Miami Dolphins Draft: Day two let’s talk about Tight Ends
Day two approaches in the NFL Draft and the Miami Dolphins turn their fins toward acquiring an elite talent in a position they have never had, a tight end.
As much as I am relieved that we have a defensive answer to tight ends now, I’m equally worried we still don’t have anything for tight end production. Watching the Eagles, Chiefs, and Patriots, we all know what we covet. An elite tight end that can catch, block, and play aggressively consistently. There are no prospects that are projected to immediately be a Gronk or Kelce. However, there are a couple of prospects that can contribute immediately and develop in the upcoming years.
Dallas Godert
The first tight end is Dallas Goedert. Dallas is rated an 86 on ESPN with soft hands, quickness, and a decent blocker. I’m completely unaware of how the Missouri Valley Conference is in regard to defenses handling tight ends with Dallas’ skill set. It is a concern for me.
Tight end is the one position where I want to see pitted against the best talent in college. Kelce, Gronk, and Ertz all came from power conferences and unless I’m forgetting someone, I can’t recall an elite tight end in the league right now which came from outside the power five.
Dallas will block faster, stronger, and quicker edges in the NFL. He will be covered by taller and faster defensive backs. Will his natural skill set and size (6-5, 250 lbs) still shine as it did, or will he become frustrated with the increased competition?
The biggest red flag is the rumored lack of desire Dallas in not getting aggressive with his blocking. I remember a certain Dolphin tight end, Egnew, that had the same reputation that never ironed itself out.
I’m certain that Gase is chomping to get at a big bodied and soft handed tight end. The hot takes are that Miami really likes Goedert and don’t love the tight end talent pool behind him. If Gase is certain that Dallas can get nastier in the trenches while maintaining his elite pass catching at the next level, I’m convinced.
Mike Gesicki
The second tight end prospect is the Penn State prospect Mike Gesicki. If Miami is concerned about Dallas’ blocking, Mike qualifies as an extreme fear. Not only does he lack the desire to smack someone, he also has skill set issues as a blocker and is not a physical.
Mike, like Dallas, excels in catching the mall and running/jumping. Tannehill could throw the back shoulder fade all day to Mike and he would eat DB’s lunches. He also played against top tier college defenses and knows what it takes to play talent he might see in the NFL.
Gesicki is going to take a while to get to the point of being a standard starter. He will need to develop blocking skills before he can be on the field for anything but a for sure passing down. A prospect with that much needed development might not be a great choice for the second round.
Verdict
Tight ends are a premium in the league and not one the Dolphins have ever had. We need a middle of the field safety valve with Jarvis gone and we need a body that can help our weary offensive line shove a body. I agree that the talent tier falls off after these two and if we have no alternative plans for grabbing a tight end after the draft, we need to grab one of these two.
I would rather go with the physical talents and less rawness of Dallas over Mike. I love the thought of Gesicki jumping over nickel backs, but I rather have a more polished blocker. Look for Miami to snag Dallas Goedert with the 10th pick in the second round and address another hole in our team.