Dolphins Sunday Mailbag: Proctor, Johnson, Willis, and More

Second part of a rookie minicamp weekend Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:

From Ed Helinski:

With all of the new players on the preseason roster, might the Dolphins issuing name badges or putting player names on helmets? To your recollection, is this year the most number of new players brought in?

Hey Ed, man, you’re testing my memory here, but 24 rookies (13 draft picks, 11 undrafted free agents) is just an awful lot. As it turns out, I did some research and came up with also 24 rookies on the training camp roster in 2019 when the Dolphins were rebuilding in Brian Flores' first year as head coach.

From Al Hertz:

SI Dolphins first place I go to for Dolphins info, love All Dolphins and the Collective. When a team calls to trade up in the draft, do they communicate honestly who they want? You hear the reports the Dolphins knew who Dallas wanted and Lions wanted to trade up for Proctor.

Hey Al, no, teams do not as a matter of rule tell each other who they want, as was shown on the ESPN documentary “The Pick Is In.” Having said that, teams have a pretty good idea of potential targets. In the case of the Dolphins-Dallas trade, Jon-Eric Sullivan was very confident the Cowboys had no need or desire for Kadyn Proctor because defense needed to be their focus.

From Luis Rodriguez:

Hi Poup, in a few years when we judge the Downs vs Proctor picks, should the conversation include Coleman and Traore? Technically we traded the rights to Downs for those 3 players. Amirite?

Hey Luis, that’s an absolutely fair point, but the likelihood of Coleman and Traore being able to make up for a sizable gap between Downs and Proctor (if that winds up being the case) probably isn’t great.

From Thee Dolphins Dum Dum:

I would like to give you two scenarios and ask you which one do you think would be the better option. The first option would be Malik Willis plays well but not exceptional. The Dolphins draft a quarterback in the first three picks who has a lot of promise. Joe Burrow type excitement coming out of the end of the college season. The Miami Dolphins trade Malik Willis for a first-round pick plus more. Please keep in mind he will be 28 when the season begins and in two years, he’ll probably want a $50+ million a year contract. The second option would be Malik Willis plays like a top seven quarterback. And the Dolphins pass on drafting a quarterback early in the first round and focus on other needs. The Dolphins extend Willis at the conclusion of the following season to a $200 million contract at age 30 and have their franchise quarterback in his prime but his prime years are probably limited because of his age. Which option do you think would be best?

Hey Dana, it’s a very interesting hypothetical would bring up, but one problem is that if Willis plays well but not exceptional and the Dolphins end up with a top 3 pick, I don’t see a scenario where they get a first-round pick and more in a trade for him. And if he plays well but not exceptionally, the Dolphins probably would owe it to themselves to take a top 3 quarterback. If they see a bona fide franchise quarterback with Willis, then they absolutely should make him their guy. I get the age factor, but who really plans at quarterback for six years down the line?

From Mark@Merrymeeting:

In all your years, what rookie did you watch, was sure he was going to excel, and turned out to be a the biggest bust (for on-field/non-injury reasons)? What about the rookie you thought had no shot, and surprised the most to the upside?

Hey Mark, gonna go off the top of my head here and stick with running back Cecil Collins in 1999 as the one I thought was going to be a star but busted out, in his case because of off-the-field issues. As for the flip side, off the top of my head again I’d say maybe Andrew Van Ginkel in 2019. Didn’t look like there was anything special there, but he’s become a really, really good player.

From Chris Shields:

GM Alain has one move to make before training camp to get this roster right. What you doing?

Hey Chris, not sure what your definition of getting “the roster right,” because it’s not one move away from contention from where I sit. So I’d be looking to try to find a young player with upside who won’t cost much to see if there’s something there beyond just 2026. More importantly, though, GM me makes a final decision on whether to extend Achane, Brooks and/or Brewer and try to work out the best trade possible if the answer is no.

From Harry:

What do you look for in the minicamp? Can you gauge yes he has it or why they draft him?

Hey Harry, we have our brief viewing of the rookie class Friday, and it wasn’t enough to make many impressions, though I would tell you that Kevin Coleman Jr. looked all kinds of quick and DJ Campbell’s got an impressive-looking physique. That’s not enough, though, to predict success for either.

From Jorge boyd:

Hi Alain, wouldn't you think the Dolphins would be better off by putting Proctor at RT and moving the RT to guard; is Chris Johnson a pure outside corner or does he play the slot too?

Hey Jorge, I’ll answer the easy one first, and that’s a yes on Chris Johnson being able to play the slot. As for Proctor, there’s a good argument to be made for your suggestion, especially since Austin Jackson already has guard experience. And if the Dolphins are convinced Proctor’s future is at right tackle, then why not get him started there right away? The counter argument is about easing Proctor into the NFL by keeping him on the same side he played in college, much like they did with Laremy Tunsil back in 2016.

From FZB_dolphins:

Looking at this latest draft , it’s pretty obvious the vision is to be a more physical team on both sides; how long will it take to become a competitive team on the field? My thoughts are 2-3 more drafts, any thoughts?

No, I think it’s realistic to hope the Dolphins could become competitive as early as 2027, particularly if Malik Willis delivers to any degree on his promise. And the vision of being physical is a lot more prominent on offense because the focus on defense was more about drafting versatile players.

From Jeff:

Hello Alain, one final draft question from me if I may. At the end of the 2nd round I was watching the board and waiting for them to trade up to obtain Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (safety) who was dropping. The Browns ended up making that move. Hypothetically, let's say they lose the Kacmarek pick and maybe a 4th in 2027. Do you think that would gave put the team in a better spot? Is EMN a solid prospect to make that move for in your view? Thank you as always for everything.

Hey Jeff, the Dolphins were not going to be trading 2027 draft picks if they could help it because it’s supposed to be a much better draft, and you’ll also notice very few of those picks changed hands. As for whether the Dolphins should have been aggressive in going for EMN, it makes sense from a positional standpoint, but the bottom line is nobody knows how he’ll pan out in the NFL.

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