Dolphins Rookie Power Rankings After Week 3: Rodriguez Separates Himself From the Pack

While we’re still early in the audition stage, the Miami Dolphins’ rookies have already been thrown into the fire through the first three weeks of the season.

As Miami prepares for its Week 4 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, nine first-year players already have logged more than 50 snaps.

Some have already given fans plenty to be excited about for the future.

Others have been quieter despite the opportunity, while a few still haven’t had the chance to show much in the regular season because of injury.

Three weeks in, the rookie pecking order is starting to take shape.

Time To Buy A Jersey

LB Jacob Rodriguez

I’ll wait a few more weeks before comparing him to another former Dolphins star linebacker from Texas Tech (there’s a couple, actually), but Rodriguez already is providing the immediate return any team would dream of from a second-round pick.

Rodriguez already looks like a legitimate Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate, even if the NFL gave September’s first monthly honor to Titans linebacker Anthony Hill. Hill leads the league with 34 tackles, but Rodriguez is only six behind him and has already added three tackles for loss and an interception.

He’s already carried over the versatility that helped make him Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded linebacker in coverage while finishing fifth in Heisman Trophy voting at Texas Tech.

The 24-year-old is currently tied for the fifth-highest tackle total (28) in the NFL while also ranking among the league’s top-third (66.7) in pass-coverage grade.

Whether it’s his instincts against the run, his discipline and sure-handedness when squaring up to make a tackle, or using his quarterback brain to stay a step ahead in coverage, the Dolphins have a linebacker who already looks comfortable doing just about everything.

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2. WR Chris Bell

It almost feels like a tease at this point. Bell still isn’t quite 100 percent, but you can see the athleticism trying to scream out of his body. It was on display against Kansas City when he caught an in-breaking route across the middle, outran a defensive back and turned it into a 44-yard gain before being pushed out of bounds. You see it in the run game, too, where Bell has no problem getting his nose dirty and using his 228-pound frame to put a linebacker on the ground and clear the way for a running back. Last game, Bell led Dolphins wide receivers with four catches for 67 yards, his first real glimpse of what Miami has in store once he’s fully healthy.

3. G Kadyn Proctor

Proctor still has inconsistencies to work through, and that won’t change anytime soon, but the flashes are starting to become more apparent. His best moment against Kansas City came on Ollie Gordon II’s first-quarter touchdown, when the 6-foot-7, 360-pound guard pulled and leveled Jaden Hicks into the end zone. He also finished with his best performance as a pass-blocker this season, earning a 71.3 grade last week while allowing just one pressure.

4. CB Chris Johnson Jr.

After being tested early in his NFL career, Johnson turned in his cleanest coverage performance yet against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. The rookie wasn’t targeted once and didn’t allow a reception while finishing with five tackles and a tackle for loss. There are still going to be welcome-to-the-NFL moments, but as the weeks go by, expect fewer performances like the two-touchdown outing he allowed against the Raiders and more like this one, which showed why Johnson was viewed as one of the most polished cornerbacks in the class before Miami selected him in the first round.

5. TE Will Kacmarek

Kacmarek may not be making noise in the passing game, but that isn’t what he is here for. Against Kansas City, the rookie turned in his best blocking performance as a pro, finishing with a career-high 72.9 PFF grade and a 69.4 run-blocking grade As the Dolphins continue to lean heavily on 12 personnel, they couldn’t ask for much more from a third-round pick than a rookie who has smoothly handled the physical demands of the NFL as a blocking tight end.

Give Me A Little More

6. WR Caleb Douglas

After flashing what he was capable of in Week 1, when he led all rookie receivers with five catches, 94 yards and 35 yards after the catch, and also throughout training camp, Douglas could easily be sitting near the top of this list. However, after a quiet Week 2, missing Week 3 with an ankle injury and not likely to play against Minnesota on Sunday, he’ll have some ground to make up as other rookies continue stacking opportunities. The good news is we’ve already seen what it can look like.

7. S Michael Taaffe

Taaffe already has one of the biggest plays made by a Dolphins rookie this season, intercepting Kirk Cousins in Week 1 and setting up Miami’s only touchdown drive of the game. His willingness to come down and help against the run has immediately stood out. Against Kansas City, he stuffed Kenneth Walker III on third-and-1 and met him at the line again later in the game. The next step is becoming more dependable in coverage. After grading poorly through the first two games, that weakness was on full display in Week 3, when he gave up the game-sealing touchdown to Travis Kelce on a corner route after reacting too late to Kelce’s break toward the pylon.

8. FB DJ Herman

As Herman adapts to the new position we already see what made him such a seamless switch with his physicality aggression, you just see he's still getting acclimated to the speed agility and strength of NFL linebackers, who are just as capable of doing damage eat west north south does that make sense. On Ollie Gordon’s rushing touchdown in the first quarter last game, you see him approach second level with such head of steam that he ultimately slipped and fell.

Wait and See

9. WR Kevin Coleman Jr.

Coleman finally got an extended look against Kansas City, playing 45 offensive snaps after totaling just 43 over the first two games. The stat line still wasn’t much, with one catch for 3 yards, but he came awfully close to his first NFL touchdown. Coleman broke wide open up the seam, only for Malik Willis to underthrow him and force the rookie to slow down for the ball. The most promise comes on special teams, where he showed some of the explosiveness Miami liked coming out of Missouri in the return game, when the former SEC Special Teams Player of the Week took two kickoffs for 59 yards, including a 39-yard return. There still hasn’t been enough offensively to move him much higher, but the opportunities are finally starting to come.

10. TE Seydou Traore

For the second week in a row, Traore led Miami in special teams snaps, playing 16 against Kansas City as he continues to carve out a role there while waiting for more opportunities on offense.
He showed some capability as a blocker throughout camp and even adjusted to make a nice catch at one point, so maybe his work on special teams will soon be rewarded with more opportunities on offense.

To Be Determined

11. TE Justin Joly

With Kacmarek handling much of the blocking work and Greg Dulcich ahead of him as a receiving option, Joly may need some time before carving out a consistent role. He was active for the first time against Kansas City, but all of his work came on special teams.

12. G DJ Campbell

The sixth-round pick has yet to crack Miami’s offensive rotation, so there simply hasn’t been enough regular-season work to evaluate him yet.

13. LB Trey Moore

Moore might eventually find himself much higher on this list, but the ankle injury that landed him on injured reserve has kept his rookie season from really getting started. Miami designated him to return, so for now, this one is simply on hold.

14. S Kyle Louis

Louis got only three defensive snaps in the opener before a knee injury sent him to injured reserve.
Miami had started expanding his role before the injury, particularly because of the versatility he offered in coverage, but there just isn’t enough regular-season tape yet to judge much of anything.

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