The next Miami Dolphins lockdown cornerback, reliable linebacker, mammoth offensive lineman or big-play running back might make his lasting pre-draft impression on the organization this week at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.
Okay, so the Dolphins are going into a second consecutive draft without a first-round pick. Maybe draft hype sounds like hyperbole with Miami taking a win-now approach after years of rebuilding in previous offseasons.
But getting a week at Lucas Oil Stadium and Indiana Convention Center, beginning Tuesday, the Dolphins will be evaluating draft prospects over a series of measurements, physical testing, drills and interviews.
What they come up with can help franchise decision-makers determine which college players they want to target with picks from the second round on.
Or if they want to trade those selections for more proven, established commodities at positions of need. Or trade back up into the first round for a prospect they really like. Or discover those late-round gems and undrafted players that can develop over time.
The Dolphins once had two 2023 first-round picks, but one was forfeited due to tampering violations and the other was then traded for edge defender Bradley Chubb. Last year’s first- and second-round selections were packaged to the Kansas City Chiefs for wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
Ahead of the combine, Miami goes into the late April draft with a second-round pick (No. 51 overall), two third-rounders, plus a sixth and a seventh.
“It’s the same process we’ve always had,” Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said in season-wrap comments following the team’s playoff elimination. “It doesn’t matter how many picks we have or what. You have to go through it because you have to be ready for every scenario.”
The Dolphins head to Indianapolis evaluating prospects at all positions but probably with more of an eye on positions where they could use some young help.
Could they find a playmaking tailback that fits coach Mike McDaniel’s wide-zone rushing scheme? All the Dolphins running backs are free agents, so big changes could be coming, depending on who is brought back between Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr., Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin.
How about a linebacker? The Dolphins have Elandon Roberts and Duke Riley as pending free agents, along with Melvin Ingram and Andrew Van Ginkel on the outside. And they could stand to bring in some new blood with their struggles in pass coverage against running backs and keeping up with mobile quarterbacks.
Is cornerback in the cards? Xavien Howard took a step back last season. Byron Jones’ future is highly in doubt after missing the 2022 season with rehab gone wrong after lower left leg surgery. Nik Needham suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. Meanwhile, Kader Kohou was a pleasant surprise as an undrafted rookie last year.
Miami could also delve into the offensive line, with a couple of spots still needing to be solidified after progressing with the additions of left tackle Terron Armstead and center Connor Williams last free agency cycle. With tight end Mike Gesicki a free agent after he and McDaniel’s offense didn’t quite seem to mesh well, that’s another position the team could key in on, among others.
Some of those questions could be settled during free agency, with a negotiation period beginning March 13 before players can sign with new teams March 15.
For many of the prospects, they’ve been pivoting from their usual football training since their college seasons ended to training for the specific events of the combine.
Dozens of draft prospects worked out in South Florida with trainer Pete Bommarito at Bommarito Performance Systems, many with a focus on improving their 40-yard dash times before they perform in front of NFL teams.
“You just come in with confidence,” Miami Hurricanes tight end Will Mallory said. “You come in with a great opportunity to shock some people, show people what you’re made of.”
Louisiana Tech cornerback Myles Brooks, an upstart option deeper into the draft that Miami may scout, wants to show he can combine his physical press-coverage skills at 6 foot 2 with that straight-line speed.
“Coming in, the question was ‘Do I have long speed?’ ” Brooks said. “I kind of feel like that’s going to be proven at the combine.”
The same goes for Appalachian State running back Camerun Peoples, a physical runner who has familiarity with the Dolphins’ same outside-zone scheme and has worked to convert technical pointers from Bommarito into muscle memory.
“It’s just instilled at this point, and it’s just little things I can clean up,” Peoples said more than a week ago. “By the time the combine comes, most of the stuff, I don’t even have to think about.”
Louisville linebacker Yasir Abdullah, who is a Miami Carol City High alum, can turn to his track background.
“I just lock into my track self,” Abdullah said. “I wear my tights, wear low socks when I’m wearing my cleats. It’s like running a race, but I’m going against time.”
A top local South Florida prospect, Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers, who played high school football at University School on the same Nova Southeastern University campus as the old Dolphins facility in Davie, might already have the speed and needs to show he has NFL strength.
Training in South Florida with PER4ORM and trainer Nick Hicks, who also works with Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Flowers has added 13 pounds of muscle. An NFL Network before-and-after tweet showed a much more muscular Flowers ahead of the combine.
The combine also serves as a large networking platform for NFL teams and agents. Trade developments and early, behind-the-scenes free-agency talks could take place with free agency looming in two weeks. Team coaches and general managers also conduct media interviews, creating storylines and buzz for the busy March of the NFL offseason.
