Why Liam Eichenberg is exactly what the Dolphins needed up front

The Miami Dolphins’ latest investment into the offensive line comes with a bit of a different profile than the players that have previously been brought into the fray over the course of the Chris Grier & Brian Flores era with the team. The Dolphins have typically gravitated towards heavyweight offensive linemen — with their average size over two years of added linemen exceeding an average weight of 320 pounds.

Liam Eichenberg, the team’s fourth selection and No. 42 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, profiles a little differently. He attended the Notre Dame Pro Day in March at 306 pounds, well short of the typical Dolphins’ lineman. But despite his leaner frame, Eichenberg is exactly what the Dolphins needed up front.

Why?

Because while Eichenberg didn’t necessarily meet the expected size measurements, he meets several other standards that the Dolphins need up front to be better along the offensive line. Eichenberg did not concede a sack over his final two and a half seasons of play as the starting left tackle with the Irish. He isn’t necessarily the standout athlete that the Dolphins chased up front with Austin Jackson in last year’s draft, but he offers something much more important for a team that is looking to contend in 2021: polish and technique.

Eichenberg is considered ready to play.

And even though he isn’t as big as his new teammates (at least not yet), he’s still very much a stylistic fit for the Dolphins’ interior run game and can provide plenty of push for the team up front. Miami is hoping to breathe new life into their running game in 2021 and they should find that with Solomon Kindley taking over for Ereck Flowers at left guard and Robert Hunt kicking inside to right guard. But Eichenberg, assuming he beats out D.J. Fluker, is at his absolute best on interior double teams and driving the opposition off the ball on interior runs.

The Dolphins deserve credit for being open to a stylistic fit even if he doesn’t match up precisely to the look and feel of the kind of players they’ve attacked previously under the current leadership. After all, Eichenberg has the frame to add some size if the Dolphins deem it necessary — but his drive blocking ability at the point of attack already feels like a sufficient blend and fit with what the Dolphins are hoping to accomplish.

And as more of a technician than either Robert Hunt or Austin Jackson, Miami is also getting a more polished pass protector, too. The ceiling may not be as high, but the floor for 2021 and beyond is also considerably more stable as well.

If Eichenberg staves off Fluker at right tackle, Miami will have one of the youngest lines in all of football. And hopefully then the team will find the solution up front they’ve been looking for over the years.