Will Savaiinaea Turn Phins in the Right Direction!
Dolphins 2025 Draft offers potential & hope… But also points to Grier staying long term
The great news is the Miami Dolphins and Chris Grier finally seem to have finally figured out NFL football isn’t flag football with their heavy lean in physicality and the trenches. On the flip side, the draft philosophy with very young rookies and draft capital being pushed in the future, indicates that Chris Grier isn’t on the hotseat and will be here for some time to come however this season ends up.
The reality is fans can’t control who’s running the team and all we can hope for is whoever is in charge gets the ship heading in the right direction. Let’s hope Grier took a ‘Limitless pill’ and has turned into the brilliant GM he has always thought him to be! At least it was more than a token effort to uplifting the offensive line this offseason with the drafting of Jonah Savaiinaea. That’s got to be a big positive even for the dourest of fans.
Trenches were hit and hit again
I think Kenneth Grant has been covered enough and it’s fair to say he’ll be a quality player at the very least. Was he the best pick? Derrick Harmon, Walter Nolan, and Tyleike Williams will be compared for years to come. It will take time to come to that evaluation.
Second Round pick Jonah Savaiinaea is the player I want to focus on the most. We traded up to get him with multiple picks to move up, but in the end, Miami only lost a 3rd Round pick. The Phins traded out of the 4th Round and picked up a 2026 3rd Round pick offsetting the extra pick for Savaiinaea. In the end, it’s about him being a good player.
Savaiinaea played all over the line and has tremendous move skills and was an excellent pass blocker. The best stat of Savaiinaea’s was his 88 grade out of 100 in True Pass Set blocking. This is a huge asset because Miami has struggled to pass block without using scheme and play call help and extra blockers. Free Agent James Daniels can True Pass Set block fairly well and Aaron Brewer too for short periods of time. This will go a long way towards improving the pass game that had to throw fast and cover up poor pass blocking with smoke and mirrors.
Savaiinaea run blocking will be the key to his ceiling
You can be with the best pay per head that the key area for Savaiinaea to reach a high ceiling will be his ability to dig guys out in the run game. Savaiinaea’s universal knock from every pre-draft evaluation was his inability to move guys on the run game and at times struggle verse the bull rush. This though was at tackle, and his move inside will mean he faces even bigger and stronger players. But the kid is only 21 years old, and he has a wide build. These are good signs he at least can grow stronger. Now it will come down to him embracing an NFL strength and conditioning program to get himself stronger.
Will Savaiinaea find his way to more strength and improve his technique to be more than an excellent pass blocker? That’s the key to his future and how we view this trade down the road. No one knows how it will play out, but it’s clear this is the part of his game he needs to most growth in. If Savaiinaea balances out his game, then he’ll be more than worthy of the trade and high selection. Of course, the road from here to there is a long one. I can’t wait to see where he is really in Training Camp!
Grier is in charge for better or worse
On the downside, get used to Grier being the GM. There’s nothing any of us can do about it. All we can do is hope he gets it right in his 10th and 11th year as GM, and likely beyond that. This draft as it plays out over time is the only way tell if Grier has indeed grown in more than his philosophy. We won’t know if Grier has truly grown for some time, so let’s just pray this draft was the first of a series of good drafts! Go Phins!!!
