Ranking Dolphins Top 25 Players: A Budding Star at Linebacker

The Miami Dolphins are entering a critical season in 2025. After missing the playoffs last season and not making any blockbuster moves this offseason, the team is under a lot of pressure to finally get over the hump in the playoffs.

With that in mind, it seems like an excellent time to rank the Dolphins’ top 25 players heading into the 2025 season. This list was voted on by site publisher Alain Poupart (@PoupartNFL), deputy editor Dante Collinelli (@DanteCollinelli) and contributor Jake Mendel (@JMendel94).

The rankings were compiled separately based on a points system. That system awarded 25 points to the first player in each writer’s top 25, 24 to the second player, 23 to the third player, and so on.

No. 7: Jordyn Brooks, Linebacker

Jordyn Brooks ended up being the Dolphins’ best free agent acquisition last offseason in a class that included Aaron Brewer, Jonnu Smith, and Calis Campbell.

Miami has been juggling the linebacker spot for a few years, and that’s continuing at the other inside spot, but Brooks’ youth and solid play from last season should give the Dolphins confidence that one of the spots is locked down long term.

In 17 starts, Brooks had 143 combined tackles, 11 tackles for loss, six passes defended, two fumble recoveries, three sacks, and 11 pressures. It’s hard to stuff the stat sheet more than Brooks did last season.

Linebacking stats can be incredibly deceptive, though. Just because they’re around the ball a lot doesn’t mean they’re playing well. That’s not the case for Brooks, who made so many impact plays with his combination of football intelligence and athleticism.

Against the run, Brooks was consistent at making quick reads and getting downhill in a hurry. He’s adept at shooting gaps and wrapping up ball carriers from tough angles, allowing him to limit even outside rush attempts.

Against the pass, Brooks takes good zone drops and shows good awareness for routes coming into his zone. Outside of Fred Warner, most linebackers are outmatched in coverage and are just trying to survive. Brooks did that pretty well last season, and there’s no reason to think he can’t keep improving in that area.

It’s difficult to quantify this next point, but it’s important to note — Brooks was one of the most consistent effort players on the defense last season. He was constantly cleaning up plays that weren’t his responsibility and was one of the few back-seven defenders who could tackle (5.9 missed tackle rate).

Brooks is a budding star who didn’t receive enough recognition for his outstanding performance last season. He had some solid years with the Seahawks, too, so this wasn’t a total flash in the pan either.

If Brooks can build on his 2024 performance — and get better play next to him — he should be considered one of the league’s better linebackers.

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