Dolphins Draft Day 3 and Offseason Recap to Date

That's it, that's a wrap is in the books. We're gonna break down each of these new rookies coming to your Miami Dolphins here on the Sunday edition, the April edition of the Drivetime Podcast. Dolphins and things got started early on Saturday morning for me out west, early in the afternoon for you guys out on the East coast. The Dolphins traded up with the pick they got from the Green Bay Packers on night number one. When the Packers came up to get Jordan Love, the Dolphins go

back to number thirty and get Noah Igbanogeny. The Dolphins use pick one thirty six coming over from Green Bay, and pick one that was already in Miami with the comp pick for Juwan James. Both those picks. They used to go up to number one eleven and take Georgia offensive lineman Solomon Kinley. And Kinley was nicknamed the big Fish because he was a lifeguard in high school, spending those summer days at the swimming pool. And this three hundred thirty six pound man is not your average lifeguard.

And Kindley said so himself on the Drivetime podcast the interview portion, which of course accompanies this Day three podcast quote, every time anybody came to the pool that didn't expect me to be a lifeguard, he said. He did save a kid one time who slipped on the bottom of the pool while he was giving swim lessons, but other than that, it was a great experience. End quote. So the man nicknamed the big Fish is the one d

and eleventh pick to your Miami Dolphins. As a multi sport athlete, not only does he spend time in the swimming pool, he plays a lot of basketball as well, which he said he's gonna bring his a game to South Florida in that regard. But also a mountain of an offensive lineman, three thirty six pounds, physical and tough as all get out, adding to the theme of big, physical mean nasty offensive lineman. The Dolphins have now added

in Solomon Kinley, in Robert Hunt, in Eric Flowers. All these additions are big guys that can move people off the football. Definitely a theme building in South Florida, and last year at training camp, Brian Flores is first in Miami. It was all about tackling, blocking, defeating blocks, getting the fundamentals of the game down. And he talks about wanting

to be more physical upfront. So you can see the effort to make this team more physical on the offensive line, and that big frame affords Kindley a lot of power and drive at the point of attack, but the sheer density he has helps him in pass protection as well, and scouts rave about his ability to drop the anchor and hold up against bull rushes and basically hold that line up front with very minimal movement. You're not gonna

walk this guy back on a bull rush. Lance Zerline notes that and Kindley's toughness and the fact that he's looking to engage in a three hour fight every single Sunday or I guess Saturday, but now Sunday as he is a Miami Dolphin. This from Zerline quote nasty guard who lives in scrap mode, looking for fights inside a relatively small phone booth. Kindley has the frame of a powerful guard. He's a mahler with enough finesse to get

some reach and cut off blocks. The size and toughness are great end quote and Kinley played on the right side of the line early in his career, but moved to left guard in ten, where he started each of the last two seasons. Kiley played two thousand and five snaps in his three year career there at Georgia. Three years of playing time at Georgia, he allowed just four sacks and fourteen hurries on nine and one pass blocking reps, a very good percentage they're holding up in pass pro.

Pro Football Focus lead draft analyst Mike Renner notes Kiley's adept ability at combo blocks and double teams shoulder to shoulder, foot to foot drive those guys off the ball. Quote. One of the best combo blockers in the country. Stays under control, working to the second level. He has a deadening punch and pass pro that stops defensive tackles in their tracks. He talks linebackers with ease because of legit upper body strength and quote. He was born in Duval.

He has family in Miami, so the transition coming down to South Florida going to be an easy one for the big Fish. And here's what Kiley told me. The Dolphins are getting in the big offensive lineman quote, the Dolphins are getting a hard worker. They're getting a person that's going to do whatever it takes to get on the field, whatever it takes in the locker room, to

become the best player I can become. They're getting a great leader, a person off the field that keeps everything under control, and a good character that's going to try to help the community as much as I can. Welcome to Miami. Solomon Kinley and the Dolphins dealt the one hundred and fifty third pick in the draft for San Francisco running back Matt Brita. We'll talk more about him

on a future podcast. As we get now back into the draft, we'll go ahead and pick it up with Jason Strowbridge, the dolphins one four selection in the fifth round on Saturday. And Strowbridge really caught my eye initially at the Senior Bowl because he was doing multiple things and terms of how he rushed the quarterback there from Matt Patricia's defense with his Senior Bowl squad, and you saw the length and the versatility to go ahead and cross face and work as a stunter or a slanter

or running on twist on the defensive line. Those long arms, those heavy hands, and that was what Jason Strowbridge talked to us about initially when we interviewed him on the Drivetime podcast. Again, check out the accompanying podcast with this that went up on yesterday's edition, the interview edition of the Drivetime Podcast. And he told me that versatility was just his number one overall trade. The number one pick in the draft stands six ft four to seventy five.

He went to Deerfield High School down here in South Florida, only forty minutes from the stadium. He was a fan of the Dolphins growing up going to the stadium, and now he says it's a blessing to come back home and play for his hometown team. I mentioned the heavy hands. You see that showcased in and out every single tape you watch of his at North Carolina. He also has the two gap ability to go ahead and stack and

shed and work off the blocks. That way the position versatility, and it's the type of character and leader the Dolphins covet in the locker room. His college defensive line coach had this to say, Tim Cross, that is about his star pupil. What stands out most about Strowbridge since I've met him is his work ethic. It's unbelievable, very coachable, young man, super quick, really wants to learn and get

better every single day. He leads by example, not real loud, but leads by example, works his tail off, tries to get better at some aspect of his game every single day. You could say, each and every day. He's strong, he's twitchy, he has pass rush ability, he's tough with his hands. He's a tough kid and quote and Strowbridge did line up all over the North Carolina defensive line last year.

He played two hundred and eighty three snaps in the B gap to seventy two over the tackle as the four technique and one hundred and eleven outside of the tackle and the twenty three reps in the A gap. According to Pro Football Focus, he also had eight reps as an off ball linebacker a stand up linebacker in that defense. For the tar Heels. His production was consistent across the last two season ten sacks total, forty three

run stops. Those are tackles made within two yards of the line of scrimmage and two thousand, eighteen two thousand, nineteen combined. During his three years on the field at North Carolina, Strode Bridge played one thousand, seven hundred twenty eight snaps and Pro Football Focus lead draft analyst Mike Renner loves strode Bridge's ability to hold the edge against

the run quote. Hill fit teams in need of base run stuffing one hand was often enough to bring down running backs because of legit grip strength and this is me talking now. The grip strength really helps guys lock out and hold out in that too gap attack. Back to Mike Renner, a classic three four two gapping defensive end build with a large tackle radius and the ability

to stack, shed and make plays against the run. Gifted quickness for a big fella that can get by the offensive line, and a blink on stunts and slants end quote. And even at two seventy five, Strode Bridge's quick feet and athletic ability really showed up during his on field work at the NFL scouting Combine, where Strode Bridge ran really impressive times. Are crossed all speed and agility metrics. He ranked better than the nine percent tile in his

forty yard dash, twenty yard shuttle, and broad jump. It was a four point eight nine forty a four point three seven twenty yard shuttle, and one thirteen on the broad jump and pressed it for a man that size. He was also better than the seventy five percent tile in both his ten yards split three cone as well as his vertical jump. The ten yards split was one seven two. That really helps measure how fast they get

off the snap. The three cone time change in direction, ability to stunt, cross face and twists and do stuff like that seven point four five seconds, and vertical thirty one inches. The explosion in the lower half their NFL dot COM's lance zero line notes several traits the Dolphins defensive line coach Mary and Hobby has spoken about as staples of this Dolphins defensive line up front here in Miami.

This from zero Line quote Strowbridge will give opponents a physical challenge with good length, toughness, and hand usage at

the point of attack. He flashed at the Senior Bowl and has upside as a reduced rusher in an even front on path sing downs end quote, and we're gonna come back at the end of these recaps of these players and talk about the singular vision of the Miami Dolphins and recap the entire weekend and staying in that vein, the Dolphins do trade up again on the third day of this draft, as the Dolphins go back up the board to find the guys they want for their system,

and my goodness that they execute that by getting both of these guys in Jason Strowbridge and the next pick number one six overall. And it costs Miami picks one seventy three, of course to pick the trade up and go get him and a seventh round draft choice at two twenty seven, So a low price to pay to go get a guy who was really a production machine

out in the Mountain West. Being a West Coast guy out here, I get a chance to watch those games late at night, to go into midnight one am out here on the West Coast, way too late for you guys on the East Coast. But he departs the Boise State Blue turf and brings his talents to South Beach with impressive measurements across any statue you want to throw out there, they jump off the page, regardless if it's counting stats or if it's analytics, advanced metrics, whatever you

want to say. Curtis ever got the job done at Boise State. He played one thousand, seven hundred eighty snaps in three years. There are Boise State picking up thirty eight sacks in the process. That's the most Mountain West history. His pass rushing put quarterbacks in constant peril as he logged sixty two total pressures over those last two seasons. His Pro Football Focus grade. We talked about ninety being in the blue for the elite his last two years

one and one point three. It's just difficult to envision a six ft two, two hundred and sixty five pound defensive lineman really carrying a childlike demeanor. And if you heard the interview podcast on the Drivetime episode talking to each of these day three picks, you heard him talk about this. But this guy is very Christian Wilkins like in his personality, being a big, fun guy to be around.

He had some teammates make some comments about him. From a piece written on the Athletic, this one from safety DeAndre appears he's just a big kid and quote there and then this one from Chris Hatada, fellow defensive ent. You just called him a goofball and one word, and don't mistake Weaver for any funny business on the football field. Once he crosses the line, he turns it on. You're gonna get goofy, Curtis. But once we're between the lines, strap on the helmet. It's gonna be a long day.

Weaver said that the Boise coaches appreciate the on field demeanor and the production he brought to the Broncos football team, starting with a defensive line coach and Spencer Danielson quote, it's the craziest thing I've ever seen to watch Weavers shift in personality the second competitions on the table, and then after that he goes right back to normal end quote.

A wild trade to have for a human being. He can flip that switch, and Boise States d C. Jeff Schmidting acknowledged that switch, but also detailed Weaver's leadership and football acumen for playing the position playing defense because he always wanted to know why and always learned why the structure behind the Broncos defense quote. Everyone talks about him joking around and then what he does on the field, but he's got a lot of leadership qualities. Schmitting said.

The thing that people don't talk about is how smart of a football player he is. As a coach, you've got to make sure you challenge him in the room. He can tell you what everyone on defense does. He can make all the secondary chat do all those things and quote. And on the field, Weaver comes equipped with plenty of promising traits both as a rusher and run defender.

This from NFL dot COM's Lanzerline, who notes the athletic ability and football i Q and his report quote, Weaver is naturally instinctive counter rusher who uses synchronized hands and feet to attack both inside and outside edges. As a rusher, he plays with football intelligence. His hands and feet work in unison, and he plays past blockers with his eyes

and quote and what that means. Playing past blockers with his eyes means that he can stand up and lock out and key and diagnose the play while he's being engaged physically. It's a tough trait to do because you have to keep your mind right while you're getting the job done physically. And he notes that Weaver can do that very well, and that slippery arsenal of moves and play recognition didn't just produce sacks for Weaver at Boise State.

He was a regular in the backfield against the run as well, with heavy hands, balance and body control and enough power to collapse the edge to dent the edge in the running game. We've racked up forty and a half tackles for loss in three years they are at Boise State. Just unreal production. And he added to that with a pair of interceptions, seventy two total tackles, three force fumbles, and six passes about a down. He was

named an All American on CBS sports dot com. So Weaver brings production, scheme, fit, athletic ability, to gap ability, versatility, all that fun stuff. He and Jason Strowbridge round out a nice defensive line edition this weekend, joining ray Kwon Davis and of course Christian Wilkins, Devon Gottchaw and the rest of the boys on the Dolphins roster. And then we come back here in the sixth round, the lone sixth round draft pick of the Miami Dolphins, number one

eight four overall in the NFL Draft. The Dolphins go after a long snapper and a national champion in l s U Tigers, Blake Ferguson. He was the first long snapper in l s U history to be named a permanent team captain, and he also won the David Been Award last year for the nation's best long snapper for the Ferguson's long snapping is in the family business. Blake Ferguson, now with the Dolphins, will have a chance to play against his brother, Read Ferguson of the buffal Lo Bills

two times every year. And my fellow podcasting buddy in the industry, Chris Krueger of the Rock Pile Report podcast, happens to know Blake's brother up in Buffalo. He told me to ask Blake about the nickname Hype City, and I asked him that on the Drivetime Interview podcast, which of course you can check out up live right now on Apple Spotify where you get your podcast from. I asked him that question. He busted up laughing almost instantly. He said, quote, that's a nickname I was given by

Reeds folks up in Buffalo. I'm naturally an excited, hyped up football player. That were pictures of me on the sideline at l s U where I'd be yelling, screaming, having a good time and just excited. That's probably one that I'll take with me for a long time. And quote. He goes six ft three, two nine pounds. He's a Georgia native, and he did go through the on field drills at the scouting Combine this year in Indianapolis, and

he popped some athletic ability at that workout. He ran a five oh seven forty yard dash and posted thirty one and one and twelve inches in the vertical and broad jumps, respectively. But it was his snapping that may to him the first player off the board at his position. According to Lance Zerline quote, one of the top long snappers in the country. Ferguson has a shot at following his brother into the pros. Four year long snapper and

team captain. Exceptional character for locker room or community events, able to hit perfect laces at frequent clips, rockets it to the holder or punter without much hitch, repeatable rather placement for field goal snaps and quote and Ferguson talking about that community leadership. He graduated l s U. S. Floras NBA program, not Brian Flora's obviously, which is designed to help students develop leadership skills in a professional setting. This is what he had to say about that quote.

In the Flora's NBA program, you work in teams for the majority of the classes, so to be able to understand how to effectively operate in a team and a team situation, and to be a leader in a group of people. That's a direct parallel to going onto the football field and being a leader with a group of guys. I think that I've been able to take that and carry it over to what I do on the football field.

End quote. And the fine old draft pick of the NFL Draft for your Miami Dolphins comes in round number seven, pick to overall. It is a quarterback slash running back, slash wide receiver, slash special teamer, Malcolm Perry out of Navy. He really did multiple things there during his time at the Naval Academy and for the Midshipman. This last season

in twenty nineteen was by far his best. He was the a a C Offensive Player of the Year, playing all over the field, and he arrives in Miami with a broad scope of potential jobs he could fulfill for the Dolphins. And we know by now that versatility has been the theme of the on field criteria for the off season of both Chris Greer and Brian Flores. But

that's not the only box that Perry checks. This quote comes from NFL dot COM's Lancer Line talking about Perry's character and what he brings to the locker room to the football field. Quote. When a prospect starts off with traits like tough, smart, and highly competitive, they're off to a good start with important intangibles. Perry was elected by teammates to the highly regarded team captain there at Navy.

Has some slot receiver experience, hands catcher, low center of gravity, enhances change of direction, stick and go wiggle to make the first tackler miss, and twenty career kick returns averaging twenty four point six yards per return and quote. And Perry told us on the Dolphins media availability that he spent the most time in the draft process talking to the New England Patriots and though he did produce all over the field throughout his four year career, twenty nine

team was by far his best. Over the course of four years at Navy. He rushed for four thousand, three hundred fifty nine yards. He added another four seventy as a receiver, averaging twenty one point four yards per reception. He scored forty three scrimmage touchdowns and through for ten more, as well as one thousand, three hundred eleven yards through the air, averaging eleven point three yards per attempt. And even with the decorated stat sheet, Perry acknowledges the need

to contribute on special teams. He played on both returns teams at Navy and to spending the off season working on his skill set on that side of the ball. This quote from the Drivetime podcast interview portion with Malcolm Perry. I'm extremely comfortable playing special teams, he said. I knew coming into the draft that would be a big role for me, and it's something I've been practicing. I'm lucky enough to have some experience in college with special teams.

End quote. Back to that twenty nine production where he was just off the charts, good on the stat sheet, he talks about what he had to do finishing up the teen season wanting to come back as a more complete player. Quote, I had to become a more complete player. I had to increase my knowledge of the offense. I had to get better at throwing the football. I had to become a better leader, Perry says via Navy Sports dot Com. And Perry, he got better, a lot better.

He joined Navy alum Keenan Reynolds as the only midshipman quarterbacks to rush for a thousand yards and three separate seasons, and he did it in emphatic fashion. Perry ran for two thousand seventeen yards last year, including three hundred and four yards and two scores in the triumphant win over Army after Navy had their streak in that game snapped last season. Quote. I've watched Malcolm Perry his whole career. Keenan Reynolds said, his maturity level has really stood out

this year. I'm proud of him and the way he's grown end quote. And Perry grew up in a military family. He was the first to attend an academy and the first to enlist in the Navy, as Perry's parents were both Army vets, and his mother, Bonnie Perry talked about the comparison between he and her and their personality. Quote, Malcolm is a lot like me. I don't do well around unruly, undisciplined people. He was always talking about joining

the army as a kid. End quote. Now a Miami Dolphin, Perry really embodies the prerequisites to play his professional football under Brian Flora's in South Florida. This quote, my parents taught me to work hard and to be humble. I've gotten to the point where I've learned to accept the attention, but it's not something that I want to bathe in.

I'd rather not have it. End quote. And the Dolphins flipped the final pick in the draft, the seventh rounder, number two fifty one overall for an additional pick, and the sixth round, giving us ten total picks in and with that, our NFL draft is in the rear view mirror. And how great was that to be able to put us side real life for a few days and just enjoy adding talent to this Dolphins roster. It was a long, chaotic and exhausting as hell weekend for me out here,

but so so so damn rewarding. What a blessing this is, ma'am, to get to do this, And thank you all for hanging out with me on these shows and reading the website, checking out the video content. Our socials. We work very hard on that stuff, and we appreciate you guys checking it out with us. There is nothing personally I'd rather be doing than bringing this information to Dolphins fans everywhere. And I bet you thought that's where I'd sign off.

Huh wrong. I want to talk about something that really really started developing well when the Dolphins hired Brian Flores and attached he and Chris Greer at the hip back in twenty nineteen. From the start, the message was about being aligned in that vision, about creating a criteria for what it takes to be a Miami Dolphins player. Smart, tough, discipline, guys that are willing to make sacrifices, guys who prioritize football, guys who love the game, guys that want to win.

And we're gonna circle back to that here in just a moment. But it's not just the character profile we're talking about here. We're talking about the vision on the field itself. We know that Brian Flores defense is multiple.

We saw it last year. We've seen it with where he was in the past in his football background, even fronts odd fronts players that can rush the edge one down and drop off the ball and coverage the next, Guys that can play the nose in every spot from there between the nose, tackle and five TEG and seven tech out wide all across the defensive line. A secondary driven defense that wants to play a lot of man

coverage and get up in guys faces. Cornerbacks that are physical, long that can run, Safeties that can come down and cover and match up, and Marry and Hobby upfront. Talked about his players that use their eyes and key the play hands and eyes. He talked about heavy hands at camp last season. On the offensive side. We saw it in training camp last year as well. The insistence that

we're gonna do things the right way. We're gonna be fundamentally sound, and we're gonna drill the hell out of those very core traits that make football teams better, whether it's the pros, college, high school, or Pop warner. In camp, we saw team drills come together for a period and then it was right back to drilling in those fundamentals ball, security, blocking, defeating blocks, tackling the core components of the game of football,

and with flows desire to be a physical team. He talked about the addition of a fullback last year as a way of making things tougher on the defense because he knows as a former linebacker how tough it can be to deal with that physicality. And then now we come back this year and sign a three hundred and thirty pound guard, and Eric Flowers, we drafted three hundred twenty five pounder, and Robert Hunt. We picked up a three hundred thirty five pounder on Saturday, and Solomon Kinley

on the offensive line. At quarterback. Flores has talked at various points about the it factor, about accuracy and mobility and above all, the way that guy leads the huddle, etiquette, the gravitational poll in the locker room, that galvanizing effect in Miami's first pick number five overall to a tongue Vloa defines those traits and the starting quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, he also defines those traits, had a bunch of rushing

yards last year. Escape of ability through with precision brought the entire locker room together one five of the final nine games. So with those principles, both on the field and off the field, the Dolphins have been so singular and so focused on defining that vision and making moves to reinforce those core beliefs of Brian Flores. You have to give a huge kudos to Chris Career, Marvin Allen, Reggie Mackenzie, the entire coaching staff, the entire scouting staff,

everybody involved with this process. The plan has been so clear and everything they do adds another layer of proof that they're gonna build this thing through that vision. Strowbridge and Weaver both guys that can play multiple spots, cross face, stunt and twist. Ray Kwon Davis a huge player with major explosiveness and that position versatility. Shack Lawson and Emmanuel Ogba are as heavy handed as they come, and they have the length and can set the edge on any

given running down. Kyle Van Nou plays every freaking position at linebacker. Byron Jones had played at Pro Bowl levels both at corner and safety and his career no monogamy. Can play slot, he can play outside, he can come down in the box. Brandon Jones the exact same story, a four down player on special teams as well. Combu Gruge a hill can do multiple things on your defense. He also plays special teams. Flow talks about the importance

of special teams and his players reinforced that. To Clayton Federalum in that regard is an ace on special teams. All these interviews, these guys talked about how they just want to get to work and they don't really do much when they aren't playing football. I asked every single one of them, what do you do on your day off? And they said, I go fishing or I pretty much stay at home and watch Netflix and just hang out.

That tells me that football is the number one priority. Smart, tough, disciplined, versatile, willing to sacrifice, guys that want to win. They continue to check these boxes that satisfy that criteria. And as Flow said back in twenty nineteen at his introduction press conference, I told these guys I wasn't interested in a job where we weren't all aligned in our vision. And that was a paraphrase of Flora's quote. Well, this vision is as clearly defined mind as you're gonna find, and it's

certainly aligned. And with all those rhymes, the only thing left to do is to go out and prove it on the football field. We haven't done anything yet. That's certainly going to be the message. But the commitment to the plan, I don't know how that doesn't excite the hell out of you if you're a fan of the Miami Dolphins. Alright, Draft weekend is a rap. We're gonna come back next week on the podcast and get more

into the film on these guys. I plan to really just digest all the tape and give you more notes on their play, what they can do on the field, some specific plays maybe you can check out on YouTube or otherwise. We'll talk about Matt Brita, the Dolphins new running back they traded for in the fifth round on the draft on Saturday. Plenty to come here on the

Miami Dolphins Drive Time Podcast Miami Dolphins dot com. And with that you all please be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcast on Spotify, leave us a rating, leave us a review, Go ahead and give me a follow on Twitter. It's at Wingfield, NFL. Follow the Dolphins at Miami Dolphins, check out the Fish Tank and the Audible podcast, and of course Miami Dolphins dot com. Until next time finds up