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Miami Dolphins draft focus: No more Mr. Nice Guys | Schad
Browns GM Andrew Berry on why they drafted Shedeur Sanders
Despite already drafting Dillon Gabriel to an already crowded Browns QB room, GM Andrew Berry explains why they couldn’t pass up Shedeur Sander in the fifth round.
Sports Pulse
MIAMI GARDENS — The moment that foreshadowed this Miami Dolphins NFL Draft came in the final days of a cold November, in a locker room in Green Bay Wisconsin.
“Soft,” Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks said of his team’s performance.
It’s a coincidence that five months later the 2025 NFL Draft was held in Green Bay.
It’s no coincidence that the Dolphins drafted a handful of tough, physical, mean bruisers maulers and street-fighters.
“A tonality of violence and aggression,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said during this draft, adding that he and general manager Chris Grier spoke “at length” about addressing the issue.
No more soft guys.
The Dolphins have attacked the soft perception head-on over the past few days.
Miami’s first three picks weigh a collective 975 pounds.
Yes, first-round defensive tackle Kenneth Grant is a monster.
“On the field, it’s no friends, to be honest,” Grant said in Miami Gardens.
Yes, second-round guard Jonah Savaiinaea is a beast.
“Punch guys,” Saviinaea said from Hawaii.
Yes, fifth-defensive tackler Jordan Phillips is a scrapper.
“Grit and willingness,” said Phillips, who is from the Orlando area.
Massive men headed to Miami Gardens to play for Dolphins
There are plenty of problems the Dolphins have to work through before the 2025 season kicks off.
What will they get for Jalen Ramsey when they trade him, presumably as early as June 2? Perhaps Miami can secure a young cornerback; perhaps even a rookie.
Who exactly are Miami’s starting cornerbacks?
At the moment it would appear to be Cam Smith, Storm Duck and Kader Kohou, though clearly Grier will sign at least one veteran capable of starting.
This team seems stuck between trying-to-contend-in-the-AFC and a soft-reset and a hard-rebuild. I’m not entirely sure what it is.
It seems Grier and the Dolphins are trying to thread a needle.
The average age of their roster will be younger.
Miami’s projected offensive line (in some order) is currently aged 23-21-27-27-25.
This is a young man’s game. At times last season, Miami looked old.
Miami Dolphins wants to get younger, tweak culture in 2025
McDaniel is highly focused on delivering messages about positive culture change.
He’s got Ramsey on the move and Tyreek Hill causing off-field headaches again.
He’s going to try to establish some discipline and commitment early in the offseason.
“Non-negotiably we’re going to be one team moving in one direction,” McDaniel said, during the draft, “and we’re going to earn everything we get.”
Print the T-Shirts now. “One Team, One Direction.”
Or don’t. What matters more than the shirts is that the message sinks in.
Miami’s overall roster figures to be on-par or close to on-par in talent to the 2024 version. But last year’s team finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs.
Some things have had to change. And one is this issue about size, strength, toughness, aggression and violence.
What has to change is the on-field “tonality” as McDaniel said.
There is a perception that McDaniel operates a creative offense based in speed and misdirection. There are elements of truth in that.
Dolphins’ Mike McDaniel wants more on-field aggression and violence
But what McDaniel really wants is an offense primed by physicality and power run.
Miami added a running back, Ollie Gordon, in the sixth round.
We can’t say how good Gordon will be, but he fits the theme. And thus it is very, very easy to understand why he’s a player McDaniel and Grier specifically targeted.
“I’m a bruiser,” Gordon told reporters. “I’m going to run through you. I’m going to make you not want to tackle me.”
Yes. More of that. Change perceptions. Change the tone.
It’s a clear goal for the Dolphins in 2025.
Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe’s free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.
A group of South Florida students is preparing to travel more than 8,000 miles to Zimbabwe next Wednesday, though organizers say reaching their fundraising goals has become increasingly difficult this year.
Ten students from Miami Central Senior High School are scheduled to spend 18 days in the country as part of the Blindfolded International Student Cultural Exchange Program (BISCEP). The initiative aims to provide students with cultural immersion and foster global relationships.
“I’m really excited but also a tad bit nervous,” said 11th grader Shonneice Ferris.
For student Samir Rios, the trip offers a chance to engage with a new community. “The most anticipated thing that I’m looking forward to is most likely the students and the kids,” Rios said.
During the 18-day excursion, students plan to attend local schools, volunteer at an orphanage, and visit sites including Victoria Falls. “The first week we’re going to be going to school in Zimbabwe,” Ferris said.
Despite the program’s history of successful trips, BISCEP founder Edwin Sheppard said fundraising efforts have stalled. Many longtime donors have reduced their contributions due to budget constraints.
“A lot of our donors, our past donors, have not been able to donate what they’ve donated in the past,” Sheppard said. “A lot of budget cuts, and so we’re still struggling to raise all of the funding.”
Organizers confirmed the trip will proceed as scheduled despite the financial hurdles.
“This is two different schools, two different sides of the world and two different continents, and I think we’re going to do something amazing out of this,” Rios said.
The students are scheduled to depart next Wednesday. Organizers continue to seek donations to cover the remaining costs. Those interested in supporting the Miami Central Senior High students can find more information at biscep.org.
The contact period for 2028 recruits officially opened on June 15th, and Miami has been active on the recruiting trail.
Now more than ever, recruiting players early matters, with several committing before taking their official visits in their senior season.
Miami has been high on 2028 running back Terriel Harmon for a while, and he discussed the Hurricanes with Miami Hurricanes on SI.
READ MORE: Miami Hurricanes’ 2027 Football Commitment Tracker
The Hurricanes contacted Harmon almost immediately after the contact period opened and got down to business with him.
“The running backs coach (Coach Merritt) hit me up, and we just talked about the leadership I am going to bring to Miami and the environment of Miami,” Harmon said.
Even before the contact period opened up, Harmon already had a sense of what Miami was like.
“They bring the energy,” Harmon continued. “I love the players like Javian Mallory, Malachi Toney, and Mark Fletcher.”
Mallory is an incoming freshman running back at Miami, and he played high school ball at West Boca. Harmon just transferred to the South Florida power. The two of them have a great connection, and Mallory is recruiting Harmon to join him in college.
“He’s been telling me that Miami is the place to be and that it is great,” Harmon said.
Even though it’s still early in his recruitment, the Hurricanes are still in a prime position for the local three-star running back.
“I’m still not sure where I will go to school, but Miami is for sure at the top,” Harmon finished.
More About the 2028 Class
The 2028 class will be crucial for the future of Miami. Arguably, the two best prospects of the past few years, Amir Sears and Bryson Wright, are right in the Hurricanes’ backyard, and the two could change the course of Hurricanes football if they come.
Overall, the 2028 class in Florida might be one of the best in any state ever. There is so much talent throughout the state, and Miami is looking to get a class that rivals this 2027 class, which is the top three in the country per Rivals.
Some other in-state prospects that the Hurricanes are targeting include Gabriel Player (four-star linebacker), Asher Ghioto (four-star defensive lineman), Antonio Thompson Jr. (four-star defensive back), and George Selvie (four-star offensive lineman), amongst a ton of others.
While Harmon is only a three-star now, it would not be surprising if he becomes a four-star by the end of his senior season.
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