. They can make for great steals on draft night. 

 

Tylan Wallace, Oklahoma State

While Eskridge would provide Miami with something they are missing, Wallace would provide the Dolphins with more of the same. He’s a smaller WR but was dominant at the catch point across three very productive for the Cowboys. Wallace is ultra-competitive and decided to return to school for his Senior Season when he didn’t have to. Something tells me Flores will love his character, making him an interesting option for the Dolphins. Wallace’s biggest question is speed, so it will most likely depend on what direction the Dolphins want the offense to go in. 

Other Name(s): Cade Johnson/ South Dakota State and Fran Darby/ Arizona State 

 

Tight Ends: 

I think Miami feels pretty good about their TE room, but for the sake of being diligent, let’s throw some names out there anyway. 

Hunter Long, Boston College

Long is easily the best TE who will be at the game this year. He’s got great size and provides a good receiving profile. He made several highlight-reel catches this past season for the Eagles. Long is also a solid blocker with his length and power easily meeting NFL thresholds. He could be a great compliment to Mike Gesicki while providing a much higher ceiling than both Adam Shaheen and Durham Smythe. Sadly, I think Miami would have to spend a top-75 pick on him, which doesn’t really make sense. 

Other Name(s): Tony Poljan, Virginia 

Offensive Linemen: 

Dolphins Twitter yelled at me when I said OT was a top need for this team, but I’m sticking to my guns; they need help upfront and in multiple spots. 

Dillon Radunz, North Dakota State 

Radunz’s season got mostly canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but he’s been on NFL radars for a couple of seasons now. He’s got the perfect body type to be a modern-day NFL OT. He’s also got a mean streak to his game, which I think will appeal to coach Flores when he sees him move people off the ball in person. Radunz would take some development for sure, which isn’t ideal, but he’s definitely the best OT prospect on the Dolphins’ roster this week. 

 

Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma 

Radunz would provide help at OT for the Dolphins, but their need at OC needs to be addressed as well. Humphrey may not be the biggest or most athletic guy around, but he’s one of the smartest and most experienced this class has to offer. He’s extremely technically sound and makes good use of his wrestling background. His character and play style seems to line up with what the Dolphins have valued in prospects so far. He would also be a left-handed center for a left-handed QB, which is just too perfect. 

Other Name(s): Aaron Banks/IOL/Notre Dame and Spencer Brown/OT/Northern Iowa 

 

Defensive Line: 

None of the interior linemen on the Dolphins roster strike me as a fit off first glance, so I’m going to highlight two EDGE players instead, which I would argue is a sneaky need for the team anyway. 

Patrick Jones II, Pittsburgh 

Miami’s prototype at EDGE is either a hybrid player or a stout power rusher. Jones II is the ladder and someone I pegged as a potential Dolphin even before I knew he would be on the Dolphins’ roster. He’s got good length and heavy hands to stack blocks in the running game. He also makes good use of his primary rush move, a bull rush. I don’t think he’s really fast around the outside arc and lacks dynamic athletic ability. However, this seems to be the mold of player the Dolphins want. 

 

Hamilcar Rashed Jr., Oregon State 

Rashed Jr. is listed as an LB on the official roster, but he played mostly EDGE at Oregon State. He fits the hybrid mold of Kyle Van Noy, Vince Biegel, and Andrew Van Ginkel. Rashed Jr. is a little light in the pants against the run, which might scare the Dolphins away, but the rest of his skill set is a perfect fit. His pass-rush ceiling is also very appealing to me as he could add some more juice on the EDGE while being versatile enough to play off the ball. 

Linebackers: 

The Dolphins’ LB room is a little thin past their starters, and I don’t know how long those guys are going to stick around. This is another sneaky need on the defense. 

Chazz Surratt, North Carolina 

I’m a bit of a homer with this pick since I’ve been a fan of Surratt for a couple of seasons now. I got to scout him live during the 2019 season and instantly fell in love. He’s long, athletic, and fast— the perfect modern-day LB. Surratt would provide Miami with a good coverage option on the second level, which is something they are truly missing right now. Not only that, but he provides depth and an option if anyone moves on. 

 

Baron Browning, Ohio State 

You could copy and paste many of the things I wrote about Surratt and put them here. Like Surratt, Browning is a tremendous athlete with good size. He’s also got some solid coverage chops. Unlike Surratt, though, I worry about Browning’s positioning in the NFL. OSU moved him around a lot, and he never really found a home. If any team or coach could figure it out, the Dolphins and coach Flores could. 

Other Name(s): Garret Wallow, TCU 

 

Defensive Backs: 

The Dolphins’ CB room is pretty loaded at this point, so that I will focus on safeties instead. 

Damar Hamlin, Pittsburgh 

Yep, we got another Pitt Panther here. I’ve got to be honest; I think the Dolphins got the short stick with the DBs. I was hoping to highlight all of the players on the Panthers’ roster. Anyway, Hamlin was the FS in a safety duo that included his more popular teammate Parris Ford. While Ford often stole the spotlight, Hamiln quietly showed good ability to cap routes in deep zones and occasionally make a play on the ball. I don’t think Hamiln has the range to play single-high, but neither does Bobby McCain, and they ask him to do it anyway. 

 

Divine Deablo, Virginia Tech 

Am I including Deablo just because he’s got an elite name? Maybe. Do I care? Absolutely not. Outside of having an elite name, Deablo does bring some solid skills to the table. He’s a hard hitter on the backend and is quite big as VT lists him a 6’3 and 212. Deablo is more of a box player, meaning he would probably be Eric Rowe’s backup early in his career. The question is than how good is his man coverage? Miami will get a full week to answer that one. 

 

Other Name(s): Christian Uphoff, Illinois State