miamiherald
The Dolphins assuredly would rank in the bottom third of the league in the subjective category of talent.
Thats inevitable in the early stages of a retool or rebuild or reboot or whatever you want to call this.
But for the team with a talent deficit, the Dolphins have a decent number of players who led their league or major college football or their conference in something positive last season.
The two most obvious: Linebacker Jordyn Brooks, who led the NFL with 183 tackles, and DeVon Achane, who led the league in yards per carry (5.7).
But there are others, too.
Consider: Aaron Brewer was the highest-grading center overall and highest-grading run blocking center in the league, per Pro Football Focus.
Malik Willis led the league in completion percentage for anyone who threw more than three passes albeit still a very small sample size (30 for 35, 85.7%).
Willis also led the league in passer rating and completion percentage for passes thrown at least 20 air yards (7 for 7 for 230 yards, a perfect 158.3 rating).
Second-round pick Jacob Rodriguez, at Texas Tech, led the nation with seven forced fumbles.
Late first-round pick Chris Johnson, at San Diego State, led the nation in passer rating against at 17.1.
Greg Dulcich led all AFC tight ends in average yards after the catch (7.6) trailing only Green Bays Tyler Kroft and led all tight ends in yards per targets at 10.2.
Tutu Atwell had the NFLs longest reception last season (88 yards, for the Rams).
Riley Patterson competing with Zane Gonzalez for the Dolphins kicker job led the league in accuracy from 40 to 49 yards.
(He went 11 for 11 from that distance.) Louis Moore, trying to make the team as an undrafted safety, tied for the FBS lead in interceptions (six) on Indianas unbeaten national championship team.
Several other Dolphins also have stood atop all of their peers in something neat, at some point.
Rookie linebacker Kyle Louis was the only college football player in 2024 to produce 90-plus tackles, 15 tackles for loss, seven sacks, and four interceptions.
Joshua Uche set the league record in pressure rate (generating 56 pressures on just 285 pass-rush snaps) in 2022 with the Patriots.
Achane, by the way, has the highest yards after contact average (3.8) of any active NFL back impressive considering hes not imposing physically.
On the flip side, three Dolphins were worst in the league in different categories last season: Jonah Savaiinaea allowed the most sacks (eight) and pressures (45) of any NFL guard, per PFF.
Ollie Gordon II gained no yards or lost yards on nearly 23% of his carries, the highest total among qualifying running backs.
And Darrell Baker Jr., the Dolphins most experienced cornerback addition, permitted a 135.8 passer rating in his coverage area for Tennessee last season, which was worst among all cornerbacks targeted more than 32 times (more than twice per game).
Baker, who missed part of the offseason program with an undisclosed injury, yielded 42 receptions in 58 targets for 621 yards and five touchdowns, with no interceptions.
This and that A front-office official with a team that picked ahead of the Dolphins conveyed to me that he ranked Dolphins rookie Kadyn Proctor as his top offensive lineman in the draft but that his team went in another direction.
The guys a freak, the official said.
So for all the initial shock about the Dolphins picking Proctor at 12, the Alabama rookie had some strong believers in the top 11 of the first round.
Jalen Reagor, whos trying to revive his career with the Dolphins, noted hes the oldest receiver on the team Jalen Tolbert and Reagor are actually both 27 and spoke of setting an example for the young players.
Im trying to be there for them, through ups and downs, good practices, bad practices, he said, noting his experience can be an asset.
Reagor, who was drafted 21st overall by Philadelphia in 2020, is immersed in a six-player battle for what figures to be the sixth receiver spot.
(That job likely would be open only if Chris Bell begins the season on the physically unable to perform list after last Novembers ACL injury, or if another of the Dolphins projected final roster receivers is injured.) I found this notable: Quarterbacks Carson Wentz, Jalen Hurts, Kirk Cousins, Mac Jones and Justin Herbert have nine interceptions, four TD passes and a poor 59.1 passer rating when targeting Reagor in his 64 NFL games, including 27 starts.
Of his seven career drops, two including a dropped touchdown came on the final drive of a 13-7 loss to the Giants in November 2021, his second season in the league.
His career arc seemed to decline from there.
He was traded to the Vikings the following August and last appeared in an NFL game, with the Chargers, in 2024.
Reagor, who has 86 catches for 1,037 yards in five seasons, was out of the league last season, except for a brief stint on the Chargers practice squad.