Miami, FL
Chris Perkins: Top 20 players available for Miami Dolphins in second round of NFL draft
The Miami Dolphins, as things stand now, have one pick on Friday, and that’s their second-round selection, the No. 55 pick of the NFL draft, and the 23rd pick of the round.
Here are 20 players who might be available when the Dolphins make their selection, guys who either fit Miami’s needs or reasonably fit into the best player available category:
Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, Texas
Sanders (6-4, 245) is thin, but he could be an immediate No. 3 receiver behind recceivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and ahead of tight ends Durham Smythe and Jonnu Smith, and slot receiver Braxton Berrios. He’s athletic with good hands, and could be the missing link in the passing game.
Javon Bullard, S, Georgia
Bullard (5-11, 198) can play safety and slot/nickel, which offers the type of value the Dolphins need. He’s not ideal at either right now, but he’ll have time to grow as a rookie and he’d be an insurance policy in case safety Jevon Holland (final year of contract) or safety Jordan Poyer (one-year contract) doesn’t return.
Jackson-Powers Johnson, IOL, Oregon
Powers-Johnson (6-3, 328) is a talented center/guard who might be the best center in the draft. However, he’s considered good enough that the Dolphins could start him at either position as a rookie.
Michael Hall, DT, Ohio State
Hall (6-3, 290) needs to add weight, but he could fit with the Dolphins as a rotational player in his rookie season, learning from fellow defensive lineman Zach Sieler while adding bulk.
Patrick Paul, OT, Houston
Paul (6-7, 331) is long-armed, athletic, and smart. He could start at guard as a rookie and then kick outside to left tackle next season, assuming Pro Bowl left tackle Terron Armstead retires.
Braden Fiske, DT, Florida State
Fiske (6-4, 292) is a relative lightweight so he needs to add bulk, but he’s a high-motor guy with good feet and a relentless attitude. He’d be a good fit alongside Sieler because they’re both fairly athletic.
Ben Sinnott, TE, Kansas State
Sinnott (6-4, 250) could be slightly over-drafted as a second-rounder, but he had 49 receptions, 676 yards and six touchdowns, and was called upon to block regularly, so he could either play alongside Smythe or rotate with Smythe.
Zach Frazier, C, West Virginia
Frazier (6-3, 313) is barrel-chested, strong and agile. If the Dolphins go for an interior offensive lineman in the second round, and more specifically, a center, he’s a good choice.
Kris Jenkins, DT, Michigan
Jenkins (6-3, 299), whose father, Kris, was a Pro Bowl defensive tackle for Carolina and the New York Jets, is smallish, but he’s adept on taking on double teams. He’d fill the void left by ex-Dolphins defensive lineman Christian Wilkins.
Jer’Zhan Newton, DT, Illinois
Newton (6-2, 304) is athletic and smart, which is how he makes up for his lack of bulk. He shows knowledge of angles and combines that with good feet to stop the run and rush the passer. He’d likely start alongside Sieler.
Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU
Suamataia (6-5, 326) is a bit rough around the edges but he has the potential to develop quickly, which is generally what you want from a second-round pick. Suamataia can play left or right tackle but it’s not known if he can play guard. Still, he’d be a good fit as a backup tackle.
Ennis Rakestraw Jr., CB, Missouri
Rakestraw (5-11, 183) is here because, as the Dolphins have shown the past two seasons, you can never have too many cornerbacks. This pick, which seems unlikely but possible, would be more of a statement about the projected development of Cam Smith, last year’s second-round pick, than Rakestraw’s talent.
Jaden Hicks, S, Washington State
Hicks (6-2, 211) is big-bodied and physical. He can play in the box or play deep, which means he has versatility, and that’s a bonus as the Dolphins’ safeties unit, Holland and Jordan Poyer might not return intact after this season.
Christian Haynes, G, Connecticut
Haynes (6-3, 317) is regarded as a starting-caliber NFL right guard right now, and that could be intriguing and freeing for the Dolphins, who need interior offensive line help, especially at right guard, where Rob Hunt departed.
Blake Fisher, OT, Notre Dame
Fisher (6-6, 310) can play right or left tackle due to his athleticism and good feet but he’s regarded as a better RT prospect. It’s not known whether Fisher can play guard, which could be a requirement for him as a rookie.
Roger Rosengarten, OT, Washington
Rosengarten (6-5, 308) is a bit of a work in progress because he’s a bit slow but he’s smart and has a little bit of athleticism. He’d be viewed as a replacement for Armstead down the line.
Cooper DeJean, S, Iowa
DeJean (6-0, 203) is a bit of a ’tweener meaning he’s one of the best cornerbacks in the draft but some think he’s better suited for safety. Whatever the case, the Dolphins could use his athleticism.
Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
Mitchell (6-2, 205) has the size and speed the Dolphins could use among their receiver ranks. Yes, Miami already has two quality receivers, but as the Dolphins saw late last season there could be big problems if one is slowed.
Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama
McKinstry (5-11, 199) could be another testament to what the Dolphins have learned the hard way, which is you can never have too many cornerbacks. Yes, Miami has lots of possibilities but there’s no guarantee players such as Smith and Nik Needham will be ready to contribute and play well.
Maason Smith, DT, LSU
Smith (6-5, 306) is a bit inexperienced but Miami has lots of defensive tackles so there might not be a pressure on Smith to play immediately. Then again, Miami probably needs someone to be a starter or top rotational player so Smith might be hard-pressed to fill the role the Dolphins need.
Miami, FL
Dulac Reveals One Reason Steelers ‘Like’ Miami QB Carson Beck
It’s easy to fall in love with college quarterbacks with just a handful of strong starts under their belt, but more often than not that leads to incomplete evaluations and regret. That’s why Ty Simpson, who at one point looked like the best quarterback in college football last year, is tough to justify a first-round pick on. If experience is something the Pittsburgh Steelers place a high value on, Miami’s Carson Beck checks a lot of boxes.
“The Steelers have little intention of taking a quarterback with their No. 1 pick because they don’t believe there is a first-round quarterback after [Fernando] Mendoza,” Gerry Dulac wrote via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “But one of the reasons they like Miami’s Carson Beck is he has started 43 games, counting his time when he won a national title at Georgia.”
None of those 43 starts came during the Bulldogs’ two National Championship runs, but he still managed to lead the SEC in completions and yards during his first season as a starter in 2023. And he finished with an impressive 37-6 record as a starting quarterback.
Bill Parcells famously laid out a list of rules aimed at maximizing the chances of hitting on a quarterback in the draft. Among some of the statistical goals, 30 or more starts and 23 or more wins were two of his requirements. Beck, who the Steelers had in for a pre-draft visit, easily checks those two off the list.
Parcells’ rules aren’t bulletproof. Three of the best quarterbacks in the league at the moment wouldn’t have made the cut if it were up to him. Patrick Mahomes had 29 starts, Joe Burrow 28, and Josh Allen 25. But for every one of them, there are two or three Anthony Richardsons, Zach Wilsons, J.J. McCarthys and Trey Lances as a counterpoint.
Experience isn’t the end-all, but it cuts out a lot of the guesswork. And leaving anything up to chance and gambling with a first-round pick is not a winning strategy. Some teams will hit the jackpot, but most will find themselves set back a few years and looking for a quarterback once again.
Beck is one of the only options in this class that meet all of Parcells’ criteria.
– Senior and three-year starter? Yep.
– College graduate? Yes.
– 30 or more starts and 23 or more wins? Easily.
– 60 percent completion rate and 2:1 TD-INT ratio? Check (69.5%, 88:32).
If you subscribe to the Parcells method, Beck covers all the bases. Keep in mind that Mike McCarthy is one of the oldest head coaches in the league. He was very much around when this rule was popularized. Amazingly, this is his first time with a chance to draft a quarterback for a team in need. Should it really be a surprise if he leans on a framework he came up around?
Beyond the experience and stats, Beck offers some of what the Steelers look for at the position. Omar Khan has repeatedly stated the need to find an “AFC North QB.” At 6046, 233 pounds, with 10-inch hands, he resembles what the Steelers are looking for.
Don’t get me wrong, Beck has plenty of flaws. That’s why he’s unlikely to go in the first few rounds of the draft. But the Steelers could do worse than following their process to land a Day 3 developmental quarterback. That’s one of the main reasons McCarthy was hired as the head coach.
Instead of putting every egg in the Will Howard basket, why not add another young, high-pedigree quarterback to the mix? Carson Beck may just be that guy come the end of April.
Miami, FL
Nu Stadium party! Inter Miami host epic home opener | MLSSoccer.com
MIAMI – Fans, celebrities and media flocked to Nu Stadium on Saturday to experience opening night at Inter Miami CF’s brand new, soccer-specific venue.
The Herons were up for the occasion, throwing an epic housewarming party capped by a 2-2 comeback draw against Austin FC.
Club legends Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez provided the goals that paced Miami to a dramatic start to life in their new home.
“Today, it’s clear that for the last 20 to 25 minutes, we took a lot of risks,” head coach Javier Mascherano told reporters post-match.
“But we’re at home. We’re MLS [Cup] champions, and we have to show it.”
Electric atmosphere
The Herons went all out to make Nu Stadium’s opening match one to remember, christening their state-of-the-art Downtown Miami digs with fireworks and rousing pre-game speeches from co-owners Jorge Mas and David Beckham.
Famed Miami resident and four-time Grammy Award winner Marc Anthony then belted out a stirring rendition of the national anthem, setting the stage for 90-plus minutes of non-stop chanting, cheering, and drumming from the sellout crowd of 26,700.
“It was beautiful. A sold-out crowd of people who made the effort to come and see us. And honestly, they cheered us from beginning to end,” said defender Maxi Falcón.
“For them to welcome us like that, with today’s spectacle, it was beautiful for us.”
That electric atmosphere helped the Herons recover quickly from Guilherme Biro’s sixth-minute opener for Austin, with Messi responding four minutes later to score Miami’s first-ever goal at their new home with a precise header.
A similar scenario played out in the second half, with fans spurring the Herons on as Suárez came off the bench to cancel out Jayden Nelson’s go-ahead strike by rifling home from close range in the 82nd minute.
Nu Stadium briefly erupted in pandemonium after Suárez appeared to score a last-gasp winner, only for the goal to be called off.
“On the field, you could definitely feel the atmosphere – especially when you score a goal to tie it up late,” said goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair.
“We pushed for the winner as well, and we felt that the crowd was really with us and pushing and kind of suffocating them.”
World-class venue
While Saturday’s draw wasn’t the result they wanted, Inter Miami can take pride in boasting one of the best sporting venues in the world, according to MLS Commissioner Don Garber.
“They’ve done the unthinkable. The stadium is spectacular, it’s breathtaking,” Garber said. “Jose and Jorge [Mas] spoke to me this morning and they said, ‘I wish I could be with you when you walk in because it will take your breath away.’ And it did. It’s absolutely spectacular.”
“It feels to me like a building that can rival any sports facility anywhere in the world. Not just soccer stadiums, but any sports building. I’m very proud of them.”
For Mas, the venue that anchors the broader Miami Freedom Park project could launch the club to transformative heights.
“Today we’re home,” Mas told the crowd during his pre-game speech. “I think this is a personification of what’s possible. I think it’s an amazing stadium, an amazing environment.
“And, listen, our goal is to lift trophies and win championships, and I think this will be a proper home to do that with and for our fans.”
Made in Miami
Saturday’s match carried extra meaning for Miami beyond the outcome.
After six years playing 30 miles to the north in Fort Lauderdale, the Herons are now officially setting roots in Miami proper.
“[For the] fans to be able to have a permanent home where they know they’ll be here,” said St. Clair. “So I think for us, you just want to be able to reward the fans and give them wins and show them the effort. And be willing to do everything for the badge and for the club.”
Beckham, who helped plant the seeds of Inter Miami over a decade ago, was especially proud.
“To see this stadium come to life after years and years of trying to get this stadium up and running in Miami is something very special,” said the England and LA Galaxy legend. “I came to America and the MLS 20 years ago and I made a lot of promises. And 13 years ago, I made a lot of promises again, announcing that I was coming to Miami.
“And today is just a dream come true for us.”
In with the Nu
With Nu Stadium’s first match in the books, Inter Miami are looking to build on the legacy they’ve already created with MLS Cup 2025, 2024 Supporters’ Shield and Leagues Cup 2023 titles.
“I think the favorite part is still to come,” said Mas. “Everything to now has been frankly extremely stressful, the last few months. But I think the culmination of lifting an MLS Cup, us together here in December, would be a great shining cap off to an amazing year.”
Miami’s players, meanwhile, are more focused on the short-term.
“We’re a little bitter about not taking all three points because we know we’re a strong team,” said Falcón.
“…. We showed it last year, especially towards the end of the season. We have to get back to that, get our heads together and prepare well for our next game.”
Miami, FL
Driver detained after striking deputy’s cruiser during fatal crash investigation in NW Miami-Dade
A driver was detained in Northwest Miami-Dade on Saturday after being accused of striking a deputy’s vehicle during a fatal crash investigation, authorities said
According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, at around 11:55 p.m. on Friday, a vehicle crashed into a tree on Northwest 135th Street and 57th Avenue, where it caught on fire.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue arrived at the scene, extinguished the flames, and the driver was pronounced dead.
Their identity was not released.
During the investigation, deputies blocked the intersection when a vehicle went through the intersection and struck a cruiser.
MDSO said the cruiser sustained damage, and the deputy had minor injuries and was treated at the scene.
The driver was then detained.
No arrests have been made as the investigation remains active.
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