Drive Time: 2023 Pre Draft Roster Reset - Defense

touchdown paradown of the tea. Drivetime with Travis Wingfield begins. Now check your pulse if you're not furt of what is up? Dolphans and welcome to the Drivetime podcast, part of the Miami Dolphins podcast network covering your team, your Miami Dolphins. How's it going everybody? I am your host, Travis Wingfield. And on today's shoot show, Shoe, it's part

two of the Shoe of the Roster Review. We're gonna look at the defense, including how one roster evaluator says on paper, this is the top defense in the NFL. Pass will talk a little bit about Opening Day in baseball and my golf game, which I know you guys are all here for from the Baptist Health Studios. Check that from somewhere in South Florida. This is the Drivetime podcast. Maya Gaffe Fish A little bit of a rocky start there,

but you know, give your boy a break. I've recording this on a Thursday here, March the thirtieth, ahead of Opening Day in baseball and ahead of Witness podcast drops on a Friday. And two things I want to discuss real quick is the opening day in baseball and just

how fired up I am this year. I tweeted about it on Thursday and morning that the Mariners have a player who I was born in nineteen eighty seven and Kikerfree Junior made his debut in nineteen eighty nine, and I got to grow up with that every night on Fox Sports Northwest Kinkerfree Junior or seven ten pm in my living room, me doing the wiggle every single night.

It's how I fell in love with baseball. It's kind of how I modeled my swing after and that's kind of how my baseball swing led to what is now my golf swing, which talk about here in just one second. But I think it's really cool that my kids now are all Manors. Fans of a certain age got to watch King Gerfie Junior for their entire childhood. Now get the benefit of watching Julio Rodriguez. And in that tweet I put out from the Player's Tribune a story that

Julio wrote. He also was featured in GQ. He's also the Sports Illustrated cover athlete for the season preview this year. Everyone expects this guy to be a multiple time MVP, and he just has the charisma and superstar traits that you look for across the board in a ball player. I think it's super cool that my kids get to grow watching that guy, and I'm so fired up. Man, He's gonna hit like, probably thirty five home runs this year, probably still fifty basses, probably gonna have an OPS around

a thousand, probably gonna win a Gold Glove. He is special and I cannot wait. Speaking of special, you're boy in the golf course. I'm just kidding. I do have a round tonight that I'm very excited to go play. I've mentioned it several times that I am in fact on leave right now. Cameron was nice enough to fall asleep for a little bit for me to record this podcast and get it in. But my wife feels bad for me because Cameron just kind of cries all day and I've been getting my ass kicked all day by

this kid. So she said, go ahead and get out of here for a few hours and I and go play golf. I'm gonna go play the Grand Palms in Pembroke Pines. I'm just curious. Has anybody ever really started golf at age thirty five and made the PGA Tour, because I feel like that's kind of where I'm going. That's a joke, but I've mentioned that natural baseball swinging, man, I feel it, and I'm consistently getting the driver about two eighty off the tea most of the time straight.

Sometimes I got a bit of a snap hook that it just turns a little bit left more than I wanted to hitting the greens, and regulation is a fifty fifty prop position. You never know what's gonna happen. But i feel like I'm putting myself in position on most holes to hit from about eighty to one twenty, and I'm just not getting the ball close enough to The putting is very up and down as well, so I

feel close. I feel like I'm close to becoming someone that just began golf who was consistently in the one hundreds. And I feel like getting a eight as a first number on my card is very close. In fact, I shot a ninety the other day, and I think even beyond that, I feel like I'm not far away, maybe a couple of years from potentially being able to get under double digits in terms of being overpar like plus nine. I think it's very possible for you a boy in

the near future. But I want to play as much golf as I can this summer. So, like I said, if you're trying to get out there, let me know, let's go play some golf. Let's talk some football, shall we. Wednesday we did the offensive side of the ball, and now we turn our attention to the defense. And frankly, I think you could argue which side of the ball looks better on paper for your Miami Dolphins. And that

certainly makes for a fun training camp, doesn't it. I do Matchup of the Day, Matchup, Matchup, Matchup of the day every single day on the Great Training Camp Practice podcast reviews or recaps, and like you know, in the past, I had to try to manufacture Shack Lawson versus Austin Jackson, a couple players that were certainly fun to watch, But now I got like Jalen Ramsey versus Jalen Waddle, I

got Tyreek Hill versus Xavier Howard. I've got to Ron Armstead versus Bradley Chubb and Jalen Phillips like who Buddy. There are matchups up and down the board that I cannot wait to get into. And before we look at our first position group, this podcast will not be as long as the Thursday Behemoth or Wednesday Yeah, Wednesday Behemoth. Um, it probably will because I'm talking about baseball and golf now, but a lot. I think I had four thousand words

for that one. I got about twenty five hundred for this one. But before we get into that, there's a guy at ESPN. He's a fantasy football expert, which I don't think translates to actual football. And I've actually gotten into debate to this guy on Twitter in the past. You know, I have a hard time value in an opinion from someone that doesn't like, you know, the great So the great Mike McDaniel interview with Mike Silver. How

great was that? By the way, the process of talking about how we don't just have this quarterback in two like Mike with that film session he talked about in that story, we're gonna build the entire program around two of strengths. Because I believe he's that good. How freaking cool is that? But when you had to explain to him what a field side out route was, Oh, I just I can't understand. Like doing this profession and not knowing the very basics, it's very weird to me. That's

how I feel about this particular pundint. But each year he does his positional grading chart and puts a heavier emphasis on certain positions, like we talked about last episode with more premium spots. But he has the Dolphins is thirteenth. Offensively the hell you're talking about so already kind of discrediting my own source here, But defensively number one he has Miami and that lands the Dolphins is the number

three overall roster, behind just Philly and Dallas. And to give you an idea of the rest of the teams in the top ten, they are the Bengals, Bills, Chargers, Chiefs, Broncos, Browns, and Jets. This is under the assumption that Jets get Aaron Rodgers. Teams three through ten in the AFC is brutal, but it's goot Miami better than the Bengals and Bills.

Those are two teams I think most folks will pick to compete with the Chiefs this year, who are even lower for potential AFC supremacy in a trip to the Super Bowl. Let's go ahead and get to the defense, though, And as you look at this roster, you can see, you know Mike Clay's point, each group has starters and I use air quotes around that who are really premier type of players. And I use the term starter loosely

because starter just doesn't mean the most snaps. In the era of specialization and sub packages, there just isn't as much emphasis on that phrase anymore. And a prime example of that is our first position group here on the interior defensive line. You get, I guess, a mix of starters and guys that contribute in different packages, and the game can dictate how many snaps they play based upon is it a guy that comes in for pass rush?

Are you behind early like the Detroit game last year when Miami fell behind by fourteen points and didn't recapturely until the fourth quarter, it's a passing game or I should say a running game in that one, and then late when they get the football back down, it becomes more of a passing game. Right. But you have this front for the Dolphins where we talk about starters versus sub packages. This group is so versatile and so flexible.

If you're in an even front, you could have like Christian Zach and then like Emmanuel Ogball and Jillian Phillips as you're four down, but you go odd front incomes ray Kwon Davis, outgoes Amanual or whoever. But you get the idea of how this group and the depth this position group has can make this defense really go this year. As we you know, assumed going into the offseason, you might see a bit of a shift from focus of building back to front to more front to back because

Vic Fangio's defense, we know the principles of it. Play lighter boxes, play a lot of two high structures. There's lots of disguise that requires smart, quick processing really across the defense, but primarily in that defensive backfield. And that's where you know Javon Holland and Brandon Jones to me stand to make a big jump, and that's why you go out and get a David Long, who was one of the best processing linebackers in my opinion, in the

entire National Football League. We break this thing down in terms of the front on interior, defensive line, and edge, and so let's just go ahead and talk about the interior. To me, a blue player and Christian Wilkins, one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL, should have been a Pro Bowler last year. If he had just been listed defensive tackle, he probably would have gone. Zack Steeler to me is a plus starter of the green category

the seventy five percent criteria. If you didn't catch those from If you don't know what that means, go back to Wednesday's episode. We explained that pretty in depth. On the offense, Ray Kuan Davis I have as a gold replacement level and then Josiah Bronson and Julan Twyman, two players looking to make their way in the league as guys in the practice squad futures contracts. But Wilkins has been on this type of trajectory that you want from a player truly gets better every single year arrived as

a premier player last season. I think he wasn't twenty twenty one as well, but last year pretty much undeniable. I think what you have here is Coach Clark's group is a pair of really dominant, multifaceted players who are so well versed in their craft that they are both capable of cheating the scheme a little bit. And what I mean by that is they can play within the rules of their job, but they're so smart and talented that they can go outside the scheme a little bit

and take themselves into great plays. And we saw that with Christian Wilkins really frequently. I'm talking, of course about he and Zach Seiler, and that's the benefit of having those two guys be so durable, so dependable, and be in some of the best condition on your entire football team. I'm amazed every single week when I pull up the snaps on a Monday morning and it says, Christian Wilkins played, you know, sixty five snaps that was nine of the workload,

and Zach Seeler played sixty three snaps. Like it's a crazy amount of basically going through a full workout every snap between you know, your arms and your shoulders and your core and your legs, and how you engage every muscle on every single snap. It's a testament to their conditioning. And to me, it's built around those two guys who can cheat the scheme, who are smart enough to anticipate and understand what their keys say and where it takes

them in a given play. If this guard down blocks the center, I know I can shoot that gap and get in there and possibly, you know, shut down a front side run or pursue a backside run because I know we're going to set a strong edge on the opposite side. We saw Wilkins do this time and time again, backdoor a two gap responsibility and get the running back to the ground for a loss. He's just so technically sound, and if you watch the way he plays, he just

keys off the guy in front of him. It's it's so cool to watch him process the play from pre snap to when he makes the play in the backfield, like his head's on the tackle, his eyes and the tackle or the guard, and he makes his reactions based upon that. It allows him to hold the point or penetrate and just consistently be underneath his man, which leads to stops in the backfield. It leads to record setting tackle numbers, it leads to interior pressure from the pass

rush situation. It leads to a great, complete player who I'd be surprised if we see go into the season

without a new contract. For Christian Wilkins. Both he and Zach Seiler are capable of playing all the way inside the one technique, which is your outside shade off the center's shoulders, all the way out to that wide position at the five technique where you're off the outside shoulder of the tackle, And that type of versatility is so damn important to know that you can draw up any front, any technique, and you're gonna have these two guys like

you don't have to worry about scheming up this system for your players, Like, hey, we're gonna draw us up ninety four and ninety two have got it. They're fine. They're gonna play fifty sixty snaps a game invaluable with Seeler. To me, it's the strength and length the fourth down and short production from Seiler describes his game in a nutshell to me, the plower that he plays with often puts guys in their heels, and it doesn't just lead

to production. It can disrupt the timing of the opposition's play to the point that it impacts other people from doing their job. Like I took this guard and ran him back into the up back and now he can't go make his blocks. It has a ripple effect as this position group tends to do. Ray Kwon Davis is solid. I think there could be more plays made at that position off the nose, but it's a thankless job and he does a good job of eating up double teams.

Sometimes they do get movement on him, but that wingspan, sheer size when it clicks for him, it really shows up on those plays. But more consistency and more playmaking there would be nice at that nose tackle position. I think ray Kuan is capable of that, and then Bronson and Twineman can push the roles. But you kind of see where there's a route here to add more players, more depth. I thought last year they missed the presence

of Adam Butler. Finding a guy like that. I think a veteran nose tackle would be a big addition for this Dolphins defense if they can find it. You know, I don't know if a Keem Hicks is a guy that I keep thinking of that if he's gotten more on the tank, could be a good addition here. I'm still bummed about Ben Stilly getting plucked off the practice squad. Thought he had some good skills to work with and develop,

but sometimes that happens. Let's go ahead and take our first break right there, come back on the other side and talk about the edge, the linebackers, the dbs, and the specialist. I guess the podcast is going to go along today. That's next to Drift Time podcast, your host Travis Field, brought to you by Auto Nation. If we think that interior defensive line position, gosh, the edge, if that's impressive. This edge group is to me one of the best position groups, not just on the football team,

but in the entire National Football League. Because I have one blue player, a blue chip, top of the line caliber player to meet that, Chelan Phillips. I think the next two guys have been in that blue category as

recently as one or two years ago. Bradley Chubb and Emmanuel Ogba to me are in the green category, the plus starters, and then I've got I've got above average players as well, and Malik Reed and Andrew Van Ginkl in my orange category, my third and one of the three categories that if you've got that guy, you're happy you have him and you feel good about their role in the football team. And then Cameron good goes in the incomplete category. Hasn't made his NFL debut yet, but

he has some traits to develop there. But this position group, but it's embarrassment of riches. Phillips enjoyed that breakout year where he was good for several pressures a game, a couple of run stops every game, give him a sack every other game, a hit on the quarterback or two per game, some ball production here and there. We talk

about Wilkins and Seeler's inside outside versatility. There are not many guys in the league do what Jyalen Phillips does from a pass, rush and run game perspective that can then also kind of not kind of but kick inside and produce and just impact the game from in there as well. And it's again more of a thankless job to rush a guard. He can't get production from there, but typically when he kicks in there, it's to free up another edge outside of him. And if we do

get this roster with Phillips, Chubb and Ogba. I think you're gonna see a lot of that, like these pass rush packages with those three guys. Put and put my league read out there, like come on, man, how you're gonna block that stuff? But the fact that Phillips can threaten the edge, force the quarterback to flee to the other side of the field and then chase him down from the back allah Aaron Rodgers. We saw it with

Kenny Pickett. There was another game he didn't I forget which one it was, but to do that and then one snap later, kick inside to the three technique, which is the outside shoulder of the guard and rush and get knocked back and create a laying against a three d and twenty pound man to open up space for somebody else. This dude's rare. Now. We saw his Pro Day workout at Miami back when there was no combine that year, paired with the Brett Coleman video where he

compared on both the Watt Brothers, like watch out. This guy is a I think this guy's Defensive Player of the Year candidate material in terms of his ability, the way he works and the way he puts it all together. It just has his head screwed on the right way. He's freaking Walter Peyton, Man of the Your nominee, won the or Not the d Block Award, the Nat Moore

Community Service Award his Rookie Season Special Special Player. His hustle and effort paired with rare rare traits like the burst, the pass rush arsenal, the mental processing where he can attack an opponent one way, see the way the opponent refutes that attack, and then adjust his game. His pass rush production last year, by the metrics say that he could have had a lot more sacks. And now with Ramsey joined X and Cater, you get Brandon Jones back

Vic Fangino. Opposing quarterbacks should have to hold the ball for a little bit longer. And if that happens and JP stays in the same trajectory we saw last year, I think he's gonna get double digit sacks. I think he's gonna threaten for a sack per game. Talking about seventeen sacks, I think he'll be in discussion for Defensive Player of the Year. I think very highly of this team. I think highly this defense, and this is a player that I think could get national recognition for a potentially

big award like that. And that's just the first guy, because next you've got Bradley Chubb, who was the first i think defender taken off the board in that loaded twenty eighteen class. How did that one go? It went Darnald or rather, I'm sorry Mayfield, who went second? Who went second after me, oh Saquon Barkley and then Darnald and then Denzel Award was fourth, so he was the second defender off the board. There's some live podcasting for you, but he's one of the best pass rushers in the NFL.

His speed and counter moves put tackles on an island in such peril. And if you want double phillips like Bradley Chubb, one on one is not a fun matchup. Frankly, having these two guys together is going to force offenses on every single play to leave a premier pass rusher one on one. And that's how even accounting for what

happens inside on the interior. And if you go deeper, how about a guy who had eighteen sacks in two fully healthy seasons here in Emmanuel Ogba went down with a triceps injury last year, but he's been the closer for this team for a while now, Like any end of game situation like go to the Buffalo win. Last year Week number three, it was his pass rush that caused the hold that really put Buffalo in that position where they got tackled in bounds, the clock expires, Dolphins win.

He's also one of the better run defending edges in the NFL. I think where this group could get a little better is I saw it with Chubb a lot last year. They jump inside sometimes and that kind of is something you give and take with pass rush. I'm curious to see how much that rushland integrity is part of this defense and the core principle of this defense. I think it will be, But I wonder how much you might be willing to give up in terms of and maybe I give up my yap here to get

better pass rush production. I don't know. I'm just kind of speculating. But we'll see, Kerry's see if that changes this year, because there were too many instances last year where the edge was kind of folded in and there were some big runs off the outside. But wait, man, like there's more. We broke down Mali Reid's game last week, and man, he can get after its speed, I discipline,

countermoves dropped into coverage. Really nice guy too, by the way, I chance to meet him, like please and thank you type of guy, which goes along with me, especially being a West Coaster on the East Coast where it's not that common I learned over my time here. You get Andrew van Ginko back, his spatial awareness and ability to

take advantage of matchups when the opposition slides. His ability to beat blocks, I thought has gotten so much better from his time in Wisconsin, where he can play through guys, not just have to get underblocks. Three down player actually four down player's great on special teams as well. What a valuable addition, or I should say resigning Andrew van Ginkl was deepest group on the team. I would argue,

one of the deepest position groups in the NFL. You've even got a nice developmental prospect there and Cameron Good coming into year two after a year on the practice squad, and when you work with Austin Clark and what he does up front, I wouldn't count anybody out with that type of backing in their corner. Let's go ahead and move on next to the linebackers. I talked about it

at length on the Breakdown Pod. I just cannot say enough when I think about David Long Junior and this defense, I think in this defense you have to have a linebacker who can react and beat players to the spot. I think you have to have a guy that can beat blocks because of the frequency with which you see the two high structures with the light boxes against favorable

run counts. Teams in the NFL nowadays, and this is basically Fangio putting his mark on the entire league, teams are willing to give up a little bit in terms of the running game to better protect against the passing game, which you know, four yards per carries a good number, eight yards per passes a good number. So which one would you choose? Give me the four yards every time. I'll take a third and two over a first and

ten any day after two plays on offense. But David Long Junior's ability to both anticipate, get the defense put in the right position, and beat blocks makes him the ideal linebacker to fulfill that defense. On top of the fact that he can rush and drop into coverage as well. So with Long and Baker, you've got two three down players who have speed, pass rush ability, and coverage skills. Now, I think Long is better in terms of all those

things we just talked about. More naturally, I think Baker's speed takes him to a lot of plays in that regard. But that's why I have David Long Jr. As a green player, a plus starter, and I think that with some more recognition and some more exposure, could become a blue player, but we'll have to wait a little bit on that. I've got Jerome Baker as an orange player that third category, the quality starter, and then I've got Duke Riley as replacement level but also such an ace

on special teams. And then the final linebacker in the room, which probably could see some additions here in the draft and UDFA class is Channing Tendel, who's purple the special team slash not there's not enough evidence there yet for what he can do. But that's that's a big upgrade of what we had in the past. Typically, it's been replacement level players pretty much from you know two on

in that room. And now you've got an adequate starter, a plus starter, and some replacement level players beyond that. So the two guys that can do multiple things. There's just so much more speed in this room now, and you don't have a single player here who when the offense breaks the huddle, they say, hey, this guy is great at this, but what if we can check to something else and do that against him and expose his vulnerability. Because I think they're also versatile and can fulfill a

variety of roles within a defensive package. You don't have a guy out there who's just a B gap to B gap plotting run defender who the Bills on a fourth and two down and there on the goal line can check to a run and say, hey, if we get single tarry on that linebacker, boom touchdown for us. Like that's not gonna happen because they can cover those guys. I mean, it will happen sometimes because football is hard,

but you get what I'm saying. It's a better opportunity for the defense to make a play when you don't have that guy in the field with long The way he beats blocks is really going to help in the way you try to defend that run from those lighter boxes. And it's so prevalent for these teams to play that lightbox. The VIC Fangio effect, and he pioneered that type of defense and philosophies have spread throughout the entire National Football League. The teams that are best at it have linebackers who

can take on blocks and still make plays. Not to mention that you've got the guys up front. We just talked about two ninety four that also do that as well as any defensive lineman in the National Football League. I just think long opens up so much. We know about Baker's speed and the angles that he can take to the quarterbacks as a rusher. I think maybe he gets more of a rushing role this season in this defense.

And how about how he runs with tight ends and backs like Again, I don't think it's the same thing special, but he can get in phase and he can just run through the route and as long as it's not to come back where they come back from the player to the football where he gets flagged, he can make pass breakups that way. It just gives you multiple options for how to attack different teams. And I think that Duke Riley was a big resigning because of his ability

to slide down off the edge. You can stay running quarterback like Lamar Jackson, but also come back inside and come off the bench and play coverage in a pinch. His pass breakup against the Pats in Week one was one of the most impressive reps we had by a linebacker all year from my money, where it's a Tampa two look and he has to bust his butt down the seam on it. He was either Hunter Henry or John hu Smith and he made a great PBu on

that play. He's got that type of ability. Then changing tendall, he might be the most talented player in the entire group, which is saying a lot, just hasn't played a lot of football yet. I'm curious if the light comes on for him this year maybe next year because of the new defense and how challenging this defensive scheme is to pick up. But he's so explosive, such a striker and so fluid moving in any direction. Man, I'm excited about

this group in twenty twenty three. I don't think they'll be done yet because I think you need more than four linebackers to go into a season with. Let's go ahead and take our last break. Comeback on the other side, do DBS and the specialist. That's next Draft Time podcast, Your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation.

Up next, the cornerbacks, the safeties, and the specialists. Let's go ahead and start in that cornerback room where the Dolphins went out and once again added another Blue player. Jalen Ramsey is a premier cornerback in the National Football League, if not the premier cornerback. I have Xavien Howard and kater coho Is plus is that green category, that very

coveted green category. I've got Nick Needham as a quality starter when he's not even a starter in terms of how that goes if you stack it up that way based upon last year's production, and who knows, maybe Needham does earn a spot back in the starting lineup. He's that good and that capable, But what quality depth. I keep thinking about how good of a fourth he can be for this defense. I think Trill Williams. It's a scheme change, so I'm curious see how that kind of

changes the way he His perception isn't this defense. But I know he's got skills. I saw all last training camp. Excited about his return. I'm very pumped up about Bethel Johnson coming back. I've got both Trill and Bethel in the purple category. Bethel because of his special team's prowess, Trill because of the incomplete nature of his evidence his film there's just not any of it. But for Bethel Johnson like he also came off the bench last year

into pinch and played good cornerback too. Then I've got three guys in that kind of rad category, Noah Eguenogny keyon Crossing and Tino Ellis. But how about this room looking where it does right now compared to back in December, when you get need Him back, you get Trill back, and you drop in probably the best cornerback in the National Football League. Just from those top three guys alone, the tackling at the position is so good, which again the idea of playing too high requires the skill to

be sharp. And as listening to Daniel Jeremiah on the podcast earlier this week where he talked about how the days of Dion Sanders saying you pay me to cover, not tackle, are long gone because teams will scheme up the running game to basically leave the corner that can't tackle unblocked and force that guy to be your force defender and come up and make a play with kator Coho never have to worry about that. With Xavien Howard don't have to worry about that, and Jalen Ramsey, you

sure as hell don't have to worry about that. But kater I can think he can play anywhere. He was great in the slot last year. The way he can fit the run from that nickel position, it reminds me of Ron Johnson and Buffalo and what he affords that defense that never leaves its nickel package. Then there's the main part, the coverage skills. Think about your ability to match up against a given opponent. Last year, most weeks we were lucky to have three healthy corners for a game.

Now you can really pick and choose. We don't know how the roles will work out. But Jalen Ramsey and that potential star role is super intriguing for his ability to move around. Like I think back to the Belichick with you Know Vas days when it was like, hey, they're best receivers are tight end. Why don't we have Revas cover the tight end? Okay, like Ramsey can do that. I see him with you know that Gilmore Durell Revas type of influence for the Patriots defense and how they

would use that guy in their best player. I think Xavian Howard's ability to lock down one side of the field pairs perfectly with that, like, hey, go cover the number two receiver. X can do that as good as anybody in the National Football League. And then cater Co, who's sticky coverage inside on top of rolling help to

those various positions like good luck man. I feel the same way right now that I felt about the offense last year, where it's like I don't see the solution outside of injuries for the opposition to overcome this team. I think it's that good. This is where this team can really really get after it. Getting those three guys playing up to their skill level with this pass rush watch out man, then the depth is just so much improved. I can't think of a better fit for that fourth

role than Nick. Need him. He can play any position and you can just basically have him wherever you need to come into a game, like hey, Jalen's down, Nick, get out there, Caters down, Nick, get out there, Trull Williams. I think a lot of upside, we just haven't had a chance to see it yet. His injury was so early that he'll be twelve months removed from the injury come training camp. And then again, don't sleep on the Bethel Johnson resigning special teams ace but great in coverage

last year. Then you've got crossing an Igbo who played a lot of snaps last year and got some valuable experience and also have some special teams value there as well. So deep room one year after it was the opposite with the attrition the way it wore it down in the secondary or the final part of the secondary. Here the defensive backfield, the safeties. Five of those guys as well.

I've got a blue player in Javon Holland, I've got a green player, a plus starter, and Brandon Jones Deshaun Elliott I have in the orange category as a quality player. And then I've got purple on Elijah Campbell and Ron McKinley for the fact that they haven't played a lot of defense and just early in their careers and wet

behind their ears and special teams. Primarily, just getting Brandon Jones back alone is such a huge plus to the room because his ability to time up his runs and blitz both the run and the passes something I think he does better than anybody else the entire roster. That on top of his ability to play multiple roles and how you have to be interchangeable at safety with Javon Holland go back last year and watch the defense before Brandon Jones got hurt and after, and it changed completely.

The way they communicate with each other is going to help in terms of how this defense can play faster and the way they prepare that is invaluable in this defense that we've heard described as a safety's defense. I thought last year Javon had to play so far back to help mitigate some of the injuries outside. But with x Ramsey and Cater, I think you could see him freed up to do more blitzing, to buzz the middle

of the field, to spy the quarterback. He can do anything, and I think Vic Fangio and this defense and the personnel around him can unlock that. It's like samething to talk about toua yeah to confidence help to take his game to the next level. We saw the confidence Alabama. May be it waned a little bit it was back last year, and it helps him make those tight window throws and ripped that thing time and time again, even if you have a miss, go back to up rip

bit shooter, shoot play with confidence. You'll get the best of yourself. I see the same thing with you know, Javon Holland in terms of putting guys around him, putting it Tyree Kill around him, Jalen Ramsey around him like it's gonna make his game even better. To Sean Elliott fulfills those roles in a similar way. Also getting to know him a little bit here, He's got the mentality

you want and it matches with his play. A striker, explosive as hell, kind of a dog off the bench who comes in and gives you a different level of energy and spark. Elijah Campbell's a tremendous special teamer. I love his addition to some deep sub packages. You're half dollar and dime packages. And Verne McKinley got some experienced last year. Is that true backup safety? He's kind of the only true backup safety on the roster. It's just crazy how much the depth has really improved here and

everywhere across the football team. I've got Sanders and Bailey in the orange category for specialists, in Blake Ferguson in the yellow category. I don't know much about the fine up points of kicking, punting, and long snapping. We've now got the twenty twenty All Pro Team kicker and punter first team. Both guys have plenty of distance with powerful legs, and I don't recall a botch snap last year, but there was lots of snaps on the ground that Thomas

Morse had had to scoop up like a shortstop. So hopefully that gets better this year. But there you go. We'll do it again at some point later in the summertime. But it's hard to not be excited about what they have right now on this roster. And that will do it for this episode. But I had to log back in to talk some golf, and I'll keep it too about a minute here. But I wrapped up around at Grand Palms and Pembroke Pines and I wasn't aware of this.

I'd only played there in the morning one time before. I played at a four o'clock tea time on Thursday night and the course was almost empty. I got to play alone, didn't have to go with a partner up with anybody. I did pass through two groups of people, and of course you're going to say, this is what

happens when you play by yourself, Travis. But I shot a pr a personal best eighty two at the Grand Palms, absolutely crushing the ball off the tea, getting my hybrid going on the fairways as well, just getting lots of distance on those two clubs. Absolutely dialed on the chipping. I watched this Bryson d Shambo tutorial I know Worre Sky to watch. Everyone says that to me, might tell them that, but he taught me about closed face chipping. I instituted that and was putting the ball next to

the cup all day long. Just felt really good a man around. That took about two and a half hours, and that was with taking several videos to share with a couple of my buddies at work and a couple of friends. I could have gotten that round in under two hours. About to play a little bit more tempo, a little more speed, but having that rhythm to play off of man freaking awesome and an eighty two at Graham Palms. Your boy has the bug PGA Tour coming next.

All right, that's gonna be my timehal on Draftime podcast. Gonna go check out the Mariners game. Let's go Julio, Let's go MS. That'll be my time, y'all. Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Leave us a rating, leave us a review. You can follow me on Twitter at Wingfield NFL. Follow the team at Miami Dolphins. Check out the Fish Tank Podcast with Seth and Juice. We have a special crossover episode on Monday. We're gonna talk about their episode coming out next week

with Hall of Fame linebacker Zach Thomas. You don't want to miss that. Check out the YouTube channel for Dolphins Today, Mediavailability, and much much more, and last but not least, Miami Dolphins dot com. Until next time, finds up Caroline and Cameron. Daddy's already home