The biggest rookie impact will come from…
Miami Rookie class by most accounts is a good one.
On paper, the Dolphins “seem” to have a solid draft, so one begins to wonder where the biggest rookie impact will come from…both this year and beyond.
The popular pick for both “awards” is clearly first round pick, OL Laremy Tunsil. From all appearances, he will be able to make a successful position change to Guard this season, despite some bumps along the road. The reality is he is going to be even better when he ultimately moves to his more natural position of Left Tackle. That is not going to happen this year, unless Brandon Albert gets injured. So, if I were a football gambling man, odds are Tunsil will likely have the best career of this Rookie group.
However, I do not think he will have the biggest impact this season.
Miami’s second round pick was Cornerback Xavien Howard. As much as everyone would love Howard to step in on day one and seize the starting Cornerback spot opposite of Maxwell, I do not think that this is how the story is going to play out. Second year player Tony Lippett has been impressive this off-season, and the starting spot is seemingly his to lose. This is not a knock on Howard, but more of a reality about the difficulties in transitioning from college to the NFL. From a technique / skills perspective, QB and CB are the hardest positions to start at as a rookie .
In the third round, Miami selected Alabama running back Kenyan Drake, who should be a very good compliment to Ajayi because he faster and is more elusive than the bigger and more powerful Ajayi. Considering that Coach Gase likes to utilize the running game, Drake should get a lot of opportunities to make some plays this year. However, the biggest knock on Drake is that he has a history of injuries that makes him look like Cavity Sam from the Milton Bradley Operation game. To prove the point, Drake has already suffered a minor hamstring injury in OTA’s. Even though he “should” be fine for training camp, I have strong doubts that he can get through a 16 game NFL season without suffering an injury.
Miami’s other third round pick was Wide Receiver Leonte Carroo. If the Dolphins were not so deep at the Wide Receiver position, then I would put my money on Carroo to be the favorite to have the biggest impact this year of this Rookie group. He “appears” to be a bigger, faster version of Anquan Boldin. This could be scary good pick in the years to come when combined with Parker and Landry. But, in terms of this season, he is going to have to battle for playing time because Stills is in a contract year and is the fastest of this group, and Landry and Parker are locked in as the two main starters barring injuries. Long term, Carroo might also have a shot to battle for best career of this rookie class.
A Late round rookie might end up the most valuable of them all short term.
In the sixth round, the Dolphins selected Wide Receiver Jakeem Grant. Oddly enough, I believe that in year one, he has the best chance to have the biggest impact for the Phins. I know that I just said that Wide Receiver was a deep position, however, Grant is a unique player that can serve many purposes. He is tiny, but quick as lightning in a bottle. He should win the punt and kick off duties. With the potential to be the next Darren Sporles, I believe that Grant will have at least 1 return for a touchdown this year and good return yards to boot. In addition, Coach Adam Gase is going to have a few customized plays for Grant on offense where he will be utilized in the running and passing game, which should cause match-up nightmares for opposing defenses. Lastly, from hearing Grant speak in interviews and watching the way he carries himself, it is evident that even though he is small, he is definitely not short on confidence, which is an important thing for a NFL rookie.
The Dolphins last three selections were Safety Jordan Lucas, QB Brandon Doughty and TE Thomas Durate. Lucas and Doughty are in all likely just going to be backups sparingly used or practice squad players this upcoming season. Durate is a raw player that needs to get bigger to play TE at the NFL level, and while he does have a lot of potential, he’ll probably will be buried on the depth chart for this first season. Of course, if Doughty finishes his Cinderella story and becomes a starting caliber talent, then Miami will be sitting so pretty, I won’t care about the crow I’ll have to eat. Go Fins!!!