Drive Time: July 30 Dolphins Camp Report

I want to talk about this year's draft class and I want to give you eight big picture thoughts I have from six practices, and as always, we will support that with audio from the guys. Plenty of clips that cho from today from the Baptist Health Studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex.

The more camps you come to, the more you know where to not get out over your skis, Because like I was the leader of the Eric Azuokama about to be that dude bandwagon back in year one, and he didn't play an offensive stap un to the last game of the year between you and I, I don't think he's caught to pass since day one of practice. So there's always lessons to be learned in doing this, and one of those lessons is you're not going to be

right all the time. But I want to give you a wide berth here of takes and takeaways to hopefully hit a good percentage of those. But I also think it's worth acknowledging what you see early because I remember seeing some various NFL content through the years where they would be micd up or they'd have like behind the scenes type of content, and in some of those pieces of content, you'll see teams talk openly about it right away, like yeah, this kid is going to be a big

part of our plans. I remember the first season of All or Nothing, and gosh, that was so good. That was before the oversaturation of content. I think where now it's like I've seen too much and I just we

have too many options for content. But that first year and it came out like in June, right when football shuts down, and the Cardinals like knew right away what they had in David Johnson, and they were like, we're gonna go kind of slowly ease him into this and we're going to have him be a bell cow come Thanksgiving. And then he was their guy, like the offensive you know, the guy that the offense went through by the time

the playoffs got there. And I say all of that to tell you guys that I'm watching this draft class. Just make plays every single day. And another tip of the cap here to Kyle Krabs because we were talking about it. He said, Hey, Travis, I think this draft class is.

better training camp than Chop Robinson. The speed and get off is very real, and he's really just showing the fastball rate now too, right because as he goes along and we talked to Kendall Lamb about this earlier in the week, he'll develop his breaking pitches. But he's using the explosiveness and I've really noticed great hands and the ability to keep guys out of his chest to chop no pun intended their hands away, and to use the

lineman's body to gain leverage. You know, he's played the run, he's provided pressure, he's been absolutely stiller, and today he's

split this double team. I've seen him beat guys one on one pretty consistently, but today Lamb like fanned out and Ingold step up into the big gap to help on him, and he went right through both of them and got to the quarterback, Like, come on, dude, this is a guy that's been playing NFL football for six days and that's a decade plus vet who he got who's played at a super high level, and the best fullback in the league who was otherwise popping everybody that

came into sight today, and later in that period they throw this quick screen behind Chop and he retraces his rush path and flags it down. It's been fantastic from my vantage point. In fact, the only guy that I think is consistently won against Chop has been second round draft pick Patrick Paul. I think he's showing great growth already and how he's seeing things getting to his landmarks

and his assignments. Nothing in particular rely today outside of the fact that I think there was a little bit more like in game type of pass protection calls in terms of the play action and rolling pockets and you know, pulling guards that peeled back and hit their pass protection. Like I saw him executing that at what I thought was a high level, and it was just an another solid day for a guy that's been very solid all

camp long. In the second round. In the third round, Jalen Wright continues to flash his quickness, his speed to the perimeter, those jump cuts I've talked about, you know, I saw him getting some pass pro work in today on Tuesday where he was stepping up and sticking guys, you know, getting behind the pads and really playing up through his base into his upper body to make that

strike and to make those guys feel that punch. Impressive looking prospect man, a guy that I think has a nice long career ahead of him, hopefully all for the Miami Dolphins. Mohammed Kamara has made a lot of plays

and been an impact rusher all camp long. There's this whole concept of speed and get off and throwing off the protection plan because of how it resets immediately when you have you know, two or three guys that have one point six ten splits getting off the snap and like Chop had a pressure today where he was in the backfield like one point five to three seconds in

the Stopwatch. And the way he's been able to bend through contact and shorten that corner because he can maintain his speed and balance with that ankle flextion, the ankle strength right where he dips and bends the arc. What an impressive athlete. And I just love love his mental makeup. I asked him last Tuesday, the day before we started practice.

You know, my energy here on the podcast doesn't happened very often, but Moe brought a lot more than I can even bring you guys here on Drive Time in the sixth round, Malik Washington has been feasting in the short to intermedia areas and the way he snaps off his routes and sinks those hips into the routes, it's gonna make him an immediate available option and a trustworthy option.

I think right away for two a tongue of by low and he's playing very fast, which tells me that he's as advertised in terms of how he prepares and how he fits in this offense, with his strengths being aligned with how this offense ticks and goes, and that's only going to increase when we get beyond six days of training camp. I think there's a clear role for him in this offense if he stayed on top of his stuff and continues to progress the way he has.

He did, however, and I want to just you know, throw a little bit of cold water here on the fire, because you look at his tape and everyone's like, oh mol, he can do everything from college, right, But there was a reason he went in the sixth round. I think that reason is the lack of vertical skill set when

it translates to the next level. He could do it Virginia, but I don't think it's going to be his game here because there was a vertical route in one on ones where he stacked need him but just could not pull away from him and it ended up in a big collision as Needham played through the football made a great play himself.

Taj Washington unfortunately out for the year, but there are some undrafted guys who I think have had better camps than some of the guys that got drafted who also have a great shot here too. And it starts with Grayson Murphy, who I would say, like Chop and Kamara have been great, but Grayson has if at all, I'll put Chop at the top, but Grayson's right there with Moe in my opinion in terms of performance, I saw him. I've seen him long arm and hold the edge, shed

a block and go make a tackle. I've seen him convert his move inside to fit the B gap. I've seen him bend the corner with that same bendability and ankle strength inflection I talked about from Mo Camara. Just these guys that are so well established and built from a just like a big bone, men like a composition right like they're just so strong. And today I saw him fall back into the hook zone and coverage and follow Mike White's eyes to a near pick and he

dropped it. And he was very upset with himself that he dropped it. But you got a sense of the feel for the route concepts in the route depth and just the football IQ displays. In my opinion, he is making this football team. Leonard of Pain the UDFA from Colorado, who won every time he won with peer speed at Colorado had an absolute screamer of a speed rush today where he got into the backfield immediately and Storm Duck made another PBu today. That's three splash plays in two days.

By my account, I am fired up for this class. I think it has a chance to be pretty special. And with all the vet talent you know, eight players in the top one hundred NFL player voting, gosh, that bodes well for not just twenty twenty four, but first sustained long term success if it turned out to be

the case with this rookie draft class. All Right, speaking of vets and big picture takeaways, we're gonna go ahead and take our first break quickly here and come right back and talk about eight things that I think I

think from the first six days of training camp. That's after the break Draft Time podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation, Segment two on this Tuesday, July the thirty from the Baptist Health Training Complex, and again a similar disclaimer to the first segment, I'm not signing this in pen. In fact, I thought about my high school basketball coach writing this out. He used to use that term a lot with us with the lineup. He'd tell us, like, these three seniors are in the

lineup in penn and right now you're in pencil. I think it's like a motivation tactic. These are all in pencil, but they aren't just there off of the first six days. It's the first six days of camp combined with OTAs and then the film study, going back to the additions in March and April and so on and so on. So up first, the first thing that I think from camp so far and the off season program and all that fun stuff is that Jordan Poyer is the real deal.

And I wrote this first because the pick that he had on Tua in practice today was a rep that I've just seen too many damn times with Poe, going back to twenty seventeen, picking off Ryan Tannehill, picking off Jay Cutler, picking off Ryan Fitzpatrick, picking off Josh Rosen, Like who has he not picked off the Dolphins quarterback where he's kind of him and Micah Hyde, you know, disguising and operating from different roles, from different positions and

different looks, where he's keying and reading and mumping footballs in that deep hook zone from that backside robber roll, and that's exactly what he did right here. He got under a two to a throw to Braxton Barrios and took it up the sideline for a nice return. And just like his presence, the way he talks, there's some ish to him, right and I use that as a

PC level word here. He didn't mince his words when he got here, and I felt like on day one he went out there and kind of made it a point to set the tone with his physicality, as if to make a point of we will not be that same Dolphins team who the last two years kind of crumbled a little bit when things got tough down the stretch.

And again there was so many injuries. So I hate to put it on the makeup of the team, but I think that anytime you can kind of lift that aspect of your team and get tougher and get more mentally tough, that's a good thing. And I think that's what Jordan Poyer brings. And I think we've seen a few of the additions who will see to that, like Kaleis Campbell, and You're not gonna be a SOF football team on Kalias Campbell's watch Jordan Brooks, I mean, talk

about some ish to a guy John hus Smith. I just love what we have cooking with this current makeup of our team, in addition to what they had previously, with all the talent and captain level presences that we have. And so Poyer has his presence being felt in production, but he's also had this big impact on his teammates. And I want to play some sound here from Elijah

Campbell on a second. But first I want to go ahead and get to Elijah Campbell because he is number two on this list that I don't think Elijah Campbell is going anywhere in terms of how much involvement he's had on the defense, A guy that was largely a special team contributor since twenty twenty one when he tore his ACL mid season that year at the game at the Jets, And that was after he had this crazy trip through football where he was a UDFA to the Browns,

got cut from that team, went through the AAF, that defunct football league, through the XFL, and then got an opportunity with the Jets and was not medically clear to play because of a heart condition. And then he winds up here at the Dolphins, and he's been here since twenty twenty one, but now it looks like he's right to take that next step and be a contributor as a safety in this defense. He was in the Orange

Jersey today, which I didn't have that prediction. I had it earlier in the week, but almost feels like a cumulative type of award to him. He was flying all over the field and making more plays in this practice. He seems to really be settling into that role on defense.

And Kyle made this nice comparison today that I thought was apt, saying that he reminds him a little bit of Geno Stone for the Ravens last year as this kind of sub package or big nickel safety for the Ravens defense under Mike McDonald and Anthony Weaver, and Geno Stone was a critical part of the variety of multi safety packages the Ravens did run a year ago. There's really really sound fundamentals as a tackler, which is why

he's so good on special teams. And then also the understanding of coverage responsibility, because I saw the last couple of days, really these deep balls they're not open. They're just not open against these safeties who are so connected and communicating and staying on top with the roof on top of the defense to keep all these speed threats

and vertical threats in line. And scrolling around my timeline, I saw a tweet from a Bengals reporter that talked about Zach Taylor, Bengals head coach, discussing having that same guy Gino Stone and Von Bell, both free agents they

brought back to Cincinnati this year. And you might recall they had Bell two years ago with Jesse Bates, who for my money is the best safey in the National Football League, and the last year both those guys left to go to the Panthers and Falcons, respectively, and they had two young safeties step in in Dax Hill. I think it was Yeah, I think it was Dax Hill and a newcomer and Nick Scott, who was a kind of also ran for the Rams and it didn't work out.

They regressed big time. And Taylor said this year, when you have veteran safeties who have played a ton of football, everything shifts forward. And I'm thinking about Poe who's been around for a decade, for Javon Holland who's played upwards of three thousand snaps, Elijah who's been a pro since twenty eighteen, and Marcus May who broke in back in

twenty sixteen. There are so much veteran experience back there that it makes sense that Miami for the last three years, I would say, has hit their fewest amount of deep balls in practices. Let's go ahead and throw out real quick to Elijah Campbell who talked about this safety group and all the experience in that room.

to bend back his track inside. And Daniel was asked about him this morning and gave an even more fired up answer than what I've been doing watching Quentin Bell and practice.

the most of the ones that he does get. And because of that, when you have that type of mind mindset, you get more and more opportunities. So at a cool spot in his career in his development, you know, working with Ryan Crow, and I'm excited about the football that he is in store form.

fist pumping at the podium. I feel like Mike is genuinely more capable than most at this level, at his position as a head coach to be able to relate to someone who's made that tough climb to an opportunity because Mike himself was an underdog for so long, right, so very cool to see and just to expand this bit.

If Quinton is here to stay, and if Chop and Mow and Grace and Murphy are what they've shown this week, what's one of the big storylines we heard about all spring and summer, like when do two and fifteen get back? And rightfully so, I think they're the best edge combination of the NFL, which has a defense that has the best cornerback combination of the NFL. Well, perhaps this length the runway just to tad when you have young, hungry

guys like this absolutely seizing this opportunity. Number four is the defensive line remake, and it's just been a different guy every day, Like first off, I saw Zach today sprint, not run, but sprint through the sideline pursuing Tyreek on a quick out. I just feel like eight figure players who finished near the top of the leader board in a few of the categories at their position, they don't do that in period one of a July thirty practice

like sometimes they do. But a guy like Zach who's never stopped working, like the UDFA he was who got cut by his first team, it shows up every day in practice. Khalais Campbell was awesome. More on his battle with Liam Eichenberg later on, But the rest of the room is kind of my point here. I've seen Neville Gallimore stack wins with quickness. I've seen Tart do that. I've seen Benito Jones do that and inflict his size on dudes. I've seen Jonathan Harris hold his gap in assignment.

It's just a good looking room that has so much more depth than it has in the past. Thing Number five that I take away from camp so far is two and Wattle are the best they've ever been, and

Wattle is catching everything. They were doing a half speed walk through install at one point early in practice, and through this ball that was too high to him and in a less than jog speed, he elevates like thirty five inches off the ground and just plucks this heater from Tua effortlessly, more effortlessly than my one hand catch that you guys saw at practice to day. And then he goes out in team and makes these diving catches.

I think that he's a little more carved up, a little bit quicker, a little bit twitchier, and I have not seen him let a ball into his body yet. Everything is hands catching, And that was the only issue I had in his whole game was how he would elevate for balls that he could just run under, and how he would high point balls at his belly a post to his hands going up, and he has not done that one time. You know, I saw Jalen win an out route too. This is a quick aside against

outside leverage from Jalen Ramsey and one on ones. To release inside and stack on top and get back to the perimeter is you have to be world class, and that's what Wattle is. To win that route against a world class quarterback. You talk about ownership of your craft. That was the one thing I felt, you know, Jalen had to really go up in the next level and he's come back after all those videos you saw all summer and it's a straight up strength of his game now.

It's so impressive. Speaking of ownership of your game, today, Tua had Tua plays where I was like, Sir, I was not familiar with your game, and you're talking to the guy that has been standing this guy since twenty eighteen.

He's quicker and McDaniel talked about today. I absolutely love this answer, not just for what it means for Tua, but what it means about how McDaniel views things like this.

you adjust eligibles. Maybe if there's a primary uh part of the progression, you change the backside a little bit, just distributing the field more than trying to be the coverage so that if you do break from the pocket, you have an eligible ditchit to your thoughts, you know, I'm always just trying to adjust to all the players game. So you know I think, uh, that component I think with his focus UH definitely adds to his game, which adds to what we can do as an offense.

we run it all the time. And the way to a threaten the edge with his legs, Buddy, I have not seen that before and it has me thinking about the additions we can get with RPO, like gosh to go off what I just played from Mike's audio. So from there he has the back all alone. But then he no look, rips it up the seam to John Hu on the glance and it shifted the entire defense over to the flat. So if John does not drop

this pass, he might have scored on the play. Thing Number six is we should pay a lot more attention to the impact that butcher Berry has in this football team.

the rusher, got consistent surge in the running game. And the best moment to me was me, let me find the play in my notes here, because Tua had this twenty yard hole shot to Anthony Schwartz into the triangle of defenders that you get in that middle intermediate part of the field with the safety corner linebacker all converge and on the play, Liam anchored against Khalais Campbell Kalaius Campbell right, and Butch goes storming towards the line of

scrimmage like he's about to choose somebody's butt out, But that's the opposite of what he did. He's barking at Liam and gives him a chest bump and kind of like you know, puts his weight onto him, and Liam shoves him back, and then Butch starts like fist pumping like you do on a scramble when your boy holds out from sixty yards off the green. I am very, very intrigued by what I saw from seventy four today

and just the general growth of the offensive line. You're gonna hear lots of about the snaps today, which they're an issue at this point, but they should be with a new operation on the interior, like if you just trust me and knowing that that's something that's gonna be very wise right across training camps and should be a non issue right now, Like, don't worry about that right now. But Aaron Brewer was awesome today. We saw a little bit of Tea Stead, Austin Jackson. This guy you can

set your watch to now. I thought Rob Jones was excellent today. I thought the offensive line in general just whipped butt in the one on one portion. In fact, let's go to Rob Jones who talked about his third year in the system and how he feels like right now he is seeing it very very well.

what he wants from us. And you know, as I get older, you know, just like t State, I always talk about his technique, so like, you know, I get my technique down. Everything, Like the confidence is just keep building, keep building. So like going this year, I'm just more confident myself just because I've been in here. I built the same old line coach. I know what they want from me. I know, I go for myself and I know what I need to do to have the team.

cleaned up and disappear. But early in camp you see some mishaps like that and some operational issues.

I think Durham smyth is, I think kalay Is Campbell, I think Jaylen phillips is. I think David Long, Jordan Brooks, Anthony Walker, Jaylen Ramsey. I think Kendall Fuller is that guy. He is that guy pell. I think Jordan Poyer is definitely in there. I think Javon Holland was a Captain Victa, like, how the hell are you going to narrow that down?

And it helps curate an intensity. I talked to Oj on the Fun on the phone a little bit today the Fun and told him about the short yards live period and how I got juiced up and how it got a little bit chippy out there, and he said, that's a requirement in camp. He says, if you're not getting a couple of fights every camp, then you're not going hard enough.

what you want to see. Who's able to rise up to that competition to win that period, That's what That's what you want to see. It's not a technique drill. It's not a sure you get to step down note. Let's go whoop.

best day of camp so far. He made two plays that showed his grit and that determination where he was right there, but the pass is still caught because it's two and it's perfect to eight chan and waddle and it looks like receptions, but cater stays through it and rakes the hands and gets the PBu on both of those plays. Jordan Brooks I might be the biggest Jordan Brooks fan in the world. He was fantastic once again,

particularly playing fast and physical downhill. He's a guy who was awesome before the pads came on and has gotten even better with the pads on. And I love this answer about how to fit into a new locker room and how to increase connectivity with new teammates. And this is why I think JB is a great captain option.

on a personal level. Even if we never play with each other again, it's like, you know, we built that relationship, but just from experience is just playing ball for a number of years, like anybody you know on a personal level, you can play that much harder for them, you know, like I really know this guy, so I can really go to war with him when it gets tough in

the fourth quarter. And at front seven, you know, the D line, linebackers, really everybody, but really that front seven we really got to be like this, And so you know, that's something I try to emphasize a little bit more in the past, I haven't been great with it, just kind of being reserved, but just kind of just sititting next to guys and just picking their brain.

thing loose and I snagged that be one handed. And I want to tell you why the throw was so bad. And this is excuse making. I understand you guys don't care, but I'm gonna go ahead and fire off anyway. So those rows in the stands are very narrow, so my feet are hanging over the edge, so there's no step, there's no stride up to my target shoulders. That's not the correct throwing motion. And there is a roof about three feet over my head, so I cannot throw this

ball with any height whatsoever. That's why it was a bad thrill. Okay, you want to be throw football over the mountains, I can do it. If coach put me in, we would have one to state. I'm just telling you, guys that Orange Jersey prediction for Thursday oh for five. Let's get one right here. Chop Robinson's number one for my pick. Cater Cooho is second and Liam Eichenberg third on my Orange Jersey predictions for Thursday. Cannot wait to

show you, guys how wrong I was on that. Cannot wait to have a day off and then get back in here and do it all over again for day seven. In the meantime, you all please be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify, wherever get your podcast from. Go ahead and leave us a rating and review. Follow me on.