One NFL draft evaluator has defended the Miami Dolphins' third-round selection of Will Kacmarek, and he is right.
Much has been made of the Dolphins' third-round pick-up of blocking tight-end Kacmarek, who helped Ohio State to a National Championship last year. He wasn't as highly regarded as his teammate and 61st-overall pick Max Klare, but Kacmarek was valuable in his own right.
The 6'5" tight-end does not shine on the statsheet, like many in his role, managing 15 receptions last season and eight the year before. He played a bigger receiving role at Ohio prior to moving over to Ohio State as well. One evaluator seems to realize that the stats don't mean everything.
NFL Draft expert Simon Clancy explains why the Will Kacmarek pick was a smart move by the Miami Dolphins
After the loss of Julian Hill this offseason to the AFC champion New England Patriots, the Dolphins were in desperate need of a blocking tight-end, especially when factoring in Miami's clear mission to get more physical on offense.
The Dolphins' draft class has been heavily criticized by some, but it's clear Jon-Eric Sullivan wanted characters who can help usher in a new era of tough football in Miami, be it through a dog-like mentality or sheer size and physicality.
And there's no good having all that and not having a tight-end who can block effectively, especially not in the modern-day NFL, where the personnel packages heavily favor tight-ends.
That's something NFL draft evaluator Simon Clancy highlighted when speaking on the Miami Herald's Dolphins in Depth podcast. Clancy had this to say
"One thing about Kacmarek...listen, there were four blocking tight-ends in the draft, and realistically there were only two. (Nate) Boerkhircher, who went in the second round to the Jags, and Sam Roush, who went before Kacmarek, and Oscar Delp, who went in the third round. Kacmarek wasn't lasting until the Dolphins' next pick. I think we live in a world where 12/13 personnel is the most important thing in the world in the NFL. Kacmarek is going to play seven, eight, or nine hundred snaps."
"What he does will not show up on a stat sheet somewhere, but you go and ask Austin Jackson or Patrick Paul as they play next to him, go and ask De'Von Achane after this season. They will say, 'Man, he was just eating people's facemasks.' That's what he does, and he is such an important player to have this team clearly and fundamentally wants to play. Those blocking tight ends were going, and he wasn't going to make the fourth round."
The Dolphins may have been taking a best player available approach to the draft, but it's clear they were not blindly ignoring their needs in the process. Hill certainly didn't convince many Dolphins fans, and some of that was execution, sure, but some of it is also down to the fact that he wasn't an explosive, pass-catching tight end in college.
But he was an important cog, especially in the run game, and such players are vital when you are hoping to play the ground and pound game with a lead running back who stands at 5'9" in Achane.
Dolphins assistant GM Jon Embree explained the value of having a blocking TE like Hill or Kacmarek last season. "He's (Hill) very smart. He sees what defenses are trying to do,” Embree said. “He's able to make adjustments on the fly, like on [De’Von Achane’s] touchdown run [against the New Orleans Saints]. Technically, that wasn't his guy, but he picked him up and then got another guy. "
Achane has proven he can be durable beyond his size, but as the miles rack up on the elusive tail-back, and as the Dolphins continue to rely on him more in the absence of true talent in the pass game, a blocking tight-end is going to be invaluable.
Kacmarek will be that guy, and his physicality will not only translate well to the NFL but also to cold nights in Buffalo, New England, and so on.
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