May 30, 2025 • 35 mins
We opened the mailbag earlier this week and the fans answered the call – so much so, in fact, that we are dedicating an entire episode to the mailbag. Roster battles, OTAs, long-term roster building – we’re answering anything and everything.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Drive Time with Travis Wingfield.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
What is up, Dolphins, and welcome to the Draft Time Podcast.
I am your host, Travis Wingfield. And on today's show,
the mail Bag, I'm only answering your guys's questions. It's
a long one. We're gonna get to all those. Let's
jump in from the Baptist Hill Studios inside the Baptist
Health Training Complex. This is the Draft Time Podcast. Let's
(00:31):
go ahead and crack open this mail bag?
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Do I have I do not have the Blues Clues
mail drop?
Speaker 2 (00:38):
I should have that, really, I mean I could go
put it in right now, but we're gonna skip over that.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
I tweeted about this and.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
I think it was last week, and then you guys
put a bunch of great questions in there, and I
wound up going way too deep on the a chan
and corners versus pass rush debate or topic and wound
up blowing right past a bunch of the mail bag questions.
So I thought, let's go ahead and just dedicate a
whole episode.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
To the mail bag.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
There's all kinds of questions in there. You can do
an entire show off of this stuff. And little transparency
peak behind the curtain here open the kimono, whatever you
want to say, peel back the onion. You guys really
help me by doing that, because I've got so much
content to get done before I go on paternity leave
as my third child, my second daughter is going to
(01:28):
get here sometime in mid to late June, and I
have to basically have like five or six weeks of
content ready and I have none of that done yet.
So you guys really helped me kind of get a
quick episode in and I can get to work on
future episodes. So let's go ahead and jump into the
mail bag here. I tweeted about this and it did
come from the mail bag, but I thought it was
worth pulling back up here because it's.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
How do I say this?
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Sometimes my frustrations with like the commentary of you know,
other people covering the Dolphins is because I feel like
it sometimes put the impetus on correcting that incorrect take,
for instance, the three nose tackles things. To be as
nice about as I possibly can, to have that thought,
(02:18):
to have that level of understanding, it just means you
haven't done the homework. And now I'm trying to be
as kind as I can about that, because that's all
that would produce that take, because if you just go
back and watch the tape, if you go and look
at the numbers, you can find the stuff. With a
thirty second Google search, you can find it. And so
(02:39):
I thought it was worth covering here because I tweeted
about it, but I just want to go ahead and
put it on the show. I put most of my
content on this show, all of my content, I should say,
and I only put a small amount of what I
do on social anymore, because that's very much intentional.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
I would.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
For instance, I was just on a Twitter thread and
it was a video of a guy turning down the television.
They're at a family dinner and he was across the
table from his wife and the television is on like
volume thirty behind her head, and he turns down to
like volume eight, and she looks up and acknowledges like, oh,
thank you, sweetheart, Like he knew that she does not
like a loud TV at family dinner, so he turned
(03:13):
it down and she gave him like an unspoken thank you.
And I went in the thread and every single reply
was from a bot, obviously, but it was like, grock,
explain this, what's happening? Why don't I understand this video.
It's like, well, dude, because you haven't. All you do
look at your phone day like you don't have an
education because you're too stupid a thing for yourself. And
that's why I don't really use Twitter anymore, because it's
either boss or morons, and I just can't really deal
(03:35):
with that. So I apologize if you're active on Twitter.
There's some good accounts on there still, but it is
a wretched website these days, and so I don't use
it very often, but i'd use it for the Twitter
mailbag when I need you guys just help producing the show.
So I tweeted about it and it was about the
nose tackle comment. So Kenneth Grant played almost three times
as many snaps in the B gaps last year at
Michigan as he did in the A gaps. The B
(03:57):
gap means you are basically no further than the inside
shoulder off of the guard or no further inside than that,
and the A gaps are when you play head up
over the center or off either either shoulder of the center.
Jordan Phillips played two hundred and forty three snaps in
the B gaps compared to two hundred and eighty three
(04:17):
in the A gaps, So he did play more nos,
but by forty snaps and compared to you know, two
hundred and forty versus two hundred and eighty. And when
I watched his tape, I mean the tape is the
biggest indicator of all this stuff. Watch his tape and
I think that he that the real professional upside and
where you can unlock Jordan Phillips as a guy that
I liked on on day two because of his upside
(04:39):
is as like a three technique Christian Wilkins type who
has pass rush wiggle but also the strength to hold
a point against the run. It's like an eighty percent
snap taker that I think he can be at that
position with some work inside at the nose tackle. But
I think that Zeke Biggers was drafted more because remember
this is like going back to the thing like he
didn't catch passes as a running back in college. Why
is he going to do it as a pro. You
(05:01):
can't say that because if he wasn't asked to do it,
and that's all you have to go off of, and
that's all you have to go off of.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
But once he gets to.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
The pros, he might have that workload expanded a little bit,
And so if I watch a player at college, I
don't just say that's all he's going to be. And
that's why, like, these data points are great, but I
want to extrapolate the film tolls me tells me. Yeah,
Kenneth Grant can be a disrupted to zero and one technique,
but he also can play a three technique and win
from that position. Jordan Phillips played more NOS and can
(05:30):
do it, but I think that his best work in
the NFL is going to be as a three technique.
And then Zeke Biggers, who I think profiles by far
the most as a true NFL NOS tackle, a seventh
round draft pick who I kind of think you're going
to get like ten twelve snaps a game from this
year as a based down heavy front nose tackle that
just clogs lanes and plays the run game. I think
(05:50):
that's his projection at the next level. But that's not
what Georgia Tech had him do. They had him played
three hundred and sixty nine snaps in the B gap
compared to just forty two as a nose tackle in
the A gap. So the data tells you straight to
your face, that ain't what it is, and the film
further confirms that. In fact, the film kind of flips
the point on Biggers because he is an NFL nose
(06:13):
tackle in my opinion, Can he do more and expand
that profile?
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Yeah, sure of course.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
But I think when he first gets here, I believe
that's gonna be his calling card off the top. So
that's the nose tackle debate, the defensive tackle debate. Let's
go ahead and get to the rest of your questions here,
starting with this one from at Fanatico's Brazil first season
with continude on either side of the ball, who's about
to take the biggest leap on the team and have
a breakout season?
Speaker 1 (06:35):
So I love this question. I'm gonna give you three
players here.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
I think Jalen Waddle will get back to the production
we saw from him in twenty twenty two. I feel
like he's a sleeping giant who is about to go
scorch to Earth and for whatever reason, hasn't had the
production the last couple of years. You know, twenty three,
he missed some time here and there, and just seemed
like every time he got kind of hot in twenty three,
he would get nicked up and have to miss a game,
or you know, come out of a game or play
(06:59):
on a bumming, whatever it might be. And then last year,
I just think the entirety of last year, like so
much went wrong you can kind of just throw in
the trash. But I think that he's I still believe
twenty twenty two is who Jayleen Waddle is as a
player in terms of production. And then I think the
obvious one is Jalen Right. I think he's gonna have
a great season. I don't think it's crazy to expect
that by the Buccaneers Patriots game down the stretch end
(07:22):
of the season that he might be like the running
back one. And that's not a slight to a Chan
by any stretch, because eight Chan is one of the
most electrifying eligibles in this league. But I think we've
been over this. I think that his role is better
served as being more of a jack of all trades,
you know, kind of a floating utility type more than
just to every down running back. I think Right can
be the every down running back. I think that he
could have a I think you could have a thousand
(07:44):
yard season if it gets enough touches give him two
hundred Carrieres, I think he could do it. I think
Kenneth Grant is my third pick, and I think because
he's going to be good right away. I think he's
already going to be, like by the time we get
to the Jets Monday night game, they're gonna be talking
about him as like an established starter in this league
three games into his career.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
So I think that's three sort of different answers.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Wattle re establishes his dominance, KG is good from the
word go, and Jalen Wright is the true breakout player
on the roster. Dan Johnson at DJ twenty seventy five.
How hard can OTAs be run? I heard the Steelers
use them as a gauntlet style to establish culture and toughness.
I also hear that we tend to not push the limits.
Is there a real difference? Well, I yeah, OTAs, there's
(08:26):
parameters to all of this. So what one team might
be doing versus another team might be skirting the rules
because all I know is you can't do certain things,
like you get a certain amount of time on the grass,
you get a certain amount of time with coaches, with
the players. That's why I've been so pumped up about
what I've been seeing here this entire offseason because the
(08:47):
coaches only get a finite amount of time with the players,
but the players can go on the field themselves. And
that's why, Like when I watch Tyrel Dotson and Jordan
Brooks get the entire defense and go through the entire
list of calls and changes and shifts every single day
after practice to kind of, you know, rehearse what they
just worked on. They al post practice walk through that
really encourages me. And they can do that. So that's
all part of the CBA with what they can and
(09:08):
cannot do. So technically speaking, there shouldn't be a difference
across different camps. There's definitely no contact. They don't wear
shoulder pads, they don't wear pants. They're just wearing helmets
and shorts in these practices, shorts and shells. So I
don't know how you'd make it tougher without contact, right,
So this time of year, it's all about technique and
(09:30):
install So like they're making their proverbial swing changes right
now and they're trying to enact those and coaches love
this time of year because it's the only time where
you can just drill on your fundamentals.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
It's going back to golf.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
If you were in season and you know, eighteen weeks,
eighteen holes in the golf course. Like, if you're on
week eleven and you have a fundamental change you have
to make to your game, you can work on it,
but it's kind of like trying to make a swing
change on the tea box on the eleventh hole. They tell
you not to do that because you're not going to
work it out on the course. Can you can improve things,
but it's a big gamble to try to work on
(10:03):
things while you're playing the game, Whereas this time of year,
you're on the driving range, you can go ahead and
tinker and play around with things. So coaches love this
time of year to work on those fundamentals and techniques. Sean,
and there's there's no difference because you literally can't. It's
it's the same rules for everybody. Sean at pass and yell,
I think I said that, right, Pa s C I
n E L past.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
I suck at pronouncing things. Travis, thank you for your
weekly grind for OTAs. What can you learn about the
rookies during this time that you might not see on
film study. So I love the question because I fall
into this trap sometimes of maybe being too film oriented
and not thinking about other factors and that's kind of
a weak spot for me that I have to work on.
But the first thing for me is always how they move.
It's it's the number one criteria, and how they look
(10:46):
in terms of like their building size and stature compared
to their contemporaries, and now that we get to see
them alongside those contemporaries, it's a great a great tool
for measurement. Like I remember when Channing Tyndall tracked down
this thirty yard seam shot that Tanner Connor I think
it was. I think it was it was training camp
because Kyle Krabs is out here and we were like,
WHOA Like Tanner Connor's like a twenty two mile per
(11:07):
hour top speed guy and that linebacker just ran with him.
Now it didn't matter because here we are four years later.
But it's it's obviously more than that. So I look
for guys that can, you know, that can be engaged,
and they're always tuned into what their coaches are saying.
They're asking coaches for extra you know, tutoring during the drills,
they're running between drills, they're getting back in line and
(11:27):
not deally dialing around like dance and have fun, but
like you know, that's when it's time to focus up
and lock in.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
Let's lock in.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
They get extra reps, you know, small things like that,
how they interact with their teammates. Things you can learn
a lot. I think you can learn a lot by
observing guys at practice. And it's really hard to judge
these practices because again, you're just you're trying to enact
a swing change, whereas in season we're trying to focus
on results. That's a little bit different. So results are fun,
that's what the fans come out here for a practice.
But take a look at evaluation, Like there's a reason
(11:56):
why you are wrong, and I am wrong on roster
predictions because the coaches know what the players are trying
to do at practice. We don't. We don't have that,
you know, we're not afforded that luxury. So that's why
I like, you're like, wait, why did he make the roster?
Probably because he was executing his assignments every single day
and just because he didn't have a bunch of long touchdowns.
Then you know it doesn't have to be the case,
Like you can have an effective day at practice without
(12:17):
it looking like it to the fans at the Man
the myth forty five who faced more double teams in
college Kenny g or Mason Graham. I didn't have this
stat when I first wrote it down, but I went
back and found it for you, all right, So I
came back and found some metrics. I don't know how
reliable these are, but I did see that Mason Graham
had significantly more double teams than Kenny Grant did than
(12:38):
Kennethy Grant did at Michigan. It was sixty two to
like twenty nine, was the chart that I saw, But
I'm not sure how accurate that is. I can double
check that and come back and maybe maybe get you
a better answer, but that's I think it was. I
think it was that there was that much disparity there.
But they both got double teamed a lot in the
running game, you know, on duo blocks, an inside zone,
(12:58):
and then in past wrestling situation they kind of shared
the bulk of it. But I think over the course
of the entire season, Mason Graham did about double up
on Kenneth Grant there at Randy d easily. What are
the player's perspectives of their new teammates. I think it's
maybe a little bit too early to answer that, because, well, one,
I haven't been around the guys in that capacity in
the same way. So maybe maybe doing media day, I'll
(13:21):
ask some of those questions and we can get some
some further answers on that and circle back.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
Sound good.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Next one here, Let's go ahead and take a break,
and then we'll come back and do some more on
the other side of the Draft Time podcast brought to
you by AutoNation kind of like the vibe of this
mailbag only podcast. I feel like most times I do
this and this is like my production for every single
episode I do, I put like, what's I think is
going to be thirty minutes worth of content in there,
(13:46):
and then it winds up being forty forty five. I
just I cannot help myself. It's been a problem since
I was at Locked On and David Locke was always like, hey,
twenty two minutes, dude, You're like, save it for another show.
I'm like, I just want to do more Dolphine football content.
So this mode because I always feel like I'm rushing
through the mailbags at the end of episodes. But now
I can just get to all these and just kind
(14:06):
of hang out and crack a cold one with the boys.
That's what it feels like. Anyways, you guys watch the
Outdoor Boys channel yet at all. I've been talking about
it all week. I feel like I saw one where
he punched a fish to death. He was like, Oh,
get me a rock to smash this fish's head, and
he's like, I got it, punch of the fish. I
(14:30):
was watching my wife and she's like, he's got to
be like an eagle scow or something because he's so dorky,
but so mainly it's just such an interesting combination. And
he's a great film editor too, Like guy takes like
fifteen thousand clips of every single video and then he
edits down to like two minute clips where he shows
you everything he's doing and it's just so good and
so arduous. Anyway, off the rails here, let's get back
(14:51):
into the mailbag pod here at Kevin Wagner PhD. Is
that Wagner or Wagner? I hope I'm saying that right.
I know everything is a big names, but are you
interested in seeing what some of the young corners on
this team can do Johnson, Matree, Bonner, all very interesting prospects.
So first of all, I love this, And in my
freaking note right here, I wrote that I think Jason
(15:12):
Matrie has the goods, the temperament, the suddenness, the competitiveness.
Every time I've watched him as a Dolphin, I've been impressed.
And in a league where off the radar guys make
impacts every single year, like remember when the Chargers, you
know they had tar Heeb still who I didn't know
who that was last year when he got drafted, and
then he just starts making plays and gets like a
game win. He pick in the Atlanta game, a fifth
round pick, buried on the depth chart at started training camp,
(15:34):
and then he winds up being like a starter down
the stretch. That would not have That wouldn't have shocked
me for Matre if he had jumped into the slot
cornerback role and Cater gets kicked outside. And that was
what I had planned out for you guys. And then
as I go to tape some of this on a
Tuesday afternoon, I find out that Jason Matrie has been
placed on injury reserves.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
So yeah, dude, that part is a bummer.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
Otherwise, I think Isaiah Johnson fits what they want be
in terms of more man corner coverage and playing more
physical up in your face to go along with that
dominant front seven and all the rush games they can
get to. And then beyond that, I mean, I don't know.
I think, you know, I think Cam's struggles.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
You know, let's go.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Let's go ahead and put a pin in that because
I have another question here about Cam Smith. But mature
was my pick Kevin, but he's now not gonna be
on the team this year because he's injured. Our Genis
Herrera at a aar H underscore seven to one six.
Love your work, Travis, which one of last year's draft picks?
Do you expect to have a bigger impact in year
two with the Dolphins? And man, that's a good one.
(16:39):
I mean there's four obvious ones, right like Patrick Paul
is gonna be your left tackle, Jalen Wright is gonna
be a serious factor in the running game, Chop is
obviously like already that dude, and then Malik Washington. Gosh,
it's it's tough. I I I think Chop is going
(17:00):
to have a very productive year. I think the way
he works and the way he came on and that
first step quickness all coincides with what this defense does.
And while JP and Beachub are kind of getting in
the swing of things, I think he can kind of
carry the pass rush there.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
So I'll go with Chop.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
I think Chop is going to and this comes from
a guy that thinks that Right is going to see
a two hundred carry workload, a guy that thinks that
Malik is going to be a very good receiver three,
A guy that thinks that Patrick Paul is going to
be like a guy that you don't even worry about
at this time next year at left tackle. I think
that Chop Robinson has like twelve sack potential. I think
he's that good and if he does that, then he
(17:34):
would be the guy here. So I'm gonna go with Chop,
your first round pick from last year. Just keeps on
getting better and we'll trust that trajectory. At Julian at
Mack Arrow Draft era, what a great freaking name.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
That is.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
My question, he says, is about the Jalen Ramsey deal.
Considering there's talk of various teams being interested, what do
you think of a player for player swap, getting someone younger,
perhaps in the final year of a rookie deal, a
safety or corner. Maybe that can be a better value
than what we get for a draft pick. I do
agree that would be the ideal route, but at the
same time, like you probably want a corner in return
(18:05):
for him, maybe a safety, right And if that's what
you get the team that's trading away that player, yeah,
they could see as a one for one upgrade, but
I feel like you want to add Ramsey to the
mix and not, you know, not like just do a
slight upgrade on one position, if that makes sense. So
I was looking at the Rams and the Commanders and
(18:26):
the Cowboys rosters and like there wasn't a lot in
those positions that interest me. Like for the Cowboys, it
was like Savon Revel, but they just drafted him, So
I don't know why they would do that, but I
would love to get that taken care of. Or like
Malik Hooker, they're older but still very productive safety I
think from Washington, like tight end BENSONO was a guy
that I was interested in, But otherwise there's not anybody
(18:47):
in that defensive backfield. It's guys like that, you know,
cheap players and rocket contracts I think can be productive
across the rosters. So to your point, like, I love
the idea because if you get a player, you're getting
impact in twenty twenty five, whereas the pick wouldn't an
impact until at least twenty six, and if it's a
third or fourth round pick, most likely not till twenty seven.
So I like where your head's at, and I think
that's part of the process in terms of trying to
(19:08):
get a deal done there. And you know, Ramsey on
Tuesday tweeted like just the number five and it's five
days until June first, so like, you know, okay, yeah, okay,
Jylan like yeah, Then at Canny Spartan, do you think
it's more likely Cam Smith finally breaks out or that
Jason Marshall is a hit early. That's a tough one, man,
(19:29):
because again, the issues that have kept Cam off the field,
the health is a big issue there, obviously, but also
just like the the natural feel I talk about for
the game all the time hasn't been on there hasn't
been on tape for me in two years, and typically
I think that's tough to catch back up to.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
So I am pretty wary of that.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
I think Jason Marshall has a long way to go
until he's ready to play an NFL game.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
So can I pass and say neither? Like is that
a fair answer?
Speaker 2 (19:58):
I don't know if I don't want to, like just
disparage the two guys, but so far on tape, from
what I've seen, I wouldn't feel super confident just rolling
out those guys as potential starters.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Right now this season. Now, Cam I think has a chance.
He's got very good skills.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
He's what he was at South Carolina was a confident, twitchy,
you know, find the ball cornerback, and if he can
recapture that, that'd be fantastic.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
We just haven't seen it in two years here.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
I'm hoping that they can, you know, find rEFInd that
that action that drive in year three here. Aiden White
at AMW twenty twenty two, see do you think the
Dolphins should look to add someone to the safety room.
My Lion's friends love Iffy, but he was never available
to be a full time starter, and the rest are
unproven guys.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
That's that's how I feel.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
I think the Iffy is as a green player. We've
done the color coordination right, blue chip, green and orange's
where you want to be. I think he has potential
to be a like not probably not go to the
Pro Bowl, but like be on the verge in that
discussion among those guys because he's so physically gifted. I
think he's smart as hell. He can play all three
levels of the defense and come down and hit in
(21:01):
the running game. But to your point, he gets hurt often,
and that was kind of the knock on DeShawn Elliott
when he got here, and then now he's been healthy
ever since. So sometimes it works out for guys, other
times it does not. I don't think it's a soft
tissue thing for Iffy as much as it is like contact,
which was to Shawn Elliott's issue. It's not a Joey
Bosa situation for the Bills, who, by the way, already
has a calf injury and it is supposed to miss
a bunch of time. According to Sean McDermott. Like sometimes
(21:24):
guys just can't like Toronto Armstead, their body just won't
let them do it right. I don't think that's the
case for Iffy. So in terms of adding someone, there
are names all over the free agent market right now.
I continue to really like Julian Blackman, who's I don't
know why he's not signed. We got Marcus May like
a few weeks from now this time of year last year,
(21:45):
So if you could make that happen, I'd be pretty
excited about that. You're gonna see Marcus Williams name probably
attached a lot, but watching his film last year was
kind of rough. So even with the connection there to
coach Weave, I'm not sure that's something you want to explore,
but I think that you should look into it.
Speaker 1 (21:57):
I'd probably be.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
More inclined to possibly upgrade what I think Ashton Davis
is slotted in for right now in terms of being
that second safety in the post alongside Iffy, and I
think that their interchangeability in that way it makes some sense.
And I kind of view Patrick mc morris as more
of like a big nickel. I could be wrong on that,
it could be something else, but I think that's how
I would look at it, And if I can find
(22:19):
someone that I think can push Ashton for that spot,
I would be inclined to explore that option. Nick at
the real Lefty fifty three, there are a lot of
players that will get starting opportunities this year. Paul Davis
or Morris rookie defensive tackles, Jonah, your in line tight end,
your outside corner. Who do you think is most likely
to shine from those guys? And who do you think
(22:41):
the Dolphins need most to shine? But I think, gosh,
you guys keep asking me to make Sophie's choice or
pick my favorite child because you listened his name. I
just told you Kenneth Grant was gonna be awesome on
it right away. I think both KG and Jonah are
going to be plus starters in year one, So I'm
gonna go with those guys. And I think that would
be probably the answer to both questions, because, uh, I mean,
(23:08):
if if Jonah doesn't work out, then you're you're going
towards Liam or Larry Borum right in that direction, and
I'd rather have Jonah in that position. If KG does
not work out, you're looking at another rookie somebody to Jones.
I think you kind of need both those guys to
be what you expect them to be as first year players,
and for me, that's like, you know, green players. I
think that Jonah, Jonah and James Daniels signify and ability
(23:32):
to be more adaptable, more amenable to winning games against
tougher teams and more and not not even just like
more physical teams, but better teams. The way you can
line up and just go win a football game. I
think both Jonah and KG give the opportunity to do that,
and Kg's ability to help you play lighter boxes and
what he can do there and how he can it
really expand the pass rush of Zach Sealer and the
(23:53):
rest of the guys up front because of what he does.
I think that the ripple effect of him there and
the ripple effect of what Jonah means for the offense
in terms of how they can be left handed if
they have to be. I think both those guys are
the answers to your question. The cornerback spot, though, I
would say, like that's probably the one that you need
to shine, but I don't have a good answer for
who that could be right now. I don't think that
(24:14):
you can just skate by on like, oh, the pass
which is very good, so we can throw some rookies
out there, like, I don't think you're I think you're
playing with fire if you do that. So it's the
spot right now that like everybody else, I'm most the
most questions about. Let's take our last break, right there,
come back on the other side and finish up your
mail bag questions on the Draft Time podcast brought to
you by Autoation. Right we're back, Let's go ahead and
(24:38):
jump into a few more of your male bag questions
and then get the hell out of here and enjoy
a weekend that will take us into June and possibly
a resolution on the Jalen Ramsey saga.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
And I man, I want.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
I would love to get some new players and get
some some film cranked out, because right now I've got
we had yesterday's practice, will have one next week. We'll
have three practices or at least two three schedule. Sometimes
it's only two because sometimes they cancel the last OTA practice.
But I've got like two three more podcasts I need
to do in that time. And I would love to
have some players to break down for you all before
I go on break, because once I go on break,
(25:13):
I'm not actually, yeah, I am, I'm not gonna. I'm
not gonna sit there and not do content. I'm like,
who am I kidding? You're not supposed to win your oppternity,
but I always do he's a psycho. He needs the
football in his life, so hopefully we get some new
players or something to talk about in that time.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
For the podcast sake, Let's do.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
A few more questions here, This one from Rick FB
at Rick FB fifty four. I'm guessing that means Zach Thomas,
can Mike McDaniel and company bring back the consistent chunk
gains over the middle much less outside to the passing
offense and what's the most important factors for that? So
I did write these mail bag questions into my copy
(25:53):
with the Tuesday episode. So if you didn't hear Tuesday's episode,
which if you're writing into the podcast, I am imagine
you're in every episode listener, so that wouldn't make much sense.
But if you didn't check it out, go back and
look at that. I talked about the influence of the
running game and staying out of negative runs and staying
in proper down in distance and the threat of that
to influence the middle of the football field. And I
(26:14):
don't know if you guys follow Wattleville. I'm not sure
his entire name, but he keeps on posting these clips
of really good two of throws and I'm really enjoying
the discourse in the in the comments section because football's
in esoteric sport. Esoteric means difficult to you know, understand
in parts, right, And I love that people are interested
(26:35):
by it, but not everyone knows what the hell is
going on, because I'm seeing comments like he clearly made
that predetermination on the throw before he took the snap, Like, dude,
there's there's a clip with a throw to Malik on
an mbreaker where he puts the ball on the leak
right out of the break and it's it's such a
good window fit and you see both the middle of
the field safety and the mic linebacker kind of influence
(26:56):
off to the right.
Speaker 1 (26:57):
That's because to a move those guys.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
So I just I really get tired by those comments
and now I more so laugh at them. So Two,
his ability to be on the field is a big
part of that. Two, his ability to stay hot and
within rhythm and to get to his checklist. I think
the biggest thing you can do for this rick is
to kind of reduce his pre snap checklist and get
him to the line of scrimmage with more time on
the clock. Because sorry, my wife just texted me, because
(27:25):
when he can do that, and he can be sharper
pre snap and have a little bit more of a
relaxed approach pre snap. I think that makes him the
most deadly version of himself post snap, where he knows
if I can get my footwork to this spot and
drive to this direction, I can move that defender and
that will clear this land. I have this leverage of
this defender, my trust Malik to win the inside leverage there.
Like that's how two was. Brain works in processes and
stuff real time. So the easier you can make the
(27:47):
pre snap process, the better I think his post snap
can be. And I really, really really think that we
will get back to that with the improved running game
and with receivers that are on their p's and q's.
You know, Tyreek, if you want to take us word
for the fact he's working harder this year, he says
it every year, so I don't know. But if you
do get a refocused Tyreek, I think that will be
a big part of it. I think we're deeper in
(28:08):
all the eligible rooms at running back, at receiver, at
tight end with Pharaoh Brown, with Nick Westbrook a k
A with in my assumption, a jump and workload from
Jalen Right, So I think that just better overall surrounding
cast a better offensive line that will create more of
a running game.
Speaker 1 (28:24):
And I saw this great quote a while back.
Speaker 2 (28:27):
I forget who set up, but it was like, you know,
we talk about running game and passing game and the
numbers of all that stuff. The real effect of the
running game is that guys are aware of it and
afraid of it. Because if you are worried about getting
pushed off the ball, it changes the way you fire
out of your stance and the way you initiate contact
in the trenches and you're not on a pass rush plan.
(28:47):
It's kind of two different skills and arts. So the
more you can make the defense think about the running
game and stay out of those negative plays, it obviously
creates more advantageous situations. So throw the football, but it
also sticks in the back of that defense's mind. I
have to be ready for Patrick Paul trying to steamroll me,
and I can't just throw my pass rushbo out there
because he's gonna knock me on my butt. So there's
(29:08):
a lot of things to go into it. The Tuesday
episode is a great starting point, and then I think
what I just said there kind of covers it all.
Sebastian at Finns Fan forty seven. My daughter has a
Sebastian in her class and it's all Spanish speaking except
for my daughter, and she comes home and she speaks
a little bit of Spanish and she'll say, it's Sebastian
and it's the cutest freaking thing in the entire world.
(29:28):
So when I see that name, I think about Sebastian,
who leads the team in sex. He's going with Chop.
Sebastian is yeah, I mean Zach has Yeah. I'm gonna
go with Chop two. Either Chop or Jalen Phillips. That's
my two picks. I think JP's a fifteen sat guy
waiting to happen. It's just been on a hole for
a few years and it's kind of maybe a little
(29:49):
bit presumptuous to jump to that mark right away, but
I do think JP can get back there.
Speaker 1 (29:53):
I'm gonna say I'll go with this.
Speaker 2 (29:55):
I'll say JP and Chop are McGuire and Sosa in
ninety eight Chasing the Records There Emigo with Zach Sealer
as Kingerfred Junior, the old reliable Well yeah, Zaq sealer
so consistent and he's gonna be griffy in this race.
So that's what I'm going with. But I think we
have three guys that could push for ten sacks there.
(30:15):
Michael Lee at slow Poke eight twenty four, what kind
of tweaks or changes do you think is being drawn
up with some of the new guys like Akenne and
Brown and Right and Washington in their second year. I
think they have to find a way to get away
from the leaning on the screen game because last year
the screen game effectively replaced what was a running game
that just didn't exist after that Buffalo game, right Like
(30:36):
it was tough sledding for most of the year after
that contest. So I think that your ability to get
the running game going with those guys off the edge
and how they can impact. All those guys you mentioned
are good blockers besides Right. Obviously it's not a blocker,
but all those guys can help your running game and
you can reduce the number of reps you have in
the screen game. But also I think a Kyne's ability
to block off the edge and insert into the runfit
(30:58):
or into the run blocking ski kind of allows you
to be very versatile with your personnel like you can
have You could have John Whu and Akeene and you
can consider an eleven personnel where you think John who's
the tight end and Akeeni is the receiver. But you
can swap those guys or can serve as a two
tight end personnel package because Akeene can do that stuff.
So I'm very excited about what he can do. I
(31:19):
think Parroh Brown gives you similar, like better blocking than
what Julian Hill was last year, even though I think
Julian can take a big step this year. And he
gives you more downfield threat as a pass catcher too,
So there's all kinds of stuff. I think it really
helps the short intermediate game. That's kind of where they
can focus on and just continue to get Reacan waddle
back to the intermediate and deep game. Ken Dasher at
k DASH sixty five, Travis, love your work, Appreciate your positivity.
Speaker 1 (31:42):
Thank you. It's how I always want to cover this team.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
I'm of the opinion that Ali Gordon would easily beat
out Madison for the power back role this year.
Speaker 1 (31:48):
What are your thoughts.
Speaker 2 (31:49):
I just spoke to Eric Smith, who gets a second
shout out on the show of the week, and he
says that he thinks that Allie might push for running
back too. He's that big of a believer if you
go back to the Doak Walker year, like, Yeah, he
was phenomenal that year. I do share that thought, Ken,
I think that Allie could be the third running back
on this team. I think that's kind of the idea
with him and Madison, and hopefully Allie has you know, longer,
(32:09):
long term upside as well. But either way, I just
love the attitude change that comes with those two guys
because they are both mean, physical, drop their shoulder pads
and pick up an extra yard through contact type of runners.
They're they're both really good locker room teammates type of guys.
So I do think I'll stack Gordon as running back
three going into camp in terms of my expectations for
how it will play out. And we'll see, but I
(32:30):
really want to see a chans roll, you know, sparse
more out and I want to see so much more
of you Lan, right, and then if we get to
those guys, and that's a good problem to have, it's
a good problem to have two more here live fighter
at brand Branderson seven four seven four oh Man what's
your thought on these Finns podcast de measuring contests. I
will say this, back when I was trying to make
(32:52):
a name for myself and I when I got into this,
my goal was always to get to this position and
beyond hopefully, and so I I took it as a
slight if you didn't find my content as good as
somebody else's, because I felt mine was the best out there,
and I probably felt a little bit of a need
to kind of denigrate other posters to show you how
much better my content was than theirs, which was always
(33:13):
the wrong approach. And that's how I feel about it now,
Like in hindsight, I could have been better about it
back then, but now looking at it from this perspective,
do good content and nothing else will matter. If you're
posting about other people, that's time you're taking away from
yourself to create good content.
Speaker 1 (33:30):
So do the good stuff and it'll stand out.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
If you don't do good stuff and you think you
do and you're not understanding why it's not getting picked
up by bigger publications or whatever, it's because it's not
good enough. Be better and people will find you. That's
all it comes down to. As far as getting into fights.
I just don't give a damn because why who cares?
I have a great job, I have a family I
go to home to every night that loves me, and
why would I care about what people on Twitter? I
(33:53):
think that's that's my new old man perspective. Last one
here from at Jason Sarney. Jason, what's up man? Hope
you're doing. Oh, I'm sure I'll see you down here
for camp sometime this summer. Who is going to be
a Day three steal of the twenty twenty five draft
picks for the Dolphins? And why is it? Dante Trader Junior.
I love when Jason gets on a kick about a player.
He is very convicted in his beliefs. I love your
belief in him. I haven't really seen him play yet,
(34:15):
but he's been so impressive as a person that that
has me excited.
Speaker 1 (34:18):
But for me, it's Jordan Phillips.
Speaker 2 (34:20):
He was a top seventy player on my board for me,
and I just think he's going to be excellent, So
there's no other possible answer for me. Jordan Phillips is
my pick for that. But I'm excited to hear what
you come way with from watching Trader when you get
down here for camp, Jason, all right, let's go ahead
and get out here longer than I thought.
Speaker 1 (34:33):
It always is.
Speaker 2 (34:34):
Subscribe, rate review the show, follow me on social at
WINGFLD NFL. The team at Miami Dolphins. Check out my
guy Sethan Juice on the fish Tank podcast. Check out
the YouTube channel Dolphins Hkey is in the off season,
but we'll have season two for you guys come training camp.
All the old episodes up on the YouTube channel. Check
out Miami Dolphins dot com until then. Until next time,
I should say, fins up Carlin and Cameron.
Speaker 1 (34:55):
Daddy, he's coming over.
Drive Time with Travis Wingfield.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
What is up, Dolphins, and welcome to the Draft Time Podcast.
I am your host, Travis Wingfield. And on today's show,
the mail Bag, I'm only answering your guys's questions. It's
a long one. We're gonna get to all those. Let's
jump in from the Baptist Hill Studios inside the Baptist
Health Training Complex. This is the Draft Time Podcast. Let's
(00:31):
go ahead and crack open this mail bag?
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Do I have I do not have the Blues Clues
mail drop?
Speaker 2 (00:38):
I should have that, really, I mean I could go
put it in right now, but we're gonna skip over that.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
I tweeted about this and.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
I think it was last week, and then you guys
put a bunch of great questions in there, and I
wound up going way too deep on the a chan
and corners versus pass rush debate or topic and wound
up blowing right past a bunch of the mail bag questions.
So I thought, let's go ahead and just dedicate a
whole episode.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
To the mail bag.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
There's all kinds of questions in there. You can do
an entire show off of this stuff. And little transparency
peak behind the curtain here open the kimono, whatever you
want to say, peel back the onion. You guys really
help me by doing that, because I've got so much
content to get done before I go on paternity leave
as my third child, my second daughter is going to
(01:28):
get here sometime in mid to late June, and I
have to basically have like five or six weeks of
content ready and I have none of that done yet.
So you guys really helped me kind of get a
quick episode in and I can get to work on
future episodes. So let's go ahead and jump into the
mail bag here. I tweeted about this and it did
come from the mail bag, but I thought it was
worth pulling back up here because it's.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
How do I say this?
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Sometimes my frustrations with like the commentary of you know,
other people covering the Dolphins is because I feel like
it sometimes put the impetus on correcting that incorrect take,
for instance, the three nose tackles things. To be as
nice about as I possibly can, to have that thought,
(02:18):
to have that level of understanding, it just means you
haven't done the homework. And now I'm trying to be
as kind as I can about that, because that's all
that would produce that take, because if you just go
back and watch the tape, if you go and look
at the numbers, you can find the stuff. With a
thirty second Google search, you can find it. And so
(02:39):
I thought it was worth covering here because I tweeted
about it, but I just want to go ahead and
put it on the show. I put most of my
content on this show, all of my content, I should say,
and I only put a small amount of what I
do on social anymore, because that's very much intentional.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
I would.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
For instance, I was just on a Twitter thread and
it was a video of a guy turning down the television.
They're at a family dinner and he was across the
table from his wife and the television is on like
volume thirty behind her head, and he turns down to
like volume eight, and she looks up and acknowledges like, oh,
thank you, sweetheart, Like he knew that she does not
like a loud TV at family dinner, so he turned
(03:13):
it down and she gave him like an unspoken thank you.
And I went in the thread and every single reply
was from a bot, obviously, but it was like, grock,
explain this, what's happening? Why don't I understand this video.
It's like, well, dude, because you haven't. All you do
look at your phone day like you don't have an
education because you're too stupid a thing for yourself. And
that's why I don't really use Twitter anymore, because it's
either boss or morons, and I just can't really deal
(03:35):
with that. So I apologize if you're active on Twitter.
There's some good accounts on there still, but it is
a wretched website these days, and so I don't use
it very often, but i'd use it for the Twitter
mailbag when I need you guys just help producing the show.
So I tweeted about it and it was about the
nose tackle comment. So Kenneth Grant played almost three times
as many snaps in the B gaps last year at
Michigan as he did in the A gaps. The B
(03:57):
gap means you are basically no further than the inside
shoulder off of the guard or no further inside than that,
and the A gaps are when you play head up
over the center or off either either shoulder of the center.
Jordan Phillips played two hundred and forty three snaps in
the B gaps compared to two hundred and eighty three
(04:17):
in the A gaps, So he did play more nos,
but by forty snaps and compared to you know, two
hundred and forty versus two hundred and eighty. And when
I watched his tape, I mean the tape is the
biggest indicator of all this stuff. Watch his tape and
I think that he that the real professional upside and
where you can unlock Jordan Phillips as a guy that
I liked on on day two because of his upside
(04:39):
is as like a three technique Christian Wilkins type who
has pass rush wiggle but also the strength to hold
a point against the run. It's like an eighty percent
snap taker that I think he can be at that
position with some work inside at the nose tackle. But
I think that Zeke Biggers was drafted more because remember
this is like going back to the thing like he
didn't catch passes as a running back in college. Why
is he going to do it as a pro. You
(05:01):
can't say that because if he wasn't asked to do it,
and that's all you have to go off of, and
that's all you have to go off of.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
But once he gets to.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
The pros, he might have that workload expanded a little bit,
And so if I watch a player at college, I
don't just say that's all he's going to be. And
that's why, like, these data points are great, but I
want to extrapolate the film tolls me tells me. Yeah,
Kenneth Grant can be a disrupted to zero and one technique,
but he also can play a three technique and win
from that position. Jordan Phillips played more NOS and can
(05:30):
do it, but I think that his best work in
the NFL is going to be as a three technique.
And then Zeke Biggers, who I think profiles by far
the most as a true NFL NOS tackle, a seventh
round draft pick who I kind of think you're going
to get like ten twelve snaps a game from this
year as a based down heavy front nose tackle that
just clogs lanes and plays the run game. I think
(05:50):
that's his projection at the next level. But that's not
what Georgia Tech had him do. They had him played
three hundred and sixty nine snaps in the B gap
compared to just forty two as a nose tackle in
the A gap. So the data tells you straight to
your face, that ain't what it is, and the film
further confirms that. In fact, the film kind of flips
the point on Biggers because he is an NFL nose
(06:13):
tackle in my opinion, Can he do more and expand
that profile?
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Yeah, sure of course.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
But I think when he first gets here, I believe
that's gonna be his calling card off the top. So
that's the nose tackle debate, the defensive tackle debate. Let's
go ahead and get to the rest of your questions here,
starting with this one from at Fanatico's Brazil first season
with continude on either side of the ball, who's about
to take the biggest leap on the team and have
a breakout season?
Speaker 1 (06:35):
So I love this question. I'm gonna give you three
players here.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
I think Jalen Waddle will get back to the production
we saw from him in twenty twenty two. I feel
like he's a sleeping giant who is about to go
scorch to Earth and for whatever reason, hasn't had the
production the last couple of years. You know, twenty three,
he missed some time here and there, and just seemed
like every time he got kind of hot in twenty three,
he would get nicked up and have to miss a game,
or you know, come out of a game or play
(06:59):
on a bumming, whatever it might be. And then last year,
I just think the entirety of last year, like so
much went wrong you can kind of just throw in
the trash. But I think that he's I still believe
twenty twenty two is who Jayleen Waddle is as a
player in terms of production. And then I think the
obvious one is Jalen Right. I think he's gonna have
a great season. I don't think it's crazy to expect
that by the Buccaneers Patriots game down the stretch end
(07:22):
of the season that he might be like the running
back one. And that's not a slight to a Chan
by any stretch, because eight Chan is one of the
most electrifying eligibles in this league. But I think we've
been over this. I think that his role is better
served as being more of a jack of all trades,
you know, kind of a floating utility type more than
just to every down running back. I think Right can
be the every down running back. I think that he
could have a I think you could have a thousand
(07:44):
yard season if it gets enough touches give him two
hundred Carrieres, I think he could do it. I think
Kenneth Grant is my third pick, and I think because
he's going to be good right away. I think he's
already going to be, like by the time we get
to the Jets Monday night game, they're gonna be talking
about him as like an established starter in this league
three games into his career.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
So I think that's three sort of different answers.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Wattle re establishes his dominance, KG is good from the
word go, and Jalen Wright is the true breakout player
on the roster. Dan Johnson at DJ twenty seventy five.
How hard can OTAs be run? I heard the Steelers
use them as a gauntlet style to establish culture and toughness.
I also hear that we tend to not push the limits.
Is there a real difference? Well, I yeah, OTAs, there's
(08:26):
parameters to all of this. So what one team might
be doing versus another team might be skirting the rules
because all I know is you can't do certain things,
like you get a certain amount of time on the grass,
you get a certain amount of time with coaches, with
the players. That's why I've been so pumped up about
what I've been seeing here this entire offseason because the
(08:47):
coaches only get a finite amount of time with the players,
but the players can go on the field themselves. And
that's why, Like when I watch Tyrel Dotson and Jordan
Brooks get the entire defense and go through the entire
list of calls and changes and shifts every single day
after practice to kind of, you know, rehearse what they
just worked on. They al post practice walk through that
really encourages me. And they can do that. So that's
all part of the CBA with what they can and
(09:08):
cannot do. So technically speaking, there shouldn't be a difference
across different camps. There's definitely no contact. They don't wear
shoulder pads, they don't wear pants. They're just wearing helmets
and shorts in these practices, shorts and shells. So I
don't know how you'd make it tougher without contact, right,
So this time of year, it's all about technique and
(09:30):
install So like they're making their proverbial swing changes right
now and they're trying to enact those and coaches love
this time of year because it's the only time where
you can just drill on your fundamentals.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
It's going back to golf.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
If you were in season and you know, eighteen weeks,
eighteen holes in the golf course. Like, if you're on
week eleven and you have a fundamental change you have
to make to your game, you can work on it,
but it's kind of like trying to make a swing
change on the tea box on the eleventh hole. They tell
you not to do that because you're not going to
work it out on the course. Can you can improve things,
but it's a big gamble to try to work on
(10:03):
things while you're playing the game, Whereas this time of year,
you're on the driving range, you can go ahead and
tinker and play around with things. So coaches love this
time of year to work on those fundamentals and techniques. Sean,
and there's there's no difference because you literally can't. It's
it's the same rules for everybody. Sean at pass and yell,
I think I said that, right, Pa s C I
n E L past.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
I suck at pronouncing things. Travis, thank you for your
weekly grind for OTAs. What can you learn about the
rookies during this time that you might not see on
film study. So I love the question because I fall
into this trap sometimes of maybe being too film oriented
and not thinking about other factors and that's kind of
a weak spot for me that I have to work on.
But the first thing for me is always how they move.
It's it's the number one criteria, and how they look
(10:46):
in terms of like their building size and stature compared
to their contemporaries, and now that we get to see
them alongside those contemporaries, it's a great a great tool
for measurement. Like I remember when Channing Tyndall tracked down
this thirty yard seam shot that Tanner Connor I think
it was. I think it was it was training camp
because Kyle Krabs is out here and we were like,
WHOA Like Tanner Connor's like a twenty two mile per
(11:07):
hour top speed guy and that linebacker just ran with him.
Now it didn't matter because here we are four years later.
But it's it's obviously more than that. So I look
for guys that can, you know, that can be engaged,
and they're always tuned into what their coaches are saying.
They're asking coaches for extra you know, tutoring during the drills,
they're running between drills, they're getting back in line and
(11:27):
not deally dialing around like dance and have fun, but
like you know, that's when it's time to focus up
and lock in.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
Let's lock in.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
They get extra reps, you know, small things like that,
how they interact with their teammates. Things you can learn
a lot. I think you can learn a lot by
observing guys at practice. And it's really hard to judge
these practices because again, you're just you're trying to enact
a swing change, whereas in season we're trying to focus
on results. That's a little bit different. So results are fun,
that's what the fans come out here for a practice.
But take a look at evaluation, Like there's a reason
(11:56):
why you are wrong, and I am wrong on roster
predictions because the coaches know what the players are trying
to do at practice. We don't. We don't have that,
you know, we're not afforded that luxury. So that's why
I like, you're like, wait, why did he make the roster?
Probably because he was executing his assignments every single day
and just because he didn't have a bunch of long touchdowns.
Then you know it doesn't have to be the case,
Like you can have an effective day at practice without
(12:17):
it looking like it to the fans at the Man
the myth forty five who faced more double teams in
college Kenny g or Mason Graham. I didn't have this
stat when I first wrote it down, but I went
back and found it for you, all right, So I
came back and found some metrics. I don't know how
reliable these are, but I did see that Mason Graham
had significantly more double teams than Kenny Grant did than
(12:38):
Kennethy Grant did at Michigan. It was sixty two to
like twenty nine, was the chart that I saw, But
I'm not sure how accurate that is. I can double
check that and come back and maybe maybe get you
a better answer, but that's I think it was. I
think it was that there was that much disparity there.
But they both got double teamed a lot in the
running game, you know, on duo blocks, an inside zone,
(12:58):
and then in past wrestling situation they kind of shared
the bulk of it. But I think over the course
of the entire season, Mason Graham did about double up
on Kenneth Grant there at Randy d easily. What are
the player's perspectives of their new teammates. I think it's
maybe a little bit too early to answer that, because, well, one,
I haven't been around the guys in that capacity in
the same way. So maybe maybe doing media day, I'll
(13:21):
ask some of those questions and we can get some
some further answers on that and circle back.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
Sound good.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Next one here, Let's go ahead and take a break,
and then we'll come back and do some more on
the other side of the Draft Time podcast brought to
you by AutoNation kind of like the vibe of this
mailbag only podcast. I feel like most times I do
this and this is like my production for every single
episode I do, I put like, what's I think is
going to be thirty minutes worth of content in there,
(13:46):
and then it winds up being forty forty five. I
just I cannot help myself. It's been a problem since
I was at Locked On and David Locke was always like, hey,
twenty two minutes, dude, You're like, save it for another show.
I'm like, I just want to do more Dolphine football content.
So this mode because I always feel like I'm rushing
through the mailbags at the end of episodes. But now
I can just get to all these and just kind
(14:06):
of hang out and crack a cold one with the boys.
That's what it feels like. Anyways, you guys watch the
Outdoor Boys channel yet at all. I've been talking about
it all week. I feel like I saw one where
he punched a fish to death. He was like, Oh,
get me a rock to smash this fish's head, and
he's like, I got it, punch of the fish. I
(14:30):
was watching my wife and she's like, he's got to
be like an eagle scow or something because he's so dorky,
but so mainly it's just such an interesting combination. And
he's a great film editor too, Like guy takes like
fifteen thousand clips of every single video and then he
edits down to like two minute clips where he shows
you everything he's doing and it's just so good and
so arduous. Anyway, off the rails here, let's get back
(14:51):
into the mailbag pod here at Kevin Wagner PhD. Is
that Wagner or Wagner? I hope I'm saying that right.
I know everything is a big names, but are you
interested in seeing what some of the young corners on
this team can do Johnson, Matree, Bonner, all very interesting prospects.
So first of all, I love this, And in my
freaking note right here, I wrote that I think Jason
(15:12):
Matrie has the goods, the temperament, the suddenness, the competitiveness.
Every time I've watched him as a Dolphin, I've been impressed.
And in a league where off the radar guys make
impacts every single year, like remember when the Chargers, you
know they had tar Heeb still who I didn't know
who that was last year when he got drafted, and
then he just starts making plays and gets like a
game win. He pick in the Atlanta game, a fifth
round pick, buried on the depth chart at started training camp,
(15:34):
and then he winds up being like a starter down
the stretch. That would not have That wouldn't have shocked
me for Matre if he had jumped into the slot
cornerback role and Cater gets kicked outside. And that was
what I had planned out for you guys. And then
as I go to tape some of this on a
Tuesday afternoon, I find out that Jason Matrie has been
placed on injury reserves.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
So yeah, dude, that part is a bummer.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
Otherwise, I think Isaiah Johnson fits what they want be
in terms of more man corner coverage and playing more
physical up in your face to go along with that
dominant front seven and all the rush games they can
get to. And then beyond that, I mean, I don't know.
I think, you know, I think Cam's struggles.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
You know, let's go.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Let's go ahead and put a pin in that because
I have another question here about Cam Smith. But mature
was my pick Kevin, but he's now not gonna be
on the team this year because he's injured. Our Genis
Herrera at a aar H underscore seven to one six.
Love your work, Travis, which one of last year's draft picks?
Do you expect to have a bigger impact in year
two with the Dolphins? And man, that's a good one.
(16:39):
I mean there's four obvious ones, right like Patrick Paul
is gonna be your left tackle, Jalen Wright is gonna
be a serious factor in the running game, Chop is
obviously like already that dude, and then Malik Washington. Gosh,
it's it's tough. I I I think Chop is going
(17:00):
to have a very productive year. I think the way
he works and the way he came on and that
first step quickness all coincides with what this defense does.
And while JP and Beachub are kind of getting in
the swing of things, I think he can kind of
carry the pass rush there.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
So I'll go with Chop.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
I think Chop is going to and this comes from
a guy that thinks that Right is going to see
a two hundred carry workload, a guy that thinks that
Malik is going to be a very good receiver three,
A guy that thinks that Patrick Paul is going to
be like a guy that you don't even worry about
at this time next year at left tackle. I think
that Chop Robinson has like twelve sack potential. I think
he's that good and if he does that, then he
(17:34):
would be the guy here. So I'm gonna go with Chop,
your first round pick from last year. Just keeps on
getting better and we'll trust that trajectory. At Julian at
Mack Arrow Draft era, what a great freaking name.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
That is.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
My question, he says, is about the Jalen Ramsey deal.
Considering there's talk of various teams being interested, what do
you think of a player for player swap, getting someone younger,
perhaps in the final year of a rookie deal, a
safety or corner. Maybe that can be a better value
than what we get for a draft pick. I do
agree that would be the ideal route, but at the
same time, like you probably want a corner in return
(18:05):
for him, maybe a safety, right And if that's what
you get the team that's trading away that player, yeah,
they could see as a one for one upgrade, but
I feel like you want to add Ramsey to the
mix and not, you know, not like just do a
slight upgrade on one position, if that makes sense. So
I was looking at the Rams and the Commanders and
(18:26):
the Cowboys rosters and like there wasn't a lot in
those positions that interest me. Like for the Cowboys, it
was like Savon Revel, but they just drafted him, So
I don't know why they would do that, but I
would love to get that taken care of. Or like
Malik Hooker, they're older but still very productive safety I
think from Washington, like tight end BENSONO was a guy
that I was interested in, But otherwise there's not anybody
(18:47):
in that defensive backfield. It's guys like that, you know,
cheap players and rocket contracts I think can be productive
across the rosters. So to your point, like, I love
the idea because if you get a player, you're getting
impact in twenty twenty five, whereas the pick wouldn't an
impact until at least twenty six, and if it's a
third or fourth round pick, most likely not till twenty seven.
So I like where your head's at, and I think
that's part of the process in terms of trying to
(19:08):
get a deal done there. And you know, Ramsey on
Tuesday tweeted like just the number five and it's five
days until June first, so like, you know, okay, yeah, okay,
Jylan like yeah, Then at Canny Spartan, do you think
it's more likely Cam Smith finally breaks out or that
Jason Marshall is a hit early. That's a tough one, man,
(19:29):
because again, the issues that have kept Cam off the field,
the health is a big issue there, obviously, but also
just like the the natural feel I talk about for
the game all the time hasn't been on there hasn't
been on tape for me in two years, and typically
I think that's tough to catch back up to.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
So I am pretty wary of that.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
I think Jason Marshall has a long way to go
until he's ready to play an NFL game.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
So can I pass and say neither? Like is that
a fair answer?
Speaker 2 (19:58):
I don't know if I don't want to, like just
disparage the two guys, but so far on tape, from
what I've seen, I wouldn't feel super confident just rolling
out those guys as potential starters.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Right now this season. Now, Cam I think has a chance.
He's got very good skills.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
He's what he was at South Carolina was a confident, twitchy,
you know, find the ball cornerback, and if he can
recapture that, that'd be fantastic.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
We just haven't seen it in two years here.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
I'm hoping that they can, you know, find rEFInd that
that action that drive in year three here. Aiden White
at AMW twenty twenty two, see do you think the
Dolphins should look to add someone to the safety room.
My Lion's friends love Iffy, but he was never available
to be a full time starter, and the rest are
unproven guys.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
That's that's how I feel.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
I think the Iffy is as a green player. We've
done the color coordination right, blue chip, green and orange's
where you want to be. I think he has potential
to be a like not probably not go to the
Pro Bowl, but like be on the verge in that
discussion among those guys because he's so physically gifted. I
think he's smart as hell. He can play all three
levels of the defense and come down and hit in
(21:01):
the running game. But to your point, he gets hurt often,
and that was kind of the knock on DeShawn Elliott
when he got here, and then now he's been healthy
ever since. So sometimes it works out for guys, other
times it does not. I don't think it's a soft
tissue thing for Iffy as much as it is like contact,
which was to Shawn Elliott's issue. It's not a Joey
Bosa situation for the Bills, who, by the way, already
has a calf injury and it is supposed to miss
a bunch of time. According to Sean McDermott. Like sometimes
(21:24):
guys just can't like Toronto Armstead, their body just won't
let them do it right. I don't think that's the
case for Iffy. So in terms of adding someone, there
are names all over the free agent market right now.
I continue to really like Julian Blackman, who's I don't
know why he's not signed. We got Marcus May like
a few weeks from now this time of year last year,
(21:45):
So if you could make that happen, I'd be pretty
excited about that. You're gonna see Marcus Williams name probably
attached a lot, but watching his film last year was
kind of rough. So even with the connection there to
coach Weave, I'm not sure that's something you want to explore,
but I think that you should look into it.
Speaker 1 (21:57):
I'd probably be.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
More inclined to possibly upgrade what I think Ashton Davis
is slotted in for right now in terms of being
that second safety in the post alongside Iffy, and I
think that their interchangeability in that way it makes some sense.
And I kind of view Patrick mc morris as more
of like a big nickel. I could be wrong on that,
it could be something else, but I think that's how
I would look at it, And if I can find
(22:19):
someone that I think can push Ashton for that spot,
I would be inclined to explore that option. Nick at
the real Lefty fifty three, there are a lot of
players that will get starting opportunities this year. Paul Davis
or Morris rookie defensive tackles, Jonah, your in line tight end,
your outside corner. Who do you think is most likely
to shine from those guys? And who do you think
(22:41):
the Dolphins need most to shine? But I think, gosh,
you guys keep asking me to make Sophie's choice or
pick my favorite child because you listened his name. I
just told you Kenneth Grant was gonna be awesome on
it right away. I think both KG and Jonah are
going to be plus starters in year one, So I'm
gonna go with those guys. And I think that would
be probably the answer to both questions, because, uh, I mean,
(23:08):
if if Jonah doesn't work out, then you're you're going
towards Liam or Larry Borum right in that direction, and
I'd rather have Jonah in that position. If KG does
not work out, you're looking at another rookie somebody to Jones.
I think you kind of need both those guys to
be what you expect them to be as first year players,
and for me, that's like, you know, green players. I
think that Jonah, Jonah and James Daniels signify and ability
(23:32):
to be more adaptable, more amenable to winning games against
tougher teams and more and not not even just like
more physical teams, but better teams. The way you can
line up and just go win a football game. I
think both Jonah and KG give the opportunity to do that,
and Kg's ability to help you play lighter boxes and
what he can do there and how he can it
really expand the pass rush of Zach Sealer and the
(23:53):
rest of the guys up front because of what he does.
I think that the ripple effect of him there and
the ripple effect of what Jonah means for the offense
in terms of how they can be left handed if
they have to be. I think both those guys are
the answers to your question. The cornerback spot, though, I
would say, like that's probably the one that you need
to shine, but I don't have a good answer for
who that could be right now. I don't think that
(24:14):
you can just skate by on like, oh, the pass
which is very good, so we can throw some rookies
out there, like, I don't think you're I think you're
playing with fire if you do that. So it's the
spot right now that like everybody else, I'm most the
most questions about. Let's take our last break, right there,
come back on the other side and finish up your
mail bag questions on the Draft Time podcast brought to
you by Autoation. Right we're back, Let's go ahead and
(24:38):
jump into a few more of your male bag questions
and then get the hell out of here and enjoy
a weekend that will take us into June and possibly
a resolution on the Jalen Ramsey saga.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
And I man, I want.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
I would love to get some new players and get
some some film cranked out, because right now I've got
we had yesterday's practice, will have one next week. We'll
have three practices or at least two three schedule. Sometimes
it's only two because sometimes they cancel the last OTA practice.
But I've got like two three more podcasts I need
to do in that time. And I would love to
have some players to break down for you all before
I go on break, because once I go on break,
(25:13):
I'm not actually, yeah, I am, I'm not gonna. I'm
not gonna sit there and not do content. I'm like,
who am I kidding? You're not supposed to win your oppternity,
but I always do he's a psycho. He needs the
football in his life, so hopefully we get some new
players or something to talk about in that time.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
For the podcast sake, Let's do.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
A few more questions here, This one from Rick FB
at Rick FB fifty four. I'm guessing that means Zach Thomas,
can Mike McDaniel and company bring back the consistent chunk
gains over the middle much less outside to the passing
offense and what's the most important factors for that? So
I did write these mail bag questions into my copy
(25:53):
with the Tuesday episode. So if you didn't hear Tuesday's episode,
which if you're writing into the podcast, I am imagine
you're in every episode listener, so that wouldn't make much sense.
But if you didn't check it out, go back and
look at that. I talked about the influence of the
running game and staying out of negative runs and staying
in proper down in distance and the threat of that
to influence the middle of the football field. And I
(26:14):
don't know if you guys follow Wattleville. I'm not sure
his entire name, but he keeps on posting these clips
of really good two of throws and I'm really enjoying
the discourse in the in the comments section because football's
in esoteric sport. Esoteric means difficult to you know, understand
in parts, right, And I love that people are interested
(26:35):
by it, but not everyone knows what the hell is
going on, because I'm seeing comments like he clearly made
that predetermination on the throw before he took the snap, Like, dude,
there's there's a clip with a throw to Malik on
an mbreaker where he puts the ball on the leak
right out of the break and it's it's such a
good window fit and you see both the middle of
the field safety and the mic linebacker kind of influence
(26:56):
off to the right.
Speaker 1 (26:57):
That's because to a move those guys.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
So I just I really get tired by those comments
and now I more so laugh at them. So Two,
his ability to be on the field is a big
part of that. Two, his ability to stay hot and
within rhythm and to get to his checklist. I think
the biggest thing you can do for this rick is
to kind of reduce his pre snap checklist and get
him to the line of scrimmage with more time on
the clock. Because sorry, my wife just texted me, because
(27:25):
when he can do that, and he can be sharper
pre snap and have a little bit more of a
relaxed approach pre snap. I think that makes him the
most deadly version of himself post snap, where he knows
if I can get my footwork to this spot and
drive to this direction, I can move that defender and
that will clear this land. I have this leverage of
this defender, my trust Malik to win the inside leverage there.
Like that's how two was. Brain works in processes and
stuff real time. So the easier you can make the
(27:47):
pre snap process, the better I think his post snap
can be. And I really, really really think that we
will get back to that with the improved running game
and with receivers that are on their p's and q's.
You know, Tyreek, if you want to take us word
for the fact he's working harder this year, he says
it every year, so I don't know. But if you
do get a refocused Tyreek, I think that will be
a big part of it. I think we're deeper in
(28:08):
all the eligible rooms at running back, at receiver, at
tight end with Pharaoh Brown, with Nick Westbrook a k
A with in my assumption, a jump and workload from
Jalen Right, So I think that just better overall surrounding
cast a better offensive line that will create more of
a running game.
Speaker 1 (28:24):
And I saw this great quote a while back.
Speaker 2 (28:27):
I forget who set up, but it was like, you know,
we talk about running game and passing game and the
numbers of all that stuff. The real effect of the
running game is that guys are aware of it and
afraid of it. Because if you are worried about getting
pushed off the ball, it changes the way you fire
out of your stance and the way you initiate contact
in the trenches and you're not on a pass rush plan.
(28:47):
It's kind of two different skills and arts. So the
more you can make the defense think about the running
game and stay out of those negative plays, it obviously
creates more advantageous situations. So throw the football, but it
also sticks in the back of that defense's mind. I
have to be ready for Patrick Paul trying to steamroll me,
and I can't just throw my pass rushbo out there
because he's gonna knock me on my butt. So there's
(29:08):
a lot of things to go into it. The Tuesday
episode is a great starting point, and then I think
what I just said there kind of covers it all.
Sebastian at Finns Fan forty seven. My daughter has a
Sebastian in her class and it's all Spanish speaking except
for my daughter, and she comes home and she speaks
a little bit of Spanish and she'll say, it's Sebastian
and it's the cutest freaking thing in the entire world.
(29:28):
So when I see that name, I think about Sebastian,
who leads the team in sex. He's going with Chop.
Sebastian is yeah, I mean Zach has Yeah. I'm gonna
go with Chop two. Either Chop or Jalen Phillips. That's
my two picks. I think JP's a fifteen sat guy
waiting to happen. It's just been on a hole for
a few years and it's kind of maybe a little
(29:49):
bit presumptuous to jump to that mark right away, but
I do think JP can get back there.
Speaker 1 (29:53):
I'm gonna say I'll go with this.
Speaker 2 (29:55):
I'll say JP and Chop are McGuire and Sosa in
ninety eight Chasing the Records There Emigo with Zach Sealer
as Kingerfred Junior, the old reliable Well yeah, Zaq sealer
so consistent and he's gonna be griffy in this race.
So that's what I'm going with. But I think we
have three guys that could push for ten sacks there.
(30:15):
Michael Lee at slow Poke eight twenty four, what kind
of tweaks or changes do you think is being drawn
up with some of the new guys like Akenne and
Brown and Right and Washington in their second year. I
think they have to find a way to get away
from the leaning on the screen game because last year
the screen game effectively replaced what was a running game
that just didn't exist after that Buffalo game, right Like
(30:36):
it was tough sledding for most of the year after
that contest. So I think that your ability to get
the running game going with those guys off the edge
and how they can impact. All those guys you mentioned
are good blockers besides Right. Obviously it's not a blocker,
but all those guys can help your running game and
you can reduce the number of reps you have in
the screen game. But also I think a Kyne's ability
to block off the edge and insert into the runfit
(30:58):
or into the run blocking ski kind of allows you
to be very versatile with your personnel like you can
have You could have John Whu and Akeene and you
can consider an eleven personnel where you think John who's
the tight end and Akeeni is the receiver. But you
can swap those guys or can serve as a two
tight end personnel package because Akeene can do that stuff.
So I'm very excited about what he can do. I
(31:19):
think Parroh Brown gives you similar, like better blocking than
what Julian Hill was last year, even though I think
Julian can take a big step this year. And he
gives you more downfield threat as a pass catcher too,
So there's all kinds of stuff. I think it really
helps the short intermediate game. That's kind of where they
can focus on and just continue to get Reacan waddle
back to the intermediate and deep game. Ken Dasher at
k DASH sixty five, Travis, love your work, Appreciate your positivity.
Speaker 1 (31:42):
Thank you. It's how I always want to cover this team.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
I'm of the opinion that Ali Gordon would easily beat
out Madison for the power back role this year.
Speaker 1 (31:48):
What are your thoughts.
Speaker 2 (31:49):
I just spoke to Eric Smith, who gets a second
shout out on the show of the week, and he
says that he thinks that Allie might push for running
back too. He's that big of a believer if you
go back to the Doak Walker year, like, Yeah, he
was phenomenal that year. I do share that thought, Ken,
I think that Allie could be the third running back
on this team. I think that's kind of the idea
with him and Madison, and hopefully Allie has you know, longer,
(32:09):
long term upside as well. But either way, I just
love the attitude change that comes with those two guys
because they are both mean, physical, drop their shoulder pads
and pick up an extra yard through contact type of runners.
They're they're both really good locker room teammates type of guys.
So I do think I'll stack Gordon as running back
three going into camp in terms of my expectations for
how it will play out. And we'll see, but I
(32:30):
really want to see a chans roll, you know, sparse
more out and I want to see so much more
of you Lan, right, and then if we get to
those guys, and that's a good problem to have, it's
a good problem to have two more here live fighter
at brand Branderson seven four seven four oh Man what's
your thought on these Finns podcast de measuring contests. I
will say this, back when I was trying to make
(32:52):
a name for myself and I when I got into this,
my goal was always to get to this position and
beyond hopefully, and so I I took it as a
slight if you didn't find my content as good as
somebody else's, because I felt mine was the best out there,
and I probably felt a little bit of a need
to kind of denigrate other posters to show you how
much better my content was than theirs, which was always
(33:13):
the wrong approach. And that's how I feel about it now,
Like in hindsight, I could have been better about it
back then, but now looking at it from this perspective,
do good content and nothing else will matter. If you're
posting about other people, that's time you're taking away from
yourself to create good content.
Speaker 1 (33:30):
So do the good stuff and it'll stand out.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
If you don't do good stuff and you think you
do and you're not understanding why it's not getting picked
up by bigger publications or whatever, it's because it's not
good enough. Be better and people will find you. That's
all it comes down to. As far as getting into fights.
I just don't give a damn because why who cares?
I have a great job, I have a family I
go to home to every night that loves me, and
why would I care about what people on Twitter? I
(33:53):
think that's that's my new old man perspective. Last one
here from at Jason Sarney. Jason, what's up man? Hope
you're doing. Oh, I'm sure I'll see you down here
for camp sometime this summer. Who is going to be
a Day three steal of the twenty twenty five draft
picks for the Dolphins? And why is it? Dante Trader Junior.
I love when Jason gets on a kick about a player.
He is very convicted in his beliefs. I love your
belief in him. I haven't really seen him play yet,
(34:15):
but he's been so impressive as a person that that
has me excited.
Speaker 1 (34:18):
But for me, it's Jordan Phillips.
Speaker 2 (34:20):
He was a top seventy player on my board for me,
and I just think he's going to be excellent, So
there's no other possible answer for me. Jordan Phillips is
my pick for that. But I'm excited to hear what
you come way with from watching Trader when you get
down here for camp, Jason, all right, let's go ahead
and get out here longer than I thought.
Speaker 1 (34:33):
It always is.
Speaker 2 (34:34):
Subscribe, rate review the show, follow me on social at
WINGFLD NFL. The team at Miami Dolphins. Check out my
guy Sethan Juice on the fish Tank podcast. Check out
the YouTube channel Dolphins Hkey is in the off season,
but we'll have season two for you guys come training camp.
All the old episodes up on the YouTube channel. Check
out Miami Dolphins dot com until then. Until next time,
I should say, fins up Carlin and Cameron.
Speaker 1 (34:55):
Daddy, he's coming over.
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