Drive Time: Safeties 2024 Dolphins Draft Preview with Simon Clancy

miss it. From the Baptist Health Studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex. This is.

like for a Dolphins fan in Germany. I'm sure you've gotten that question just a million times. What's the draft like?

just kind of get used to it. And growing up, you know, the NFL wasn't huge over here at all and really sort of started mid eighties, and I would have to you know, I got my early fixes listening to Armed Forces Radio, so military radio, and would tune in on a Saturday night to listen to college football and all my friends are out with girls and get

drunk and that sort of stuff. And then as I geeking out to Gordy Lockbaum of Holy Cross and you know, Andy Kelly of Tennessee and players like that in the eighties, and then and listening to Dolphins games and whatever games they had on Armed Forces on a Sunday. But the Draft was amazing because I became fascinated by it. But

there was no coverage. It was not live on television here, and all you would get was the staff sergeant at Armed Forces Radio would read out who the top twenty eight picks were at the time, and then obviously the expansion of the league, and you could absolutely guarantee that every year when it got to the Dolphins pick, the reception would start to go all crackically. So if Dolphins are picking at fifteen, you could guarantee that a forty, all of a sudden, the receptions start to go a

little bit funny. Middle of fifteen, as the name was being announced, you could hear like an opera singer from sort of Austria in the background, and then it would completely disappear and then come back in at seventeen, absolutely crystal clear, and there would be no way of finding out. There would literally be no way of finding out until you know, you've got USA Today or the International Herald Tribune here on a Monday to find out who the

Dolphins would pick. So that was the early draft experience. So now to be able to live it through the magic of television is a beautiful thing.

in a minute. But I did tell you offline before we get into the draft prospects, I wanted to discuss this, and I think it's one of your greatest areas of expertise with the x's and o's, because we have our ideas about what an Anthony Weaver front might look like based upon evidence how he deployed that Ravens front last year to great success as well. But the coverage aspect is sort of, I guess, a projection, but we do

have some context clues. With the additions of Kendall Fuller and Jordan Poyer, the linebacker spot got so much more flexible in coverage base with Jordan Brooks coming in. I'm curious what you think the back end could look like projecting what it could look like as a Dolphins pivot from Fangio to Anthony Weaver.

of Cover six. They played some zone on the inside, some man on the outside. But when I dug into the weeds, Mike McDonald was in zone seventy three percent at the time last year. So it'll be fascinating to see. And obviously what they had is that they just had this to me until he got injured. Was probably the best defensive player in the league in Carl Hamilton, who's

this six four, two hundred and twenty pound alien. He runs a four or five who they lined up in six or seven different positions and you kind of think, who's going to play the Carl Hamilton position, and then you wonder, you know, is anybody going to recreate that because he's such a unique player. But it's interesting to kind of to weigh up and to try and marry up. You know, Javon Holland does Jovon Holland and have the

capacity to play a Carl Hamilton's style of position? You know, you go back and look what he did at Oregon. He is a safety in the Dolphins defense, but for you know, he sat out a year and then he played a year and a half as a slot corner. I mean, he didn't play free safety for two and a half years before he came into the NFL because he sat out the year and then he played in the slot. I think he only played I think in his final season at Oregon. I think he plaid eight

snaps at safety and everything else was slot. So, you know, can he go and do what Kyl Hamilton did? You know, we'll get on some of the players that are going to be in this draft and a couple of them that I think maybe could be their sort of Swiss army knives. But I don't think you're ever going to quite match up to what Hamilton does. But it will

be interesting you look back last year. Geno Stone obviously seven picks last year, very consistent as that kind of deep third guy, the post safety, Marcus Williams, who really was that guy in New Orleans as the post safety, then really sort of cheating down and becoming that kind of box safety, the alley runner, the guy that the robber kind of thing who just did so much of the dirty work before he got injured and then allowed Hamilton to do what he did, whether that was lining

up at safety, in the slot, outside corner linebacker, blitzer, interior defensive lineman. He was lined up edge Russia. So I'm fascinated to see what he'll do. And I do think when you look at our personnel in terms of, you know, Jordan Poyer for Marcus Williams, you know Javon could be the Geno Stone. Javon could also have elements

of the car Hamilton. We can obviously man match outside with with Ramsey, and it was interesting to hear Anthony we were talking about how he's going to move Jayden all over the formation, which is what he wants to do, so you'll see him sometimes in the slot. Obviously, Kendall is good in both zone and man, So I really don't know the answer to it, but I think there are lots of pieces to allow us to be incredibly flexible.

And what you want is you want a guy that can do all sorts of themes on the back end in terms of confusing coverages and all those sorts of things, because we do have the weaponry to be able to do it. So it's going to be fascinating to see how it lines up. And I suspect they'll probably play pretty much like the Ravens did. And I'm sure that you know, head coach like Mike McDaniel, who's always looking

to push the needle. We'll be asking questions about whether or not you know and of Carle Hamilton type of player work with the Dolphins.

off and gets to the backside too. It just like jumps this route and picks it off and makes us crazy play where he never should have been in the first place. That's why I think like he could possibly filter into that role. And then like Jalen Rams like you talk about, I mean, my goodness, he can do whatever you ask him to do. And then by the way, Kyle Hamilton'll making it to the fourteenth or fifteenth thick whatever it was, that was criminal.

big nickel package they ran. Just talk to us about that a little bit and how how it helps the defense run that is almost like it's base opposed to try totional two safety coverage.

to do all these things. But you tend to find much better pass protectors now coming out of college, mainly because you know, college football is essentially just past, past, past, past past, and it's taken on all the concepts of high school football, and the NFL is cyclical and has now taken on all the kind of the college concepts.

And you know, so all all you're doing is kind of crafting exotic kind of zone blit schemes to use a whole variety of kind of personnel packages to neutralize, you know, an opponent's number one weapon, and astute play callers, defensive play callers just aren't afraid to sort of deploy, i don't know, unorthodox kind of tactics to get their

teams in the in the best position to win. And I think you look at a team and ironically, you know, a Vic Fangio coach team, but you look at the Philadelphia Eagles from a couple of years ago with Chauncey Gardner Johnson, who you know, came over from Florida, was at New Orleans and then went to the Eagles and was able to just do a multiple array of things in terms of being a slot corner but also a big nickel who can walk down into the box, play the run with power and with tenacity and drive and

make tackles, but can also carry you know, number one receivers forty to fifty yards down the field, you know, in trail, in perfect hip to hip coverage. And that's what every team is looking for.

So to be able to have that kind of chess piece, that Swiss army knife, who can come in, who can man match from the slot, who can play you know, robber at that kind And when we talk about robber in terms of that sort of I suppose the invisible line that separates where the linebackers might drop to to the point where the safety has come into to to sort of toll. And we'll get onto somebody like cold Bishop of Utah in a minute. He'll be a perfect

robber in them in the NFL. But but somebody like that. But but someone that can play you know, a bit of linebacker in terms of just being able to match up with running backs out of the backfield with tight

ends down the field. But also you're not scared to you know, you're not scared to have a guy who can run forty fifty yards with a with a slot receiver like a Tank Dell or a you know, a number one receiver like a Tyreek Hill and you feel comfortable with that with somebody like Chauncey Cardner Johnson to be able to do that, and that's you know, that's what he's so good. That's what Cayl Hamilton will do.

That's what the league is coming to. And you know, you look at some of the draft eligible guys in this in this draft class, you're not just predicting whether can a guy be you know, can he be an outside corner purely, can he be a nickel corner purely? But can he also be a big safety that or you know, a nickel safety who can come down and do all those things that just help a defense folks and win from multiple alignments.

I think he's talked about that. I could be wrong, but is he a guy that you think could be a guy that gets drafted high because of the ability to not just play premier cornerback, but to be a Kyle Hamilton, a Javon Hall, and a geel and Ramsey guy that moves all over the formation on defense.

this guy was a state champion twice in football. He was a state champion at basketball, averaging twenty five points a game. He scored more points in Iowa high school basketball history than and I can't remember the guy's name. He plays in the NBA for the Sacramento Kings. But you know this is you know, this is a guy who is incredible athlete. He's a he won a state championship in the one hundred meters. He won a state

championship in the long jump. He was a quarterback in high school and he was recruited by South Dakota State to go and play quarterbacks. So he is incredibly athletic, and teams will have to ask whether or not he is best suited as a zone corner or whether or not he takes on that Gardner Johnson sort of role as a safety who can cover tight ends and slots

down the field. He's got some stiffness in his hips, you know when you see him trying to man match and then turn, which I think will probably take him out of sort of the ideal, you know, teams that will run press coverage the whole time, but as an incredib Swiss army knife that can be used in a variety of ways. I think he'd be perfect for the Dolphins in terms of, you know, what he can do in terms of playing zone or off man at corner, using those great instincts and ball skills and flashing that

great understanding for route combinations and spacing in zone. He's incredibly instinctive. He can work sideline to sideline, he can work from the middle of the field to the sideline, he can step down into the box. I think he's probably the best tackling, takedown cornerback in this draft. And

the ball production you can't argue with. There's seven picks including three pick six's, twenty past breakups over the last two seasons, and you know, if you're looking for a guy that can carry receivers down the field, who can step into the box and make tackles, who can line up on the outside as a corner in zone or

in off man, I think he is absolutely that. I think he's a top twenty twenty one pick, and I think he's a Pro Bowl plus kind of guy, and he's obviously got outstanding juice in the return game.

just isn't a strong safety, you know, Ali Runner. It will mean that Jalen can you know, I would imagine Jays and Ramsey will do other things than just play corner. He will play out the slot, he might play, he might rotate him to play some safety. And I think that's what You're just looking to manipulate on the back end and confuse on the back end. And you know, I talked to when the Ravens came over to London.

I talked to Josh Allen after the game about what it's like to play Carl Hamilton and Josh Allen says that every time you play the Ravens, Carl Hamilton is the first person you look for. You you have to look and see what he's doing where he is, and that will help him set his mind as to what else is happening on the back end, but also the front end, because is he lined up as an edge rusher, is he lined up at linebacker? Is he coming? You know, is he blitzing off the corner? Okay, he's playing pure

corner and how outside? Oh look, he's back in the deep third of the field. So you know that's that's the kind of guy that you want. And those are the kind of alignments I think that that teams are looking for.

last three seasons. We talked about cold Bishop Coal, Bishop of Utah, who you know, I think was flying under the radar a little bit, went to the Senior Bowl and was a bit of a sleeper, and he rocked up there in mobile and he dominated in one v ones and then he went to the combine and tested absolutely out of the building. And I think as a robber, as a guy that can work with the field in

front of him, I think he's an outstanding prospect. And I think there were questions that I had there, questions that were scouts that I spoke to before the Senior Bold had was how would he match up in one on one coverage? And he eraised people in mobile, He showed fluid transitions, he was able to break on the ball sometimes like he was running the routes for the receivers. And then a guy that came to the Dolphins local pro day, who I'm sure local fans will will obviously

know really well. It is cam Kinchins, who to me is one of the more difficult assessments in this class because his tape absolutely drips with quality, and he's got great in tangibles, you know, and as a as a high post free safety, he absolutely looks the part. But then he ran poorly at the combine and it leaves you with significant question marks about whether or not that best position is one that he can play. But I

think he plays faster. He has great ball production, and that's been consistent over his time at the U. I think some teams and some people like myself and others, you kind of get a little bit hung up on that athletic scoring, and rightly so. But I think the Kinchins can play, and you could see him as a high post safety with the Dolphins freeing up a Javon Holland to go and be a Carl Hamilton. Kinchins isn't

that guy. He is definitely a you know, he's from a post safety, but he will he would allow people to do different things on that. On that back end, there's a guy I really like travel. I don't know if you've seen him, Dadrian Taylor Demson of Texas Tech. He is one of the more intrigued, sort of ballhawk safeties and probably a guy that some people have not

even heard of. It. To me, he's kind of the best defensive back you don't know, not you, but people don't dripping with athleticism on the back end, he never played a down of defensively got to Texas Tech. He's five to ten, he's two hundred pounds. He's not an amazing tackler, but he has outstanding eyes. He has run a four forty one and that shows up on tape. He forces qbs into bad decisions because he's got great instincts.

He breaks on the ball. He's very, very very aggressive, and to me, you know, he's a great blitzer as well, so he can line up all over the place. Six hundred plus snaps in the slot in his last season, very good in man coverage, and a guy with his skill set, his ball skills and his versatility shouldn't have too long to wait to hear his name on day two. And then just one other guy I really like his and you've probably seen him as well, is the Bob

Sanders clone. That's Malik Mustafer of Wake Forest, who just comes down into the box and just you know, he is all gas, no breaks as of safety. He just comes down as smacks people in the mouth. Consistently versatile, he flashes from too high, from single high or in

the slot, and he's a fantastic blitzer. He's the sort of guy that you know, if I was a scout, I'd absolutely banging the table for So there's some really interesting pieces and obviously the Dolphins defensive coaches and Chris and Mike Well will know exactly the sorts of things that they're going to be running on the back end and the people that they're looking for, and it's asked our little job to try and sort of fit where

we think the pieces of the puzzle might go. And you know, if Anthony Weaver does think Javon can play a bit more of a car Hamilton, then maybe you're looking at Cam Kinchens. But if Jon's going to play you know, deeper down the you know, deeper down the field, and maybe you're looking at Javon from Georgia, you know, somebody that can man match from the slot and can can you know, attack the box and hit people in

the mouth there. So it's fascinating to see what's going to happen and how it's going to play out.

that allows them to be flexible come draft day. Like you have the idea of signing players to make your roster ready to play a game tomorrow so that you don't have to take a certain position group, but you also have done it to where like if it's a tackle or guard, cool, we can do either one because

we have this flexibility. And it kind of seems like that's how it is in the back end here because you mentioned Cam Kitchens, you mentioned Cole Bishop, different games, right, Jayden Hicks from WSU for instance, the guy that plays down in the box. I just freaking love to watch him play. The logo doesn't hurt, but I love his

game as well. It just seems like they kind of have this position now where that third safety can almost be anything because you kind of have a little bit of every thing already with Holland and Poyers that feel accurate to you.

I mean, I love Jalen Polka of Washington. I'm sorry as a Wazoo fan, but a phenomenal player, Xavier la Guet. I think it's a great player. Block Bowers, you know, and nobody's had a more weird draft season than Block Bowers in terms of, you know, what's been going on there. If Bowers falls into it, if Bowers gets to the sort of Cincinnati, you know, and it gets past the Bengals or even actually into that realm of Seattle or Pittsburgh, and you know, maybe you look to move up offensive line.

We've obviously filled a number of holes, but there are players there that could help. And you see a Tyler guy in coming in on the thirty visit, you see Jackson Powers Johnson coming in on a thirty visit. You see Butcher Barry going to Oklahoma to the to the Tyler Geiden Pro Day, you see somebod Lakamarus MIM's who you know, Chris Greer loves a Georgia kid, and that is a guy that was absolutely built in a laboratory.

We've got the guys coming off injury with Bradley and Jalen and you know, so you look at a Layatu Latu, who I absolutely love, but Jared Verse, you know, those guys absolutely fit the bill. Their interior defensive line. We've we've absolutely filled it with a number of really interesting rotational players. But you know, would you turn your nose up at a Johnny Newton or a Byron Murphy or

you know one of those guys linebackers. Probably not, but you know, and then we're talking about safeties and corners, and you know, would you be surprised if they pulled the trigger on Cooper to Gene and you just can't You just can't tell. But one of the things I love that what they've done in free agency is that.

And you look at a team at Baltimore, if somebody goes down, somebody gets hurt, you know, we it happened in the game where we played them where we we got blown out at the back end of the season. But you know, Marlon Humphrey goes down and up here comes after Malet, and you know, Brandon Stevens comes down, and you know it's guys that you almost don't hear about, you don't really know about, but you know here that here's a Bravey and Roy, here's a Brent Urban coming in.

Here's a Charlie Kohlart, here's a you know. And that's what a really good team like Baltimore does is fill just with really solid rotational players where the drop off is a massive and I think that's what the Dolphins have done a really good job of in this offseason, is just filling it with kind of not no names because that's rude, but you know, with guys who probably aren't as high profile as some of the free agents in the class, but who you know will just come

in and do a do a great job. And I think on the defensive line, certainly, you'll see all sorts of people being rotated in and out, whereas actually we're just used to seeing Christian and Zach and Rake on the inside and those days are gone now and we might see seven eight guys, you know, getting snaps on that interior the defensive line.

And then to kind of put the full circle bow on it too, like you mentioned that the Raven strategy of drafting like ravens every year, Like this guy's a Baltimore even looks like a Raven when he goes into the draft, Like because of what Miami has done, all of a sudden, they can let the board fall to them and all those position groups you talked about, Simon, it's going to produce You would think one, two, maybe even three guys that shouldn't have been there that fall

to that spot and you can just scoop him up and now You've got a great looking football player at the twenty first pick.

it's it's been a labor of love. Sometimes it's been a labor of hate, but yeah, it'll be there.

break down that entire group. Then we'll do tight ends and linebackers on Monday, and then Kyle Krabs is my guest on a Tuesday and Wednesday podcast, and then it's the Draft. The Draft is right there after that, so plenty of good stuff coming your way here. You'll get a lot smarter, about this year's class, about this Dolphins team, the offseason, all of that and more here on the Draft Time Podcast. So in the meantime, that's gonna be my time.