• The Miami Dolphins prioritized drafting tough, physical players in the NFL draft.
• The Dolphins’ first three draft picks, Kenneth Grant, Jonah Saviinaea, and Jordan Phillips, are known for their aggressive playing styles.
• Coach Mike McDaniel emphasized a “tonality of violence and aggression” as a key focus for the team.

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.