What the Dolphins Are Getting with Ryan Hayes
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The Miami Dolphins closed out their 2023 draft by selecting offensive lineman Ryan Hayes from the University of Michigan.
As a seventh-round pick, the first thing we need to acknowledge is that Hayes will have a battle on his hands simply to make the 53-man roster.
Hayes was a two-year starter at Michigan playing left tackle, but his shorter-than-ideal arm length suggests he'll move inside to guard in the NFL.
“I’m a smart player," Hayes said. "I know where I’m going all the time, so I play angles. … You’re getting a hard-working guy who flies around the field.”
Hayes has an indirect connection to Dolphins Pro Bowl tackle Terron Armstead through Michigan assistant offensive line coach Bret Ingalls.
Among the many stops in his coaching career, Ingalls was O-line coach of the New Orleans Saints during Armstead's first four seasons (2013-16) in the NFL.
"We had an old coach who used to coach him," Ingalls said. "It would be awesome to get into the room and learn from him."
HOW HAYES FITS WITH THE DOLPHINS
Hayes played an inside zone gap scheme at Michigan, but has no concerns about being able to transition to the Dolphins' outside zone scheme, saying, "I definitely think my game will translate to wide zone. I’m really looking forward to running a lot of that in Miami."
Assuming Hayes indeed does wind up at guard for the Dolphins, he's going to have a lot of players to beat out to make the active.
Before the signing of rookie free agents, the Dolphins already had a long list of guards or interior offensive linemen: Lester Cotton, Liam Eichenberg, Dan Feeney, Robert Hunt, Robert Jones and Connor Williams.
The Dolphins aren't likely to keep more than six center/guards and it's pretty safe that all but Cotton on the previous list will be on the 53-man roster.
Taking an offensive lineman in the seventh round is very rare for the Dolphins, who have done it only once since 2004. It happened in 2021 with tackle Larnel Coleman, who didn't make the 53-man roster and two years later is a member of the Carolina Panthers.
So Hayes will be facing some long odds, making the likely transition from tackle to guard and to a different scheme.
