Ranking Dolphins Top 25 Players: A Second-Year Breakout Candidate

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. 12: Chop Robinson, Edge Rusher

Although one of us had Chop Robinson in the top 10 (me), he lands just outside on our final list. Still, it’s hard to deny that Robinson’s career is off to a solid start.

The 2024 first-round pick was one of the most effective pass rushers in the sport during the second half of last season.

He had just 11 quarterback pressures during the first eight weeks last season, but he turned the corner in the season’s second half. From Week 9 on, Robinson posted 45 quarterback pressures, including 10 in the Dolphins’ Week 12 win against the New England Patriots.

Robinson also recorded all six of his sacks from last season during that stretch.

His speed and first step are what make him such a difficult pass rusher for tackles to handle. He gets into the backfield quicker than pretty much anyone else, and his bend allows him to turn tight corners to the quarterback.

While Robinson clearly showed a lot of promise last season, it was a small stretch of games. He still has a ways to go when it comes to his technique and ability to defend the run.

There were some flashes of improvement in both areas last season, but they were just flashes.

What will be interesting to see this season is how Robinson performs with Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb back on the field.

The Dolphins are relying heavily on their pass rush to carry the defense, given their underwhelming secondary. Robinson might get a lot of attention from offenses early, as Chubb and Phillips round into form.

However, the hope is that opposing offenses won’t have the option of doubling-teaming any of the Dolphins’ pass rushers. That includes interior defensive linemen Zach Sieler and Kenneth Grant, too.

Miami’s defensive line has a chance to be one of the NFL’s most productive units this coming season, but Robinson taking the next step in his development is a huge part of the puzzle.

Getting Chubb and Phillips back is a good development, but they’ve both got extensive injury histories. Robinson, despite lacing a track record, will be heavily relied on this coming season.

The Penn State product has all the tools to be an elite pass rusher, so if he can continue the momentum he generated at the end of last season, the Dolphins might have a cornerstone player.

Still, that’s a lot of “if” and “might,” which is Robinson dropped a bit on our rankings.

Full Rankings

More Miami Dolphins Coverage