The Miami Dolphins got beat badly on Sunday in San Francisco, and fans are already starting to question head coach Jeff Hafley. It's unwarranted, but not surprising. The Dolphins continue to lean heavily on their rookie class to develop the team into a winner down the road.
Winning seems a long way away. On Sunday, the Dolphins piqued the interest of everyone in the NFL when they kept the game close in the first half, but the 49ers' halftime adjustments were too much for Miami's inexperienced squad.
There are too many young players on the roster to go toe-to-toe for four quarters with a juggernaut like the 49ers, but there is no reason to believe the sky has fallen because the sun still hasn't risen on this regime's team.
Miami Dolphins rookie trends show positives despite brutal loss to 49ers
Last week, Jacob Rodriguez was the talk of the town. His 14 tackles were impressive, but how did he and the rest of the rookie class stack up against the mighty 49ers? Are they trending up, down, or staying in place? Trey Moore and Kyle Louis are both on IR, and D.J. Campbell was inactive again.
Kadyn Proctor - Holding steady
Proctor has taken all of the Dolphins' offensive snaps through the first two games. After a solid opening performance against the Raiders, Proctor dealt with some penalties against the 49ers. Those hurt momentum, but his overall play was still good. It wasn't a great outing for him, but it wasn't bad either. He needs to clean up the pre-snap infractions and get better control to avoid holds.
Chris Johnson - Trending down
The game against the Raiders was initially a bad look that changed after we learned that Johnson's support wasn't where it was supposed to be. That can't be an excuse this week. Johnson didn't look good throughout the game. Granted, few in the secondary did, but we are not grading them. It might be time to consider moving him to the boundary where his responsibilities are more streamlined.
Jacob Rodriguez- Holding steady
The Dolphins' second-round pick didn't have the same level of game that he had against the Raiders, but he still posted eight tackles against the 49ers. San Francisco did a good job of taking Rodriguez out of the game plan, but he still found a way to make plays.
Caleb Douglas - Trending down
It was a down week for Douglas, who caught just two passes on three targets. Granted, Malik Willis was under duress throughout the game and wasn't crisp in his throws, but Douglas struggled to get open. Typically, I would put him down as "holding steady," but a potential lower leg/ankle injury took him out of the game in the second half, and he was reportedly in a walking boot after the game.
Will Kacmarek - Trending up
The primary blocking tight end caught the first pass of his NFL career on Sunday. It was a modest four yards, but it's still nice to see him get out into a route. He has only been targeted twice through the first two weeks. Kacmarek saw his offensive snap counts double in his second week. He had 14 the first week and 28 on Sunday. He also saw a modest increase of three more plays on special teams. Small victories.
Chris Bell - Trending down
Bell was a non-factor against the 49ers, and he didn't show much when he was on the field. Bell saw his offensive snap count drop from 29 to 24 on Sunday, just 40% of the offensive plays. While he was targeted once, he didn't register a catch. There are reasons beyond his control, but it wasn't a step forward.
Michael Taaffe - Trending up
Without taking a deep dive into the Dolphins' back-end coverage responsibilities, Taaffe played a good game on Sunday. He posted five solo tackles and four assists, but it appeared that every play, to some degree, involved the rookie safety. Taaffe is starting to show some consistency, but there is a long way to go. For now, it's a good upward trend with slightly better numbers than the first week.
Seydou Traore - No change
The Dolphins tight end has yet to take a single offensive snap this year, but he saw six more snaps on special teams against the 49ers.
Max Llewellyn - Trending up
There isn't much to move the needle on Llewellyn, but he was activated from the practice squad to the 53 for the first time and registered two defensive plays and three more on special teams. Another small but important step.
D.J. Herman - Trending up
The undrafted rookie has played two NFL games now, but on Sunday against the 49ers, he got his first catch of the season: an 18-yard play with 12 yards after the catch. Herman took 29% of the snaps against the 49ers. It's a fraction of the plays, but he isn't disappointing.
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