No run on tight ends in Round 1 of NFL Draft is great news for Dolphins tonight
The first round of the NFL Draft went about as well for the Dolphins as they could have hoped, outside of the fact that when pick No. 21 rolled around, it was the Chargers doing the selecting, not them.
The Dolphins went into this with tight end a prime need, but no first-round pick due to the tampering penalty. Most analysts were surprised when Thursday’s nights proceedings came to a close and the only tight end to come off the board was Utah’s Dalton Kincaid.
The bad news is he went 25th to the Buffalo Bills, so the Dolphins will get to know him quite well.
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The good news is when tonight’s Round 2 kicks off, the Dolphins will have to sweat out 19 picks before they get to join in the fun with the 51st overall selection. There’s a solid chance that South Dakota State’s Tucker Kraft — a player I’ve had my eyes on since the NFL Combine — will be on the board for Miami.
The better news is that one of the tight ends rated even higher likely will be, too.
Analysts were predicting at least three tight ends to go in Round 1. The tight end class was considered that good and that deep. But players such as Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer, Oregon State’s Luke Musgrave, Georgia’s Darnell Washington and Iowa’s Sam LaPorta are still dangling out there.
They’re not all going to be there when Miami picks, of course. Teams thought to be threats to pick a tight end before Miami’s turn include Detroit (picking 34th and 48th), New Orleans (40th), Green Bay (42nd, 45th) and Tampa Bay (50th). That's six cracks at a tight end, and that doesn’t include anyone who might leapfrog the Dolphins via trade-up.
Of course, there’s no guarantee Chris Grier, who subscribes to the best-available philosophy, won’t be so in love with, say, an offensive lineman who slides that he doesn’t go in that direction. But if he went into this weekend with the idea he’d be pleased with one of the so-called second-tier tight ends such as Kraft, he’s no doubt even more pleased now.
Kraft met with Mike McDaniel at the Combine and hit it off, as outlined in this profile on him.
“Mike McDaniel's an interesting character,” Kraft said. “He's a real fun guy. So I had a good time in that interview. We talked my life, we talked football, we watched some film.”
He’s 6-feet-5 and 254 pounds and considered an all-around talent. He’s also loyal. Power 5 schools dangled lucrative NIL offers before him but he was determined to finish his college career where he started it.
Intrigued by the other tight ends? You should be.
Here’s Joe Schad’s profile on Sam LaPorta, who hopes to be the next George Kittle and also met with McDaniel.
Musgrave, nephew of veteran coach Bill Musgrave, is a selfless tight end whose attitude might fit in well in Miami. Here’s a look at Musgrave’s career.
Here’s what NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said in breaking down the Dolphins’ tight end need.
And here’s a look at Michigan’s Luke Schoonmaker, who actually thinks blocking is a “fun” part of a tight end’s job.
Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at hhabib@pbpost.com and followed on Twitter @gunnerhal.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: NFL Draft: Does fortuitous Round 1 have Dolphins aiming higher tonight?
