Offseason Preview Part 3

is part three. We've covered the offensive side of the football and the previous two podcast here on Drive Time will break down the incumbents on the roster, review the pending free agents, both internal and external, and talk all things draft on the defensive line and at the linebacker position. All of that and more on this Tuesday, March the

second edition of the Drive Time Podcast. So on Friday, we had a podcast with Dolphins defensive end Emmanual og Ball, and that was a great, great addition here of Drive Time. He gave us plenty of insight into his offseason training regiment, what he's doing this offseason for fun in his leisure time.

But to me, the best part of that podcast was breaking down some film and breaking down some technical aspects of the art of the pass rush with Emmanual Ogball, who of course, had nine sacks last season to lead the Miami Dolphins. If you have not checked out that podcast, make sure you do that. And also if you haven't

done so and you're new to the podcast. Here we did the quarterbacks, running backs, and receivers a couple of weeks ago, and last week on the Tuesday edition of Drive Time, we looked at the offensive line and the tight end position. So today we'll talk about defense. But go back and check out the pause. If you are new here to Drive Time, subscribe, rate, review the podcast,

all that fun stuff for us. But we have some bonus content here from that interview with Emmanual og Ball, who is done so much both on the field here for the Dolphins and also in the community in South Florida. And now Emmanuel is contributing to Kids Meals, Inc. And his hometown of Houston, Texas. And of course the people of Houston have been dealing with a lot of the the last few weeks with a loss of power to their homes.

So I want to just go ahead and play some audio from that interview where Emmanual tell told me and us about his hometown and giving back to his community. So here is Emmanual Agba once again. I've got Dolphins defensive end Emmanuel Ogba here on this edition of the Drive Time podcast. Emmanuel, how you doing man? I'm doing good. How I'm good? It's it's good to talk to you again. And you know, I wanted to get you back on

here because we talked football last week. But now we've got something even more important to talk about here, your contributions back to your hometown of Houston, Texas and Kids Meals Inc. Can you tell us a little bit about that, Immanual. You know, Houston has always been in a place in Maha. Justin took me in my family and when I was nine years ago. So uh, whichever way I can help out,

you know, the donation and what I can do. I wanted to do, you know, just to help the people Houston since they took me in at such a young age. But yeah, we decided to you know, don it to Kids mal Inc and group. And we're trying to feed a bunch of kids, you know, since the power outage in Houston. So we're trying to um, trying to put money towards you know, repairing the fridge that was packed up and just to feed to feed the kids, you know, just to help out once we can. And you said

you came to Houston at nine years old. Yeah. Yeah, I came to the United States when I was nine years We moved to Houston, Texas. Yeah, and that's that's awesome to hear, and good on you and you and X for doing that. Have you had a chance to get back to Houston and all this off season, I know, like training was, you know, this past season with the pandemic and travel and everything was difficult. Have you had a chance to get back to Houston to season family? Yeah?

That was the that's kind of first trips I took, you know, just to go home and see my family. Uh. It was rough during the season because I really couldn't see him that much because, uh know, the whole COVID situation and still going on. But yeah, I got a chance and I'll spend time with them, you know, you know, talk about just teasing on and just you know, see how they were all doing throughout the whole pandemic. But you know, everybody's doing good, and just I was just

happy to steal them again. Are you Are they looking forward to get a chance to coming back to your some of your games next season. They can't wait because my my parents just really comes to my game, so I know they can't with you know, get that ball rolling again. We're we're there in Houston. Are playing Houston here next year. I can't remember which one it is, but either way, your hometown team may get a chance to square off against those guys again. Uh in um,

That's all I got for you today, man. You'll appreciate your time and uh, you know, best luck this season and awesome, awesome news about the donation to the to the kids and getting kids fit out there to Houston. I know you know your hometown is going through a tough time right now, so good on you man. And then we appreciate it, he said, you Travers, thanks for

having me. You know, we always hear Coach Flora's talk about bringing in the right people and having the right people in the organization, and Emmanuel Ogba just exemplifies that both of this play on the field but also of course with what he does away from the football field. Just a really really special person, really fun person to talk to you here on the podcast and did a great interview as well too, so good on Emmanual Kids Mills Inc. Down in Houston, Texas, and you of course

can get involved really in any of these programs. That's the beauty of the modern internet day ages that we can go online or find these different causes to to go ahead and donate to. So I have it up on my timeline the Kids Meals Inc. Tweet with Emmanuel Agba and like you can find that donate if you like. Of course, there's plenty of programs in South Florida as well,

wherever you come from. Make sure you uh you look into some of that stuff and see what you can do in any amount helps of course during these challenging times. So Emmanuel Aga, appreciate him once again. Let's go ahead and spend this thing forward and get into the football talk on this Tuesday edition of the Drive Time podcast, and we are going to talk about the strength of the club in that's right, that stingy, stingy Dolphins defense.

And I remember during train in camp last year writing up preview items like the training camp preview pieces for instance, and just really raving about the defense we have from a potential standpoint, a top end standpoint, starter talent and depth of the defense. All those areas I thought were strong going into the year, and that proved to be the case from from you know, week one on pretty

much for this Dolphins defense. So I just looked at each spot on this Dolphins defense and really considered most of the defense to be two or even three players deep at a lot of positions in a lot of ways. And before we get any further, just a quick disclaimer here. These thoughts provided in this particular section of the Drive Time podcast are my own thoughts. They do not reflect

the opinion of the Miami Dolphins. So most of that group up front is back now, promising youngsters that showed some bite in year one are heading into that sophomore campaign, the second year on campus where you know where all your classes are, where the best parking spots are, where your click hangs out, you know the lay of the land,

which makes doing the homework all the easier. Right, all these high school metaphors here, and we'll talk about one of those guys today in ray Kuan Davis, as well as hit on Brandon Jones on the Defensive Backs preview. But today you better buckle up because we're covering three possession groups and frankly, most of the guys in this block. They all play several different positions, so really I couldn't justify breaking them up. We're talking about interior defensive line

edge of defenders and off ball linebackers. But you see even that distinction runs into some serious issues with this team because, for instance, take Kyle van Noy calling him an off ball linebacker. That's short changing what he is and who he is and what he does for this

defense calling him an edge defender. Same story. So, while position definition is getting harder and harder in the scouting community, and even more so with this defense, this multiple front coverage looks, defense will go interior edge and off ball will take that route for the position designations. And we

start on the interior. And we did a podcast on this group about a month ago there where I had the father of Zack Seiler, Randy Seiler, on the podcast and my fascination with the makeup of that position group on the interior defensive line. Now, however you want to term this, some use club control, and that's more of a baseball term. In my opinion, I prefer under contract. But the Dolphins are in great shape at this position

from a cost control, production age trajectory. You name it all of those, they are in a great position from those standpoints. First, Devon god Shaw is the only scheduled free agent from our interior defensive line group. Drafted in the fifth round in god Shaw is entering his fifth NFL season and he will be an unrestricted free agent when the new league year kicks off later this month, just a couple of weeks away now from free agency beginning.

But the aforementioned group is all here, and they're here beyond the season as far as their contracts are concerned. Christian Wilkins signed through two with that fifth year option for three. Zack Seeler signed throughe with the extension that

he received last November. Ray Kwon Davis signed through as well on that rookie contract, And according to spot rack, those players rank thirty Wilkins, thirty one Seiler and fifty five Davis among defensive tackles and a p y average salary per year and the production, well it ranks better than that. Before we get into that. What's even better,

all of them play all over the defensive line. I've got reps where Christian Wilkins locks out against double team, drops that knee and holds the anchor from the nose tackle. In that same game, you'll see him kick out to a five technique and win on a twist as a pass rusher with that explosive first step. And Zach Seeler's biggest play of the year for my money, was the

fourth down stop in Arizona. That play comes from the three tech position, which is on the outside shoulder of the offensive guard, but he can also play head up over the guard, a two technique, kick inside over the nose, which is the zero technique, head up over the center, and even kick outside and rush as a true defensive

end that way as well. I've got reps with him as a five tech where he convert speed to power and you get that kind of as I like to call it, Let's be real, it's an o ship moment from the offensive tackle that he has to absorb not just three hundred pounds but the length with that long arm that can shock him and get those hands kind of discombobulated and force him to reset, and then he lays into the offensive tackle with the weight into that pass rush. He has a lot to handle, just an

absolute load at every position he plays. And then ray Kwon Davis same deal man. And this is why the Dolphins can go to so many different fronts and rotate what's kind of a short bench in a way to keep everybody fresh, because you can just, hey, we need a three technique. Well, I've got four guys that can do that and do it well. So we can rotate

these guys and keep them healthy. You don't have to have a backup for each spot on the defensive line because you can have two positions that you play frequently on the defense and you've got three guys to do it. So it's like a pitch count that is determined by the game plan. And ray Kuan did some of his

best work as the nose tackle. But as you might recall that video of Brian Flora's on draft Day where he's showing the long arm lockout toss aside essentially the old stack and shed routine, ray Kuan davis tape is full of that. It's what Brian Flores probably saw in his tape on in college because he did it too at Alabama. And what play was I watching the other day? I think it was the one when I was revealing

ag Bas sack reel. You know, let's go ahead and be sure, so you guys can go check it out yourself. One sec. All right, and I'm back. That's the beauty of podcast. You can pause and come right back. It was og bas first sack in the Week six game against the Jets, Oh five to go in the third quarter.

You've got ray Kuan Davis is the one technique shaded off the outside shoulder of the center and he shoots his hands, gets walked back where the center has to retreat a few steps, and then goes to shed and as he does it, you see the center turned ninety degrees as he gets turned by Davis. Just sheer power in those hands, in those arms, and the upper body playing from the lower body base to get that power up into the upper body. And let's not forget about

Benito Jones. Either played forty eight snaps last year, not a big workload by any means, but you saw some of that squatty body power that he has that had a lot of draft pundits really forecasting a mid to late round draft grade for him last season. The Dolphins scoop him up as a U d F, a undrafted free agent, and you can see some of that power and anchor from the six ft one three d and sixteen pound Jones as well. So you take a look at this group and you ask what exactly do they

need here? You've got to combine one thousand, seven hundred fifty seven snaps. Last year, Wilkins played six thirty seven, Davis played five thirty nine, Sealer five thirty three, and of course Jones with those forty eight we just mentioned.

For a group that at most has three bodies on the field at one time, we've seen We've seen them go at that bare front where you cover up the guard center guard, or you go even wider than that, and you have a five tag of three tech and a nose tackle, and these three guys can fill those roles.

So the most you're gonna get on the field from this group is three players at once, and then any time you go sub package from that, those can traditionally be the first guys off the field, which makes sense right, Third and long fits third and twelve. We're gonna put defensive backs onto the field, go dime or half dollar or dollar defense use subtracted defensive tackles off the field.

First linebackers come in there as well, and then defensive ends and you get the idea, and I never wanted to discourage the idea of adding talent and building on strength, which this is absolutely a strength of the roster in my opinion. But I look at this group as one of the strongest parts of the roster in general. Maybe you add to that arsenal, Maybe you PLoP in another three hundred and thirty pounder like Davis who can just give you more size and really play that nose tackle.

But man, this group is good, and I think we only scratch the surface on that in twenty So what does the market look like out there? First? From the Pro Football Focus Top one hundred and fifty free Agents PF dot Com, Number nineteen, Leonard Williams play with the Jets for a while and the Giants. You guys know who he is. He's really put together those traits that made him the sixth pick in the draft and not

that long ago. Consistent against the run, ranks in the eighty six percentile against the run via Pro Football Focus since he entered the league. In a couple that with eleven and a half sacks this year, he's really the bell of the ball and also in that mold of the Wilkins and the stealer of the world that he can play any position up front. Then you go to number forty on their list. Another interior defensive lineman, Dalvin Tomlinson, his teammate there in New York, has a wrestling background.

We saw that during the Senior Bowl coverage and he was in the draft a few years back. He's taken that over to the Giants and had a productive career there, and it's always attractive for me to have these wrestling backgrounds in this position. Zach Seeler was also a wrestler in his high school days, because you're basically in a sixty minute wrestling match with the guy across from you. He's a stalwart against the run and came off the field and some pass rush situations there for the Giants,

but a beast of a run defender. Shelby Harris one of the more underrated players in the league in my opinion. He's got a great get off, plays low, has positioned versatility, and its probably the best pass rusher of this potential crop on the free agent on the interior defensive line.

He's a high volume pressure and quarterback hit guy. Had a career high six sacks last year in twenty nineteen rather with two and a half last year, but also had eleven quarterback hits and p on Pro Football Reference, so you see the kind of sack and quarterback hit production has been consistent about his career. Then there's a big drop on the list. Number one hundred is and Dominican Sue and just his greatest strength is his endurance

and durability. Played seven eight eight snaps last year, which is a ton for that position. We just told you about wilkins high snap count six thirty seven and that was the lowest snap total of his career and the eleventh most snaps among interior defensive lineman in twenty just completely absurd. PFF had him with fifty quarterback pressures and twenty five run stops, so yeah, he can still play. Two and right behind him on that list on PF Top one fifty is Sheldon Rankings at one oh one.

The only real knock on Rankins has been his availability, but goodness, he can play when he's healthy. He's more in the mold of a run stopper than pass rusher, but he could also be one of those by low high reward type of guys Allah Eric Rowe a couple of years back who had similar you know, misfortunes in his career with injuries, but look at him now one of the top ten strong safeties in the NFL without question in my opinion his second year last year in Miami.

Not rankings in particular, but what Rankins represents really holds a lot of intrigue to me this offseason. Acquiring talent and letting it play out such is just such a great approach because of the risk reward factor, especially when you consider the teaching and coaching guys are getting here in Miami. Maybe Rankins does sign a big deal somewhere.

You never know, but I thought it was a good time to get that thought in that these guys that for one reason or another in their past haven't lived up to the the overall potential and ability that they have because of injuries or other factors, those are the guys that really hold some entry because you can maybe maybe maybe by low and get high reward out of that. Number one tho six on this list Kawan Short from the Panthers. He was cut recently and could be the

same deal here. Played just one nine nine snaps the last two years, had a big cap figure and was cut by the Panthers. He was in that Aaron Donald Fletcher Cox territory when he was last playing considerable reps in seen when he was PFF's fourth highest graded interior defensive lineman over that span the other with with Donald and Cox being the top two and Damon Harrison being the third. Now also remember he was least, so he

does not factor into the compensatory pick formula. He is thirty two years old, and it looks like PF has extended the list here beyond one fifty because checking in at one is Derek Wolf, who had a career best eighty five point three run defending grade in his age thirty season. So that's the veteran top one fifty list on PFF. And remember that some of these guys are classified differently, so we'll cover any players left out because of their d N designation here in this next group.

But first, let's go ahead and check on the interior defensive line draft class really quickly. And one thing you kind of look for at a position group like this is the difference in body build and makeup and composition of how these guys can play. Because you've got so many guys in that three pound range, which is typical of a defensive tackle, but you've also got your three hundred and sixty pounders. For instance, Tyler Sheldon out of l s U number eighty on the Draft Networks overall

big board. He's number one two, three, five six on the interior defensive line. A red shirt and year, six ft three three and sixty two pounds, and you probably can guess how he plays his game based upon that size. He is an immovable object you can PLoP in the middle of that defense and just get take on double teams and let linebackers flow behind him and make plays. An absolute monster on the interior. Now, the Draft Network has Christian bar Moore out of Alabama as their top

rated interior defensive lineman. He's number thirty four overall. He had a hell of a National championship game against Ohio State. Just an absolute bully up there. One of those Alabama freaks on the defensive line. You get these guys every single year. Christian Barmore is the next one. Tommy togy I had an outstanding year for the aforementioned buck Eys, three hundred pounder number forty one, overall number two on

the interior defensive lineman here for the Draft Network. Number forty seven overall is Levi on Wozoique Boom nailed that one out of Washington. And you watch this guy the the hip toss move that he does on that defensive line where he gets guys off balance and then just chucks him. He is so so strong, can get absolute pushing the running game or in the passing game rather

and hold his point against the run as well. A very impressive player out of Washington, and one of these guys that can give you just a lot of pass rush on that interior defensive line spot. And then staying in the pack twelve with us C S J to Fele one of these versatile type of guys that can play every position on your defensive line. He offers that versatility in spades. Number sixty one on their list, Number

seventy eight dave On Nixon out of Iowa. He's got some great tape as well, some some stuff where he just really gets absolute penetration and gets knocked back on the in the running game. So a lot of these guys have that power and forced to play load and to get knocked back both against the past and the run. Tyler Sheldon, we talked about him number eighty and then

back to USC on this list. Here for number eighty one, Marlon two polo two out of US pounds, six ft two, red shirt Jr. Number one oh four, Osa od Wooza out of u C. L A, Southern California. These these kids with the tough to pronounce names. We're knocking him out here on the Drive Time podcast. But he's kind of got that same bold where he can play low, he can play explosive just two pounds, so he really relies on that pad level and that quick burst off

the line of scrimmage. Darius still to the West Virginia. Haven't got a chance to look at his tape that quote that closely. I know a lot of folks like him. And then Marvin Wilson one twenty four out of Florida State. He's a popular name and All American preseason going into this year, number one twenty four on their list, and there's a big gap from him to the next player, one seventy one overall, and then they've got a Lee

McNeil at one seventy nine, just behind Jalen Twyman. Out of Pittsburgh, but McNeil out of NC State, three fifteen pounds space eater, powerful player, has that low pad level once again that really get under offensive lineman and to kind of stand them up and then play that two gap where he can stack and shed from there. So plenty of guys that fit the idea of what you want. It's just gonna be with the Dolphins make a decision

on what do they want on this defensive line. Because it's deep, it's good, it's young, they've got cost control for for the next couple of years at that position. How do they want to attack that? All right, let's go ahead and spin this thing to the outside now and talk about the pass rushers off the edge, because we talked to Emmanuel Ball on the Friday podcast as well as today, and that's what we're gonna start with

this position group. Emmanuel Ogba's nine sacks last year led the Miami Dolphins, but we know that playing the edge position in this defense is graded a lot more than just by the sacks you acquire, and a lot more than just the past rush statistics we've covered on this podcast. And it starts there with Emmanual Ogball and really, what else do we have to say. I mean, he broke it down for you on the Friday edition of Drive Time. Multiple positions, effective pass rusher and one on one situations.

Do not leave him against a tight end one on one or you will pay. But he also can slant him and dent the edge. As a run defender, he can hold a strong edge, He can condense inside and throw a bull rush on a guard, or hold the point against the run. And the master of getting guys off balance and chucking them with those long, heavy hands, long arms and heavy hands. Big play after big play all season long xaviing Howard won the Team MVP award. I think my runner up might have been Emmanuel Ogba

in that category. Now, on the other side, you saw the ideal build build of a defensive end in this defense with the importing of both Agba and Shack Lawson. Lawson is a consistent force making plays against the run, consistent tackle for lost guy, doesn't offer a soft edge barely ever, always a good job turning things back inside. He also gives you pass rush too, and not just pass rush, but the element of pass rush. We covered with Ogba on Friday where we talked about gap integrity.

These guys don't just blow past the tackle and pass the quarterback and right out of the play, turning it into ten on eleven. They really work to stay in their gap and a lot of linebackers behind them to execute the many games and many blitz is that flow and Boyer dial up. Speaking of ideal build Jason Strowbridge is in that mold as well, at two seventy three floors. His first comments about Strowbridge when he was drafted was about his inside outside versatility, and we saw him really

kick some acid the Senior Bowl last February. Can of tackle for loss this year on a nice inside move in that Chargers game, and I'm really curious and excited to watch him and keep a close eye on number fifty eight at training camp this year and see how that progress goes from year one to year two for the Deerfield Beach native in that rookie class. Also a

undrafted free agent, Tyshan Render. He's not quite as heavy as the other guys, checking in at two forty eight pounds, but the effort was the name of the game for him. In college coaches at Middle Tennessee State raved about how they could use his tape consistently as teaching tape in their meetings and film room studies just for the effort alone.

So he has kind of a developmental rookie season, spending most of his time on the practice squad, but he did get one game under his belt this year for Miami and rounding out the position group here as Nick Co who was back on a futures contract. He spent most of the year as well on the practice squad and wouldn't you know what, six ft five two pounds, so even bigger than those guys and spends most of his time on the inside, or at least he did

in college. And these big guys up front do so much dirty work to help funnel and create plays for guys like van Noy for Bake, for Geek, etcetera. Co is a big, powerful player with the long arms and heavy hands to help execute the idea of that two gap to push the pocket and keep yourself clean so you can shed when the play comes your way. But that length really allows him to squat, press and extend

and play good football. As for the free agent market at the position, a bunch of names on this list, You guys are gonna recognize. Number fourteen on PFS Top one and fifty free Agents is Shack Barrett absolute explosion of production the last couple of years. PF has him in the green grade territory, which is above average each of his first five years as a pro against both

the run and the past. It will be interesting to see if he makes it to the market because the Bucks have a lot of guys to take care of this offseason, but he's been a monster for them. He's closer to Render's bill, like we talked about with the weight checking in and an even to fifty, but the production nineteen and a half sacks two years ago and then eight more this season. And the quick edit here on the podcast is this thing was cut ready to

be published for you guys on Tuesday a morning. But J. J. Watt signs with the Arizona Cardinals on Monday morning. So he was number twenty on the PFF Top one fifty free agents list for one but he is now signed to the Arizona Cardinals, So go ahead and scratch J. J. Watt off the list, who also wasn't going to impact the compensatory formula as he was a player who was released rather than a player who was had his contract expire to sign with the new teams. A watt to

the Cardinals. Number twenty eight Carl Lawson, two D sixty two pounds, long edge defender in that makeup of the guys we talked about on the roster. He plays the run on the way to the quarterback and can really dent the edge as that outside down lineman when he's outflanked by the force defender, the defender responsible for the adge to get things back inside. He really does some

good work both against the past and the run. This market, or the market on these guys is going to be steep, and this is one of the premier positions in terms of the free agent market the big time dollars. And the same is true of the next man of our on our list, Number thirty one, Jadavean Clowney, one of the game's best run defender since he entered the league. He plays stand up edge, three point edge off ball, kicks inside as a rusher, and when he's on he's

unblockable man. Because he had a game with the Seahawks two years ago against the forty nine where they just had no answer for him and pro Football Focus has him as a ninety five percentile run defender and seventy seven percentile pass rusher since he came to the league. Impressive impressive player number forty six, but of a gap there Yannike and Gockway. Now he's more of that wide alignment edge rushing type that gets on you in a

hurry allah a cam Wake. He's been a big time producer since he entered the league in twenty six team as a third round pick, and even in that strange year last year where he was traded to Minnesota right before the season then again to Baltimore mid season, he still had eight sacks, which ties his career low forty five and a half sacks and ninety six QB hits in his five years. Pritt Day pritt Day Good. Number

fifty five is Melvin Ingram. Last year he lost a streak of three consecutive seasons with seventy or more pressures per Pro Football Focus because he missed some time with an injury, played only three snaps. He'll be thirty two at the start of the season and checks in at two forty seven as far as his weight goes. Number fifty seven's Bud Dupree, who blew up with the sack production last year, but it was a lot more than that. You want to talk about defeating blocks, My goodness, he

was consistent in all facets of the game. He's a sixty minute car crash and showed a real penchant for flattening once he got around the edge, then that juice to close in the quarterback. A unique skill set you see in all the great pass rushers, and frankly, I think dupre is a lot closer to Shaq Barrett's placement on this list. From PFF number sixty Leonard Floyd. We talked about that by low high reward type of player on the interior defensive line portion of this preview pod.

Floyd is a good example of always betting on talent. The former number eleven pick in the draft. First four years in Chicago, he has eighteen and a half sacks and forty four QB hits, goes to l A last year winds up with ten and a half sacks and nineteen QB hits. Now he's more o lb outside linebacker than hand in the dirt type of guy. And what I mean by that is when you think about secondary positions,

or job duties. He's gonna fall into coverage and play off the ball before he reduces inside to play tackle. He's got great a great long arm, a great first step, really impressive pass rusher in Leonard Floyd number sixty one. Right behind him, Trey Hendrickson out of New Orleans. He's one of my favorite six ft four, two seventy pounds on a Saints defensive line littered with pass rushers. We

mentioned Rankin's obviously, Cam Jordan and Marcus Davenport. Hendrickson might have been the best on that defensive line last year. He's got some trace Armstrong to him who was the same height and just five pounds heavier, and he can move for a guy that plays at that weight, so you can slant him, stunt him, and get creative. He'll also do his job against the run. Number seventy five, Matthew Judan from Baltimore. The hits just keep on coming

in this loaded edge class. Really curious to see how it shakes out in terms of who gets those top tier, you know, top tier one type of deals on the market and who might wind up as a bargain by for someone. Judan is more of a stand up edge to fender at one, and few teams operate more creative pass rush games than Baltimore, and Judon's flexibility and ability as a blitzer is a big, big part of that number. Seventy six Aldon Smith would to turn around for him

last year. After sitting out four years, he returns to the Cowboys to become not just their best pass rusher, maybe their best defender in general. He played forty snaps in every single game this year, amazing conditioning for a player without an NFL snap for four seasons, and played all over the defensive line and wrapped up fifty pressures in the process per Pro Football Focus. Let's get through

the rest of this group and rapid fire here. Number eight nine Hassan Reddit career resurgence last year, different positions, learned the art of rushing last season and route to a career twelve and a half sacks after having seven and a half sacks his first three seasons. He's played some off ball linebacker, some edge defender. He was a safety in college as well. Guys played everywhere on defense, but this year at the edge position really kind of

found a home. Number Tack McKinley. Number Romeo Aquara PFS number three graded pass rusher among edge fenders from Week twelve on last year. More riches there for the Saints. Number one oh seven Dietrich wise and absolutely underrated cog On a lot of very good Patriots defenses over the years. Plays every damn position, placed three downs, big, long, powerful. He could be great value for someone in this free agency class as he can really dent the interior part

of the pocket as an interior rusher. Number one ten Tias Bowser does a little bit of everything. Super Athletic had a career high four teen QB hits last season. And we round out the list here with Justin Houston, Terrell Basham, Olivier Vernon, Jordan Jenkins, and Carry Hyder on the PFF Top one hundred potential Top one hundred and fifty potential free agents off the edge. Then we have

this draft class that is so very intriguing. Pundits are mixed on who the top dog might be and if there is a top ten pick in this bunch, but there is a glut of really good players with versatility, rush ability, and traits that will attract different suitors. Quitty pay is number one on t d n's list here number eleven overall two hundred and seventy seven pounds, but at at size he can get some runway and get some absolute explosion off the snap. He should test very

well when he does test at his pro day. Jalen Phillips out of Miami vaulted all the way up to number fifteen overall. He's got the best arsenal of pass rush moves. He's got counter moves on counter moves that can find a way to beat tackles and route to the quarterback in multiple ways. Number twenty seven on their list. It's probably my favorite of the group. A zz Ojulari out of Georgia, and you watch the way this guy

can angle, can flatten, and also defeat blocks. There's a great clip against the Alabama Crimson Tide where Deontay Brown at three hundred and sixty four pounds pulls play side and he goes in there and wax him, stands him up and beats him en route to a TfL. Solari does a lot of things very well. Number twenty nine. Gregory Rousseau out of Miami didn't play this last season, but two hundred sixty pounds six ft five length, explosion off the football, number forty six for them. Joseph Osai

out of Texas. This guy could be in that top twenty five ranges as far as draft picks goes two dty five pounds, a great arsenal moves, and he was highly highly productive at Texas. Jason Oway from Penn Stay is the the freak list man that we'll talk about Bruce Felman's freaklist here on a future podcast. But this guy is on that list because he is explosive as i'll get out, athletic and can find different routes of the quarterback. Patrick Jones number sixty seven out of pit

overall player. He is the s one tight overall graded edge defender on the Draft Network and they have several more guys on this list in the top one hundred, but number ninety seven is the one I want to point out here. Carlos Basham Jr. Boogie Basham out of wake Forest pounds at six ft three and you want to talk about guys that can walk that edge back and play through lengthen through power and play the run on the way to the quarterback and play that gap

integrity defense. This guy is an absolute monster At one point this year, he had a streak of twenty three consecutive games with a tackle for loss, and the next closest streak in the nation was ten games. He is a consistent producer against both the run and the past seven to me is too low, but that's where he is on the Draft Networks list. Let's go ahead and finish up the podcast with the linebacker position off ball linebackers, and we start with Miami's group and the production you

got from this position last year. First time in team history that three players whose primary position is linebacker recorded five or more sacks. Jerome Baker led the way, and man, we really saw his true value last season, the speed and the instincts. He was such an integral piece of that rush scheme. He takes great angles of the quarterback and can get skinny on those A and B gap.

Blitz is where the Dolphins love to sneak up everybody into those gaps and put a man in each gap and confuse the opposing quarterback, which then after the snap, if they are still confused, forces them to make a decision before they want to, because they get that free run on the A gap, which is the quickest route to the quarterback, and that's why you saw fifty five in around the quarterback on so many of Miami's league best twenty nine takeaways last season. He can run, he's

fluid with change of direction, and he can cover. An absolute gem of a third round pick back. Speaking of gem draft picks, how about the second year from Andrew Van Ginkle, Even back to his Wisconsin days, I was so drawn to his recognition of play development and coverage. He finds proper depth and gets into the passing lanes. We saw that on the tipped pick against the Chiefs that wound up in Byron Jones arms this year. And you see that in the way he attacks blockers in

the run game. An area of focus for him last season was the strength element of his game, and he sure came a long way in that department. And how about number fifty three Kyle Van Noy, Such an underrated player and does so many things that don't show up in the box score. He's among the best edge centers in the game against the run. And we've heard Flow talk about how important it is to set the edge in this defense to create opportunities inside, and now only

does he do that at a high level. He also rushes the quarterback and blitzes the quarterback and has the same frame of mind in terms of the coverage instincts of a Van Ginkle. That's why he almost never leaves the field. The old hat on the defense, one of the leaders and such a key force for this defense. Staying in that position and group. Sam Ego Vaughan has carved out a nice role as a core special teamer and can give you some of that blitz coverage combination

when he subs into the game on defense. Then Kyle and Johnson is back after year on the practice squad. He's back on a futurist contract. He transferred from Florida to pit his final year in college and really saw his pass rush numbers explode. So he's got that same blitzing type of DNA that is just so valuable at the position. Two players from last year's team are scheduled to be free agents from the new league year begins

the Landon Roberts and Commu Gruge Hill. As for the free agents from other clubs, once again using PFFS Top one fifty list, Number eight on their list is Lavante David, who's just flat out amazing, no other way around it. The speed and instincts that really drive the position in today's game. Showed off all playoff run long when he and Devin White were on that defense. Exceptional cover man, great sideline to sideline run defender, and a timely blitzer.

He's on the wrong side of thirty, but who cares when he's playing at this level like he showed this past season. Some guys just don't slowed down at the age of their quote unquote supposed to, and he's exhibit a of that. Then there's a bit of a drop off. The number thirty eight in Matt Mulano from Buffalo, and we've seen how good this dude is firsthand two games a year against him. Eleventh highest graded cover linebacker on PFF last year, and that includes matching up on running backs,

tight ends, even the slot receiver sometimes. Number fifty four is Jayon Brown from Tennessee. He came into the league in seventeen, one year before Jerome Baker, and they are similar in their build and athletic ability. Since he came into the league, he's the tenth highest graded coverage linebacker since seen. We continue to see how important it is to have those matchup answers. Offenses want to have mismatched creators. Defenses have to counter with freaks of their own, and

Jayon Brown is just that. Number sixty seven kJ Wright. He and Bobby Wagner in Seattle were the lavante David and Devin White before Devin White exploded onto the scene his rookie season, and Wright and Wagner are like David and that they can both still get it done like the others on this list. Coverage and second level are his bread and butter. But he also had the eighth

overall highest grade among linebackers on PFF this season. Numbers ninety six is Denzel Perriman, and here we get a bit of a d tour on this list, with a classic downhill thumper playing just three hundred and seventeen snaps last year, he earned his career best eighty six point five run defending grade and a seventy four point one coverage grade, also career best for Parraman. And you know

we praised the athletic cover guys. That shouldn't take away from the value of a Paramann type who just blows up plays downhill as that B gap to B gap defender. Think a Land and Roberts type of player. Both those guys damn good at that job. Number one finally on this list is Kevin pr Lewis. Was the first year that he eclipsed three hundred snaps as a defender. He's been a special team's a since he came into the league and can come onto the field as a sub

cover guy. And that's it for the top one fifty. We turn now to the draft class of off ball linebackers with a player who could be classified as multiple positions. Again, these positional designations get so tricky with these versatile players. But it starts with Micah Parson, who's number eight overall on the Draft Networks Big Board, six ft five pounds, recruited defense Day as a defensive end pass rusher type. You see the length and the explosiveness in this guy's game.

My goodness, there's a rep from his uh he didn't play this year, but in twenty nineteen a rep where he had to get to the pylon from the middle linebacker spot and he beats the running back there and knocks him out of bounds. Just impressive explosion from the sideline to sideline. One of the funnest players to watch in this entire draft class. Number seventeen on t d n's big board. Jeremiah Woosu Coamoa from Notre Dame. He is a safety slash linebacker hybrid who can flat out

run and cover and take the football away. Special looking ployer, top half of the draft. First round draft pick here according to t d N. Number twenty four, Zavon Collins out of Tulsa. You talk about a guy that to sixty two sixty pounds who can do so much in coverage and as a blitzer, that modern day linebacker in the bigger body build. I'm curious see how he develops and gets even better in his career going forward. But you watch a Tulsa game, he was all over the field.

Number thirty three is Nick Bolton from Missouri, two thirty pounds. Kind of that same frame of mind where he can play multiple roles on your defense. Jabril Cox, same story here out of LSU. Number thirty six on td NS big board. And then two more names I want to point out our number fifty two, chast Sarot out of North Carolina. He was again another one of these former safeties who just runs all over the field and can match up and coverage with multiple guys. And then Baron

Browning out of Ohio State. We had him at the Senior Bowl the Dolphins did, and he did so much good work as an edge defender, playing the run, rushing the quarterback, doing multiple things that way. So again, this entire crop of front seven players, all the flavors you could want. Plenty of options both in Tier one, Tier two, Tier three, or free agency. Same story with the draft.

Cannot wait to see how it shakes out. We're gonna talk about the overall plan, but we're gonna go ahead and focus next on the podcast here on the defensive backfield. Plenty more to come on the Drivetime Podcast as we preview this offseason right around the corner here for you Dolphins fans and NFL fans. But as for this edition of the Drivetime pod cast, we went long today. Let's go ahead and wrap this thing up. You all, please be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcast, Spotify,

wherever you get your podcast from. Go ahead and leave us a rating, leave us a review, give me a follow on Twitter. It's at Wingfield, NFL. You can follow the team at Miami Dolphins. Check out the Fish Tank and the Audible podcast, and of course Miami Dolphins dot com. Until next time, fins up,