Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins signed free-agent tight end Jibri Blount.

The son of Hall of Famer and Pittsburgh Steelers legend Mel Blount, Jibri played basketball in college. He spent two years at Cleveland State before excelling at North Carolina Central. The Pittsburgh native averaged 15.2 points and 7.1 rebounds and was named 2019-20 MEAC Player of the Year with the Eagles.

The Dolphins previously signed Jibri's older brother Akil in 2016. Miami cut Akil before the start of the regular season, and he was similarly unable break through with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2017 before briefly playing for the Orlando Apollos in the Alliance of American Football in 2019.

While Blount obviously faces long odds of carving out a long NFL career, Antonio Gates shows it can be done. Gates didn't play football in college and proceeded to make eight Pro Bowls and earn three All-Pro nods at tight end.

Between his family name and 6'7", 230-pound frame, the Dolphins might as well give Blount a shot to see what he can do on the gridiron. He'll have plenty of competition at the position, though.

Mike Gesicki and Durham Smythe will likely open the season as Miami's top two tight ends, and the team selected Boston College pass-catcher Hunter Long in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft.

Bobby McCain's six-year run with the Miami Dolphins has reportedly come to an end. 

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Dolphins informed McCain on Thursday that he is being released. 

A fifth-round draft pick out of Memphis in 2015, McCain has established himself as a key piece of Miami's defense over the past six seasons. 

The Dolphins used McCain primarily as a nickel cornerback early in his career before he moved to safety when Brian Flores took over as head coach. 

McCain's performance struggled after the position switch. He held opposing quarterbacks to a 78.1 passer rating in 2017, per Pro Football Focus (h/t Alan Poupart of Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation), but that number jumped up to 120.7 when he was a boundary corner opposite Xavien Howard in 2018 and 107.1 as a free safety in 2019. 

Despite those struggles in coverage, McCain seemed to be well-regarded in Miami's locker room. Defensive coordinator Josh Boyer called the 27-year-old a team leader and quarterback of the defense last season. 

The Dolphins have boosted their secondary depth during the offseason. They signed veteran cornerback Justin Coleman as a free agent and drafted Oregon safety Jevon Holland in the second round. 

McCain started a career-high 15 games last season. He recorded 46 combined tackles and five pass breakups in 2020. 

With two first-round picks in 2023 and a pair of third-round selections in next year's NFL draft, the Miami Dolphins may not be done loading up for what could be a long stretch as a Super Bowl contender.

Still, with a ridiculous nine first- or second-round picks from the 2020 and 2021 drafts now populating their roster, the heart of the Dolphins' rebuild is complete. 

Now, it's time to compete. 

The Dolphins have a top-five pick at quarterback (Tua Tagovailoa), three 20-something-year-old, first-round selections at wide receiver (DeVante Parker, Will Fuller V and Jaylen Waddle), and two young first-round picks up front on defense (Jaelan Phillips and Christian Wilkins).

They have four young Day 1 or Day 2 picks along the offensive line (Austin Jackson, Robert Hunt, Liam Eichenberg and Michael Deiter, at least one of whom isn't even guaranteed a starting spot with veteran addition Matt Skura and 2020 fourth-rounder Solomon Kindley on board). Miami also has two young Day 2 selections at tight end (Mike Gesicki and Hunter Long) and a secondary led by extremely well-paid veteran cornerbacks Xavien Howard and Byron Jones.

Howard, Jones, safeties Bobby McCain and Eric Rowe, edge defender Emmanuel Ogbah, Fuller, Parker, Skura and incoming defensive veterans Benardrick McKinney and Justin Coleman give them plenty of experience and veteran leadership. Meanwhile, their depth chart has been bolstered by later-round surprises like linebackers Jerome Baker and Andrew Van Ginkel, running back Myles Gaskin and wild-card offensive weapons Lynn Bowden Jr. and Preston Williams. 

There isn't a weak spot on the roster—at least one that doesn't contain an immense amount of promise. 

This is a team that actually blew away expectations by winning five of their last nine games with practically none of that aforementioned talent on the roster in 2019 and then built on that with a 10-win 2020 campaign. That makes them 15-10 since the start of November 2019, despite the COVID-19 pandemic significantly limiting head coach Brian Flores' first full offseason in 2020. 

Still, Flores' defense ranked 11th in the NFL last season in terms of DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) at Football Outsiders, and only five teams surrendered fewer points than a Dolphins squad that ranked 11th in points differential. 

They ranked third behind only the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts with a turnover margin of plus-nine. 

Now, think how much better they can be when they're significantly more acclimated and experienced in 2021. 

Remember that for much of his rookie season, Tagovailoa was less than a year removed from a career-threatening hip injury. We've become low on patience for entry-level NFL quarterbacks, but if anybody deserves a break for a slow maiden campaign, it should be Tua. 

Now, a year later, in addition to Parker and Gesicki, he'll have Fuller—last year's NFL leader in yards per target as a member of the Houston Texans—and another young blazer in Waddle, who was in the Heisman conversation at Alabama before suffering an ankle injury in October. 

Tagovailoa should also get the promising Williams back from an injury-plagued 2020 campaign and will have Long at his disposal as a rookie third-round tight end who looks ready to serve as a safety valve immediately.

And then there's that young line.

Hunt improved mightily late in his rookie season as a second-round tackle and should be even more effective after an anticipated move inside next year. Eichenberg, who was a three-year starter at left tackle at Notre Dame and gave up zero sacks his last two college seasons (per Pro Football Focus), should compete immediately for one of the two offensive tackle spots. And it's far too early to give up on either Jackson or Kindley despite their struggles with consistency as rookies in 2020. 

At least there's more competition there now, and at least Skura brings plenty of starting experience from a strong Baltimore Ravens organization. 

The two biggest concerns for the Dolphins right now? 

1. It's possible Tagovailoa won't become a franchise-caliber NFL quarterback, regardless of the support he has. The majority of first-round quarterbacks become busts and fellow 2020 top-10 signal-callers Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert are off to strong starts. Tua lacked playmaking ability almost entirely in 2020, and there's no guarantee that'll change in 2021. 

2. There are no sure-things along that offensive line, which might not offer Tua much continuity now that Hunt is likely to move inside and both Ereck Flowers and Ted Karras are gone. They have a lot of young talent there, but if Eichenberg experiences growing pains and Jackson or Kindley can't take the next step, they could be in trouble. Same goes for if Skura can't put it back together after he had trouble in his return from a major knee injury in 2020, or if Hunt's transition to guard doesn't go as planned.

That's why they're still not widely viewed as a Super Bowl contender despite an awesome defense and so much promise on offense, but they're really not far off if everything falls into place. 

And if it doesn't? The Dolphins might not be able to wait much longer for Tua or whichever offensive line cogs don't come through this season. They might currently own a combined three first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 thanks to the San Francisco 49ers, but they'll eventually have less draft capital than they've had during this remarkable run.

If Tagovailoa doesn't improve significantly soon, they'll have to use a lot of that capital on a new quarterback before it's too late. Or, if Tua takes off despite more line issues, they might have to rebuild that unit again on the fly. 

For now, though, the pieces are in place as a result of a deep, thorough and smart roster refurbishment.

In the AFC East, the formerly dominant New England Patriots became mortal again in 2020, and the New York Jets appear to be on the right track but won just two games in 2020. The Buffalo Bills are a prime contender, but they'll have a target on their back as quarterback Josh Allen tries to prove his breakout 2020 campaign wasn't an aberration. 

The Dolphins don't yet face pressure like that, and it would be silly to count them out in an expanded AFC playoff field. 

Pretty soon, they'll be out of excuses. 

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012. Follow him on Twitter: @Brad_Gagnon.

HEIGHT: 6'4 1/4"

WEIGHT: 307

POSITIVES

—Long limbs with a strapping, thick build, barrel chest, iron head and plenty of sand.

—Smooth footwork in his vertical set with impressive discipline to keep his hips square against rushers setting up their moves using inside stutters and hesitations.

—Squares up defenders with jarring force on contact and clamping grip strength.

—Plays with a nasty, tone-setting demeanor.

—Stout anchor to keep the integrity of the pocket intact.

—Caves in adjacent defenders on deuce and angle-drive blocks with heavy hands and powerful hips.

—Put on a show against UTSA in 2020.

NEGATIVES

—Adequate lateral quickness to mirror moves across his face, shrinking his margin for error in getting to his set points and landmarks.

—Operates from a very wide stance that hinders his ability to create space and gain immediate ground at the snap.

—Used a backpedal pass set to gain depth that will need to be axed from his game at the next level.

—Needs to shore up his aiming points on frontside kick-out blocks to avoid overshooting his target, lunging and leaning into contact.

2020 STATISTICS

—Eight game appearances with seven starts at right tackle.

NOTES

—20 career game appearances with 18 starts at right tackle.

—Invited and participated in the 2021 Senior Bowl.

—No-star recruit out of high school with only eight games of varsity film after starting his football career as a sophomore.

—Attended Highland Community College in Kansas for two years before joining Middle Tennessee.

—Turned 22 years old in January.

OVERALL

Jones is a relatively inexperienced player who didn’t start playing football until midway through his high school career and went virtually unrecruited before a two-year stint at Highland Community College in Kansas. Jones went on to start 18 games at Middle Tennessee State at right tackle in offensive coordinator Tony Franklin’s Air Raid, zone-based running scheme.

Jones has a long-limbed frame with a burly, thick build throughout his chest, core and glutes. He is a natural people-mover in the run game with the hips, core strength, and heavy handiness to deliver jolting power at the point of attack and a finisher’s mentality to bury his opponent.

He shows smooth footwork in his vertical set with a sturdy anchor to maintain the integrity of the pocket. Jones’ lateral quickness is adequate at best, and he needs more refinement to his stance, aiming points and use of hands but has the foundation of a longtime plus starter at guard without many bad habits to hinder his development.

GRADE: 7.3/10 (Round 4)

OVERALL RANK: 115/300

POSITION RANK: IOL17

PRO COMPARISON: Laken Tomlinson

Written by B/R NFL Scout Brandon Thorn

HEIGHT: 6'6¼"

WEIGHT: 307

POSITIVES

—Large frame with a lean build, premier length and big hands.

—Quiet, smooth feet and fluid movement skills in space.

—Uses his length well to lock out, press and keep defenders at his fingertips.

—Solid leg drive with a finisher's mentality.

—Team captain with an unheralded background and valuable experience at both tackle spots.

NEGATIVES

—Erratic hand placement that results in him striking high on defenders and giving up his chest too easily.

—Struggles to drop his hips or generate force through the ground to anchor against speed to power.

—Needs to diversify his hands as a pass protector and protect his edge better; overly reliant on using his outside hand and giving up short corners.

—Will need time to iron out an upkick out of his stance in pass protection that causes his hips to open early against speed off the edge.

—Raw in the run game in terms of footwork, aiming points and landmarks; will need time to revamp his technique from the ground up.

2020 STATISTICS

—Started all four games at left tackle.

—Team captain.

NOTES

—40 career game appearances with 29 starts; 17 at left tackle and 12 at right tackle.

—Lightly recruited out of St. Clement High School in Massachusetts as a tight end (one year of tackle) and accomplished basketball player.

—Signed with UMass as an "athlete" before redshirting and making the switch to tackle.

—Left-side dominant and turns 23 in June.

OVERALL

Coleman is a three-year starter and team captain with two years of experience at left tackle. He most recently played left tackle as a redshirt senior. Over the last two seasons, Coleman has started in Walt Bell's uptempo, zone-based spread scheme.

Coleman has a large frame and athletic, lean build with excellent length, large hands and good feet for his size. He uses his huge wingspan and impressive quickness to get his hands on pass-rushers quickly, and he has solid leg drive and competitive toughness in the run game to compete and finish blocks.

Coleman is extremely raw with his footwork, use of hands and aiming points, but he is an intriguing developmental prospect due to his size, length, athletic ability and work ethic.

GRADE: 6.8/10 (Round 6)

OVERALL RANK: 193/300

POSITION RANK: OT19

PRO COMPARISON: Roderick Johnson 

Written by B/R NFL Scout Brandon Thorn

HEIGHT: 6'5"

WEIGHT: 254

POSITIVES

—Good size and length with above-average play strength to be an NFL Y-TE.

—Shows good body control and understanding of routes at the TE position. Able to tight turn on routes and also quickly get up the field after making the catch. 

—Solid overall athlete at the TE position. Adequate in foot quickness and balance. 

—Above-average overall hands. Comfortable catching the ball and doesn’t fight it. Flashes the ability to come down with contested catches.

NEGATIVES

—Plays high at the snap which limits his blocking ability. Inconsistent blocking at the point of attack. Will duck his head and miss the initial part of the block.

—Has drops with throws at his body (long arms).

—Can be a bit robotic on his routes, seemingly counting his steps to get to the proper depth. Combined with playing high can leave him exposed to more aggressive defenders in coverage.

2020 STATISTICS

11 G, 57 rec., 685 yards, 12.0 avg., 5 TD

NOTES

—2020 Second-Team All-American

—2020 First-Team All-ACC

OVERALL

Hunter Long brings good size to the TE position and tested as a good athlete, but his play speed is a tad slower and less explosive than his testing scores would indicate. Long consistently does a nice job of finding spots vs. zone coverage and has good length that he utilizes in contested catch situations over the middle of the field.

He can be a little robotic with his movements, seemingly counting his steps as he works down the field and will need to keep improving his comfort level and polish as he is asked to run more extended routes, but he shows good body control and understanding of route concepts and is able to maintain tight courses on his breaks and stay friendly to the QB.

Long can have drops come up with throws right at his body when he doesn’t know how to adjust his long arms, but overall flashes natural hands and doesn’t fight the ball. Long’s above-average play strength and long arms are a benefit while blocking, but he will need to keep improving his technique and bend, as he can get caught playing high at the snap of the ball and letting defenders get arms into his chest.

Overall, Long looks to be a functional TE with enough size and athleticism to contribute on special teams, and is ideally a no. 2 TE that can play both Y and F depending on a team’s current TE situation. He will need to improve his play speed and technique to ascend to more.

GRADE: 7.3/10 (Round 4)

OVERALL RANK: 119/300

POSITION RANK: TE5

PRO COMPARISON: Jesse James

Written by B/R NFL Scout Nate Tice

HEIGHT: 6'6⅛"

WEIGHT: 306

POSITIVES

—Smooth and efficient footwork out of his stance with impressive weight distribution in pass protection.

—Heavy, refined use of hands with an array of techniques to create, reset and take away leverage from pass-rushers (two-hand strike, snatch/trap technique, independent hands, double under).

—Plays with good posture in pass protection to keep his head out of blocks and defenders at his fingertips, allowing him to string together strikes and recover well against counter moves.

—Well-versed run-blocker who excels creating movement on down blocks, double-teams and climbing up to the second level to locate and fit on backers.

—Tremendous finisher who grates on defenders with a savvy understanding of how to irritate his opponent through the echo of the whistle.

—Excellent mental processing to diagnose line games and stunts with the recognition to see through defenders and work off multiple threats.

NEGATIVES

—Overly reliant on physicality and the two-handed strike to initiate contact in pass protection, shrinking his margin for error with timing and initial placement; needs to continue to diversify his approach.

—His range in pass protection will be a concern whenever on an island against very good and elite-level wide-9 speed-rushers.

—Inconsistent aiming points and footwork on angle-drive and kick-out blocks; tends to be too far outside at the point of attack with his hands, creating a soft inside shoulder for quick penetration.

2020 STATISTICS

—Second-team All-American by the AP.

—First-team All-ACC.

—Winner of the Jacobs Blocking Trophy

—12 starts.

NOTES

—43 career game appearances with 38 consecutive starts to end his career (all at LT).

—Invited to the Senior Bowl but elected not to participate.

—Played for head coach Chuck Kyle at Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland.

—4-star prospect and ranked as a top 10 offensive tackle in the nation.

OVERALL

Eichenberg is a battle-tested left tackle who wins using efficient movements, refined use of hands and a keen understanding of leverage. He is extremely physical with outstanding competitive toughness and solid play strength to create movement on gap concepts with enough athletic ability to function in space. His athletic ability, length and explosiveness are middle-of-the-pack, but his play speed is very good because of how quickly he processes information. Eichenberg's understanding of the game, use of leverage and toughness signal a longtime starter in the NFL.

GRADE: 8.0/10 (early Round 2)

OVERALL RANK: 28/300

POSITION RANK: OT5

PRO COMPARISON: Riley Reiff

Written by B/R NFL Scout Brandon Thorn

HEIGHT: 6' ⅝"

WEIGHT: 207

POSITIVES:

—Does a good job coming downhill in the run game. Flows well to the ball.

—Shows physicality vs. blockers, strength to control and disengage from blocks.

—Has smooth and comfortable backpedal. Displays quick breaks coming forward.

—Centerfield player who is able to read the ball in the air and play sidelines.

—Ball skills to attack the ball in the air.

—Punt returner, natural catcher.

—Good straight-line speed with first-step quickness.

—Vision to see running lanes.

NEGATIVES:

—Not an imposing tackler; can have missed tackles on bigger backs

—Play speeds vary on defense. He does not play with the same explosiveness as when a returner.

—Has some hip tightness in man coverage.

2019 STATISTICS:

66 tackles, 4 INT, 1 TD, 4 PBU

Punt Returner: 16 Ret, Avg. 15.3 yard

NOTES:

—Opted out of 2020 Season

OVERALL

Holland is a unique player who plays with the versatility of possessing cover skills, deep center field skills, and the ability to support the run; with extra added worth as a special teamer. He has shown an ability to pick up hidden yards with his speed and vision as a ball carrier. He can play deep safety with the instincts and speed to play sideline to sideline but also has the skillset to play in nickel.

Holland has also shown great hands and ball skills, attacking the ball in the air. In the run game he does well, holding up in the box and on the edge; reacting quickly to what he sees, he does a good job shooting the legs of ball-carriers. Tacking can be inconsistent at times but having great overall production, tallying over 100 tackles in 2 seasons.

GRADE: 7.8/10 (Future Role Player/Spot Starter—Round 2)

OVERALL RANK: 45/300

POSITION RANK: S2

PRO COMPARISON: Eric Berry

Written by B/R NFL Scout Cory Giddings

The Miami Dolphins selected Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft on Thursday night, and that was reportedly their plan all along.

NFL Network's Peter Schrager said Friday on Good Morning Football that the Dolphins had Waddle as the top wideout on their draft board ahead of LSU's Ja'Marr Chase, who went one pick earlier to the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 5:

Miami originally owned the No. 3 overall pick via a trade with the Houston Texans, but it traded down to No. 12 with the San Francisco 49ers. Hours later, the Dolphins struck another deal with the Philadelphia Eagles to go from 12th to sixth.

Schrager reported that the trade up to No. 6 overall was made with the intention of nabbing Waddle.

There was plenty of room for debate entering the draft regarding who was the true No. 1 wide receiver, as arguments could be made for Chase, Waddle and Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith.

Chase was a dominant force two years ago for an LSU team that went undefeated and won the national title, but he opted out of the 2020 college football season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, Smith won the Heisman Trophy last season for an Alabama team that went undefeated and won the national championship, and he did it as Waddle's teammate.

Waddle missed a significant amount of time last season because of an ankle injury, but he showed his toughness by fighting his way back and playing in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

While Waddle never reached 50 receptions or 850 yards in a season during his three years at Bama and averaged less than six touchdown catches per season, his explosiveness is likely what attracted the Dolphins to him.

Waddle averaged a remarkable 21.1 yards per reception last season and 18.9 yards per catch during his college career, meaning he could be the big-play threat the Dolphins need.

He also has experience playing with Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who was the Crimson Tide's starting quarterback in 2018 and 2019.

With Tua at the controls, Waddle enjoyed the best season of his college career as a freshman in 2018, making 45 grabs for 848 yards and seven touchdowns.

Now, the Dolphins boast a deep and talented receiving corps with Waddle joining the likes of Will Fuller V, DeVante Parker, Lynn Bowden Jr., Jakeem Grant and Preston Williams.

Tagovailoa struggled at times as a rookie and seemed reluctant to take chances down the field, but with a pair of speedsters and big-play guys on the outside in Waddle and Fuller, last year's No. 5 overall draft pick now has all the weapons he needs to succeed.