A popular name when it comes to the Miami Dolphins and early mock draft is Georgia safety Malaki Starks, a talented prospect who definitely would fill what appears to be a need this offseason.
But the Dolphins have other needs as well, and they should be thinking bigger when it comes to the 13th overall selection in the 2025 draft.
Big, as in linemen.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be an offensive lineman, even though that would be the pick that really would please the majority of fans who have watched the Dolphins struggled to pick up the tough yards over the past couple of seasons.
The defensive line also could use some reinforcements because the Dolphins need a big body to complement Zach Sieler, and defensive tackles Calais Campbell, Da’Shawn Hand and Benito Jones all are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents this offseason.
A look at the AFC and NFC title games should explain clearly why bigger when talking about prospects with similar potential.
In the NFC Championship Game, the big story was Saquon Barkley’s rushing performance, but let’s not forget the holes opened by the offensive line, which clearly dominated the Washington Commanders front seven.
In the AFC Championship Game, beyond Patrick Mahomes’ brilliance and all the talk about the Kansas City Chiefs getting the benefit of many calls (which they did), a key factor was the Chiefs’ ability to stop short-yardage situations, something that Josh Allen mastered in the regular season (7-for-7 on fourth-and-1 runs/sneaks). And they did it in large part because their defensive line stood their ground against the Buffalo Bills offensive line.
By contrast, did anybody notice anything from any of the safeties involved in the game?
Sure, it may be oversimplifying thing, but winning in the trenches is a huge factor in every NFL game.
The Dolphins offensive line play in 2024 probably wasn’t quite as bad as it’s been made out to be, but it still was sub-standard, particularly after Austin Jackson went on IR and Terron Armstead began having to play through a knee injury that all kept him out of practice.
The defensive line play was better, but it wasn’t perfect, and again the biggest issue there is having to potentially replace three contributors. And even if Campbell does return, he’ll be 39 next September, so it would be foolish to depend on him too much because age will catch up to him at some point (we think).
