Holland's College Teammate Would Love to be Reunited with Dolphins ... And It Might Make Sense
The Miami Dolphins hit the jackpot when they took safety Jevon Holland in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft, as the former University of Oregon made an immediate impact on his way to earning All-Rookie honors.
With the Dolphins likely needing help at safety again this offseason, they certainly could do worse than looking toward Oregon again if they decide to draft a player yat that position in 2022.
And it just so happens that Verone McKinley III not only is a former teammate of Holland's, he also calls the Dolphins safety one of his best friends. And McKinley isn't shy about declaring how much he'd like to play for the Dolphins, way beyond the typical prospect comment of being happy for whatever organization drafts them.
“I met with them," McKinley said at the scouting combine in Indianapolis on Saturday, the last day prospects conducted media interviews. "It was informal, but I've met with them multiple times. It was great. I think it'd be super cool to pair up with ‘Von’ again. They knew that, they could tell my energy that I’d love to be with ‘Von’ again. I’d love to be a part of the Dolphins organization, especially with the new coach and the new staff. I think it'd be phenomenal.”
Where the Dolphins Stand at Safety
Before they drafted Holland last year, the Dolphins took Brandon Jones in the third round in 2020 and those two form a very promising tandem.
But there are question marks behind them because veteran Jason McCourty will become an unrestricted free agent March 16 after spending the second half of last season on IR and Eric Rowe is a potential salary-cap casualty because of his $5 million cap number and his status as a backup for most of last season.
The rest of the safety group features young, unproven players and/or special teams specialists like Clayton Fejedelem, Sheldrick Redwine and Elijah Campbell.
So, yes, the Dolphins could use another young safety, and McKinley is regarded by most draft analysts as ranking among the top half-dozen or so available in this draft.
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RELATED: NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report on Verone McKinley III
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Exactly where McKinley will fall in the draft is hard to determine, but the third round seems like a pretty good guess, though late in the second round isn't out of the realm of possibility. The Dolphins have the 50th pick in the second round and the 101st pick in the third round, and the latter would seem a more logical landing spot for McKinley if the Dolphins don't move around the draft board with some trades and they want to target him.
Like Holland, McKinley has played a variety of positions in the Oregon secondary, and his versatility and football IQ and instincts are seen as his strengths.
"We’re two guys, coaches’ kids coming up, playing different positions and understanding that that helps you increase your value if you can play multiple positions and do everything," McKinley said. "So that's kind of how we connected early on and just that's how we played off each other and we know we can do everything if we need to be interchangeable. That’s what we were, so it definitely helps.”
McKinley and Holland at Oregon
McKinley and Holland were teammates at Oregon in 2018 and 2019 before Holland opted out of the 2020 season because of COVID-19.
The two of them tied for the team lead with four interceptions, though Holland returned one of his for a touchdown.
"Jevon is one of my best friends, so we talk every single day; that's never changed," said McKinley, who added that Holland has offered advice in preparing for the draft process though he didn't have the benefit of a combine last year because it was canceled. "I think he had a phenomenal year (with the Dolphins). I think the sky's the limit. I think he's just gonna continue to get better from here. He's always worked hard. He always knows what his goals are.
"And he's not really stopping and that's kind of why we've always been close because we compete off each other. Like when I first started in 2019. We competed on who’d have the most interceptions. It was a big deal. We had some arguments about it because I was like, I'm going to have more than you and he's like, no, you're not and so that's just how it is with him.”
