Pro Comparisons For Every Miami Dolphins 2025 Draft Pick

The Miami Dolphins will rely on several of their rookies to contribute in significant ways this season.

With many of the Dolphins’ picks expected to get playing time this season, it’s a worthwhile exercise to see which pro players Miami’s rookies compare best to.

Pro comparisons for draft prospects are subjective and can fall into multiple categories, so we’re laying out the ground rules early. These comparisons are centered around play style and size. We’ll flesh out which way each comparison leads, but none of these are predictions of how a player’s career will turn out.

Let’s look at which players Miami’s rookies bring to mind.

Pro Comparisons for Every Dolphins Pick

Kenneth Grant

Pro Comp: Dalvin Tomlinson, Arizona Cardinals

This comparison centers mostly around these two players’ similar size. Grant weighed in at 6-3, 342 during the pre-draft process, and Tomlinson is listed at 6-3, 324 pounds.

Grant is a bit heavier, but both are taller and have massive anchors in the middle of the defense. Tomlinson has made a nice career for himself as a run stuffer who has a little bit of juice when rushing the passer.

Grant is much more athletic than Tomlinson, meaning he has a lot more upside as a pass rusher and versatility against the run. Finding a comparison for Grant is difficult because he’s such a unique player. Assuming he develops at all, he won't "just be a nose tackle."

There are not many NFL players with Grant’s size and athletic ability, especially what he can do in open space. Still, Tomlinson is pretty close, as the two have similar size and play style profiles.

Jonah Savaiinaea

Pro Comp: Tyler Smith, Dallas Cowboys

This comparison works from several angles. Both players measured in at 6-4, 324 at the NFL combine, and both are built like tackles but are better suited to play guard.

College tackles transition to guard mainly because of subpar arm length; Savaiinaea and Smith both have above-average arm length. But both players are better suited at guard because their athleticism translates better going forward than backward.

Savaiinaea and Smith are both straight-line athletes, which pops when they're playing in confined spaces or exploding to the second level. It allows them to get their hands on defenders early and control reps from the start.

From a play style perspective, both players are physical maulers who like to finish defenders on the ground and impose their will throughout a game.

Smith has made two straight Pro Bowls, which is a lofty expectation for Savaiinaea. That said, Smith’s size and play style are almost identical to the Dolphins’ newest starting guard.

Jordan Phillips

Pro Comp: Alim McNeill, Detroit Lions

Unlike Grant, Phillips is much easier to find comparisons for. McNeill fits Phillips’ size profile as both players measured in at 6-1, but McNeill is just a touch heavier at 317 compared to Phillips’ 312.

These two are also wildly similar from a play-style perspective. Coming out of North Carolina State, McNeill was a squatty, strong run defender with untapped potential as a pass rusher.

Phillips has essentially the same profile. He was a stalwart run defender at Maryland last season, but struggled to produce as a pass rusher.

It should be noted that McNeill is a better athlete than Phillips and that he had better pass-rushing stats in college. Still, Phillips has plenty of twitch and is a younger player (20), so he could develop.

Jason Marshall Jr.

Pro Comp: Damarri Mathis, Denver Broncos

Many Dolphins fans probably aren’t familiar with Mathis. The Broncos selected Mathis in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft out of Pittsburgh, and he has a similar size and speed profile to Marshall Jr.

Marshall Jr. is 6 feet, 194 pounds, while Mathis is 5-11, 196. Both players ran well in the 40-yard dash, although Mathis was considerably faster, running a 4.39 compared to Marshall’s 4.49.

Still, both players are fast and mostly rely on their above-average tools to win in coverage. Mathis was a starter for the Broncos as a rookie but has been slowly phased out of their defense.

Marshall probably won’t start in Year 1, but Mathis has carved out a nice role for himself mostly off his tools. The Florida product will have to do the same if he wants to stick in Miami.

Dante Trader Jr.

Pro Comp: Jimmie Ward, Houston Texans

Trader Jr. is an incredibly small safety prospect who relies on his football intelligence to make plays on the ball. Although Trader likely won’t turn out as good as Jimme Ward, he’s one of the few players with a similar size and play style.

Both players are roughly 5-11, 195, and have below-average arm length. Like Ward, Trader is a hard-hitting player who likes to clean up tackles at all three levels of the field.

Now, Ward’s coverage intelligence has developed quite well over the years, and he looks much faster on the field than Trader Jr., so this comparison isn’t perfect. That said, when it comes to small safeties who hit hard, Ward is the standard.

Ollie Gordon II

Pro Comp: Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers

Ollie Gordon is a massive running back prospect. He’s 6-1, 226, which is good for the 95th and 83rd percentile among all backs since 2000. Harris is the same height and just a few pounds heavier, so it lines up well that way.

We decided to use this comparison mainly because of how similar the two run. Both players are incredibly upright when carrying the football. Harris was a first-round pick because he was far more explosive than Gordon in college.

However, Harris has lost some of his speed through the years, but has remained a productive player by catching passes, pass blocking, and using his size to win in short-yardage situations. If Gordon sticks in the league long-term, he’ll likely have to take a similar path.

Quinn Ewers

Pro Comp: C.J. Beathard, Unsigned

Quarterback comparisons are extra tricky because size is slightly less important. Still, Beathard and Ewers are similar in size, both measuring 6-2 and roughly 215 pounds.

Where this comparison picks up a little steam is with their play style. Both Ewers and Beathard are quarterbacks limited by their arm talent. Neither has a great fastball, but both of their best throws are usually touch passes.

Beathard has made a living as a career backup who learned the Shanahan scheme early in his career and then bounced around the league. Ewers will learn an offshoot of the Shanahan scheme this season, and he’s an excellent fit for it.

Some will have higher expectations for Ewers because he was such a highly touted recruit, but a long career as a backup would be a success for Ewers after he was drafted in the seventh round.

It also should be noted that Beathard spent two weeks on the Dolphins practice squad last season before the Jacksonville Jaguars re-signed him to their active roster.

Zeek Biggers

Pro Comp: Otito Ogbonnia, Los Angeles Chargers

The Dolphins’ last defensive tackle pick lives up to his name. Biggers is 6-5, 321 pounds with 34-inch arms, which is good for the 93rd, 84th, and 93rd percentile, respectively.

Ogbonnia checked in at 6-3, 324 pounds with 34-inch arms and was also a Day 3 selection, as the Chargers took him in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft.

This comparison is straightforward from a play style perspective, too. Both players are big run defenders in the middle of the defense who do their best work at nose tackle. Neither has a ton of pass-rush juice and likely won’t contribute much in that area.

Ogbonnia got better every season, which led to him starting in all 17 games last season. Given Miami’s lackluster defensive tackle room, there’s a fair chance Biggers could stick on the roster and carve out a role for himself in the same way.