The Miami Dolphins finished the 2023 NFL season as a top-10 offensive unit in every major category. They were seventh in rushing, second in passing, third in total offense, and third in scoring offense.
Yet, most players selected according to the data from our PFN Mock Draft Simulator suggest the team still has plenty of work to do along the offensive line this offseason.
No one knows exactly which direction the Dolphins’ front office plans to go with its collection of six picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, but the results suggest that Miami is a strong candidate to address the front lines on both sides of the ball.
The Most-Drafted Players by the Miami Dolphins Fans in the MDS
When you take a closer look at the most popular selections from this data, the picture becomes crystal clear that the Dolphins fan base wants the team to address the offensive- or defensive-line units in the early rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft.
A big offseason loss to the Miami roster was the loss of defensive tackle Christian Wilkins to the Las Vegas Raiders, which certainly puts the Dolphins in the market for an interior defensive lineman to pair with some of their talented edge rushers. But which players do they think fit the bill?
Troy Fautanu, OT, Washington
Troy Fautanu was an anchor during the Washington Huskies’ run to the College Football Playoff National Championship game and is in the conversation as a first-round tackle prospect entering the NFL.
At this moment, Terron Armstead is locked in as the starter at left tackle, but Fautanu did spend some time at guard during his collegiate career and could swing over to right tackle in Miami if he slips to No. 21 overall when the Dolphins are on the clock.
Fautanu is a fluid lateral mover with a skill set that certainly translates very favorably to a zone-based running scheme. When you throw in his bully mentality, he could be a force in what Miami wants to do in the run game, even if the positional fit may require a bit of creativity from the coaching staff.
Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU
The positional fit in the Dolphins’ scheme makes for a cleaner transition to the NFL for BYU’s Kingsley Suamataia at right tackle after a two-year starting stint with the Cougars.
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Suamataia doesn’t have the elite athleticism of the other top tackle prospects in this class. Still, he does combine ideal length and size with serviceable lateral quickness to operate in space to be an effective blocker when the Dolphins would like to run outside zone, which is quite often.
Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
Another offensive tackle cracks the list in the form of the 6’8”, 340-pound Amarius Mims out of Georgia. When you get a glimpse of his great reps on tape, he looks like he can be a dominant force at right tackle for a decade.
While Mims has the upside of a Pro Bowler at right tackle, we have a fairly limited sample size of tape to dive into compared with his peers, with less than 15 starts during his collegiate career. He is still unpolished with his technique, but he possesses elite length and size for a tackle prospect who could make this a home run of a pick in the first round.
Leonard Taylor III, DT, Miami
The offensive line may be the most popular position the Dolphins fan base wants the team to address, but the interior of the defensive line comes in a close second. The Dolphins managed to address the position by plucking talent from its own backyard with Leonard Taylor III from the University of Miami.
Taylor boasts eye-popping reps where he looks like a dominant force along the interior of the defensive line with his sudden first step and powerful upper body. Yet, there are far too many moments where he disappears if he doesn’t win early in the rep with some technique inconsistencies, which make him more of a high-upside project than an early every-down contributor to start his NFL career.
Kamren Kinchens, S, Miami
Do you think there may be some Miami Hurricane fans conducting these mock drafts? Another member of the U makes an appearance on this list, with safety prospect Kamren Kinchens from Miami being among the most popular picks.
Kinchens has great ball skills and showcases an unquenchable thirst for wanting to make big plays, but his eagerness to be a disruptive force can lead to costly missed assignments in run support and in zone coverage. His athletic testing at the NFL Combine — a 4.65-second 40-yard dash — didn’t exactly do him any favors either.
MORE: Top Safeties in the 2024 NFL Draft
The idea of pairing a young safety with Jevon Holland made sense before the signing of Jordan Poyer. The move to bring in a proven veteran presence like Poyer to pair with an ascending young talent like Hollard means the Dolphins likely don’t need to add another safety to the roster in this draft.
T’Vondre Sweat, DT, Texas
Isaiah Mack, Daviyon Nixon, Brandon Pili, and Zach Seiler are the current interior defensive tackle pieces on the roster, working alongside Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb, and Shaq Barrett. Translation: This unit could use some help anchoring the middle of the defense to slow down opposing rushing attacks.
Well, the 6’4”, 366-pound T’Vondre Sweat is just the man for the job. Sweat is an immediate two-gap anchor for any defensive line unit the day he steps into the NFL, but he can offer a little extra value as a pass-rushing threat
Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, Texas
The Dolphins did splurge a bit in free agency with the addition of tight end Jonnu Smith earlier this offseason, which could make this selection a bit tough to project in the second or third round.
If Ja’Tavion Sanders were to fall into the Dolphins’ lap in the second round, he would certainly be in consideration for the 55th overall pick even with the addition of Smith to the position group.
Sanders managed to produce a solid stat line of 45 receptions for 682 yards and two scores while working alongside a pair of potential first-round talents at wide receiver — Adonai Mitchell and Xavier Worthy — and would provide an instant pass-catching upgrade at a position that has made a minimal impact in Miami over the last two seasons.
Graham Barton, OC, Duke
One versatile offensive line prospect who could project as a starter at multiple positions along the interior of the Miami offensive line would be Duke’s Graham Barton, who spent time at both center and left tackle during his collegiate career.
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His lack of length certainly makes him a candidate to move back to center permanently in the NFL. However, his effectiveness in zone schemes and positional versatility could provide an instant impact for the Dolphins’ offensive line.
Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, OC, Georgia
The last name on this list is Georgia center Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, who played a significant role in the success of the Bulldogs’ run to back-to-back College Football Playoff National Championship successes.
The Bulldogs predominantly ran zone concepts during his time in college, which makes Van Pran-Granger an ideal scheme fit in McDaniels’ offense. He regularly managed to get to the second level, which helped create plenty of chunk plays on the ground. Van Pran-Granger could help take the Dolphins’ running game to the next level by helping spring De’Von Achane past the first wave of the defense more frequently.
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