Dolphins Sunday Mailbag: Kohou, Tyreek, Dart, and More

Third and final part of the pre-draft weekend Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:

From Bubba:

What’s up, Alain. I just don’t see it with Kader Kohou. What does most people see in him?

Hey Bubba, well, for one thing, Kohou is a very, very good tackler as a defensive back, about as good as the Dolphins have had in many years. He’s also solid in coverage, though I like him a lot better in the slot than outside. So, bottom line, I think he’s an above-average nickel corner, and there’s clearly value in that.

From Mike Zwilling:

A player you do not want the Dolphins to take at 13?

Hey Mike, I’m going to keep this to players who could or should be there at number 13 and just mention Tyler Booker, the guard from Alabama. This is nothing personal, but I don’t like guard at 13 because of positional value, not to mention the fact he’s a bad scheme fit.

From Mason:

Alain, thanks for the great work you do keeping us fans well informed. I have a simple question, do you see Grier stepping down from the GM position after this draft? He had the look of a defeated person in the pre-draft press conference.

Hey Mason, no, I don’t see that happening. I didn’t notice a major difference in his demeanor at the press conference, to be honest with you.

From Thee Dolphins Dum Dum:

With big money comes big responsibility. Last year was a disappointment to almost everyone rooting for the Dolphins. To succeed in this league as a team your players have to have a positive payroll-to-production ratio. When I break the parties most responsible for failure, I follow the money first to see if those who have been invested in the most have met their responsibilities. In the case of Mr. Ramsey and Mr. Hill, my answer is absolutely not. They both began the season shaking down the team for more money and both promptly did their best Xavien Howard impersonation and put up pedestrian seasons. Now both men want out of Miami. Hill was the 27th-most productive receiver and Ramsey was the 16th-rated corner, according to PFF. Ramsey only had 2 turnovers and I’ve heard he’s a great tackler. After researching this info I discovered he attempted 54 tackles and missed 14 of them. He allowed a 93.5 passer rating when thrown against. Both men are over 30 and it’s rare to see a player bounce back after that age. Can the Dolphins have success if their 2 highest-paid players put up mediocre production? Is there something that I’m missing? Did they have better seasons than I’m pointing out?

Hey Dana, that’s a very good, elaborate question. I don’t think Hill and Ramsey had their best seasons, but I don’t think they were disasters, either, and understand that Hill played through a lot of health issues. But you’re absolutely right about the concern that their production will continue to decline as they get older. And I could not agree more with criticizing the decision to redo their contracts, which is where the Dolphins eeded to stand their ground but failed to do so.

From Jake McVay:

Hey Alain, fans have been screaming for a better O-line for years. Can the Dolphins really afford not to draft a stud guard in the first or second round?

Hey Jake, how bad was the offensive line in 2023 when the team led the NFL in total offense? That said, yes, the Dolphins offensive line could use upgrades, but I don’t like the idea of taking a guard only in Round 1. I’m fine with it in Round 2 or taking a tackle who moves to guard as a rookie and later moves back to tackle.

From Mark Lever:

If Jackson Dart is available on our second-round pick, do you take him?

Hey Mark, I’ll start with the thought that I don’t believe Dart will be there at 48, but going along with the hypothetical, that’s an interesting one to consider. It certainly wouldn’t do anything for the Dolphins in 2025, but I’m not sure the franchise shouldn’t be looking ahead even with Grier and McDaniel on the hot seat. In the end, it comes down to what we think Dart’s NFL ceiling might be and I’m not sure it’s high enough that I wouldn’t hold off on a QB.

From James Vernon:

Is this the worst situation the Dolphins have been in, in recent memory? The tank for Tua season notwithstanding? And what chance is there that Tyreek Hill is in trouble again before the season begins?

Hey James, last question first, and it’s an unfair question. On the bigger picture, yeah, it’s been a while since the Dolphins had a roster with this many holes (excluding the 2019 seaosn, of course).

From Jason:

If you were Chris Grier, would you use every pick on CB/D-Line and O-Line in the draft?

Hey Jason, I don’t know about EVERY pick, but definitely the majority of them, and I’d absolutely throw in a safety in there and maybe a quarterback as well.

From Chris Shields:

Who you taking at 13 if the following are available. J. Barron, W. Johnson, J. Simmons, K. Banks, G. Zabel, M. Starks, N. Emmanwori, K. Grant, W. Nolen, D. Harmon, T. Warren?

Hey Chris, of the players you listed, I’d be fine with either Jahdae Barron, Will Johnson, Kelvin Banks Jr. or Kenneth Grant.

From Ed Helinski:

What’s your opinion and insight on what’s really going on with Chris Grier and this Jalen Ramsey situation? Good luck trying to trade a player with a $25 mil cap hit.

Hey Ed, that’s a great question and a pretty good mystery right now. Chris Grier said it was not contract-related, so that leaves as possibilities an issue with the scheme, personality differences, maybe Ramsey not liking what’s going on with the roster. That’s all I can think of right now. And, yes, it won't be easy to trade him, though an acquiring team would take on a $21 million cap hit since the Dolphins already paid him a $4 million roster bonus.

From Matty K:

Why should we have ANY faith in this staff to attack this draft?

Hey Matty, what purpose does it serve to assume it’s going to be a failure? Was De’Von Achane not a good pick? Did Chop Robinson not have a great second half last year? I get the frustration, but can we stop pretending everything this regime does is wrong.

From JohnnyFrostbite:

Good morning. What was your thoughts when Grier responded with Tyreek is a leader?

Hey Johnny, I’m going to guess my immediate thought was the same as most Dolphins fans and that was, huh? Really? I have been consistent in my praise of Hill as a player since he got to Miami, but I’ve never seen him as a leader because everything is too much about himself.

From Colin Crabb:

Hi Alain, with the draft nearing, is this Grier's chance for us to draft players in both sides of the trenches to give us some toughness in third-and-1 situations given the DT position is very deep. Thanks for your continued work.

Hey Colin, I don’t recall problems being so significant in third-and-1 situations on defense so much as offense. And the way I see it, it’s not simply that the Dolphins aren’t good enough with their interior offensive line, but their scheme also priorities mobility over power for O-linemen and that’s going to show up in those short-yardage situations. If the Dolphins can find a mobile and powerful interior offensive lineman, they should grab him immediately.

From Jason Kirkland:

Hi Alain, it was said the FO was getting serious about the O-line. They signed Daniels (good), then Borom (awful), and brought Liam back (sucks). How can we take these guys serious when they say that, but do this? There's time left, but it's mostly guys that aren't desirable.

Hey Jason, yeah, I do think everybody expected more significant moves than what we’ve seen so far, though I’ll take issue with your Eichenberg take and say again I think it’s a very good re-signing if he comes back as a backup. But understand the Dolphins all along felt they had their new left tackle in place with Patrick Paul along with Austin Jackson coming back from his knee injury.

From Poor Dolfan:

If Sanders falls to 13, who do you think will want to trade up to take him? We definitely need a couple more 2nd and 3rd picks to fill holes.

The logical teams to try to land Sanders would seem to be the New Orleans Saints, who could just simply take him at number 9, or the Steelers have been mentioned as well and they pick 21st. The New York Giants also have been mentioned and maybe they circle if they don’t take him at 3. Not sure what other teams would fit there, other than maybe Cleveland likewise coming back to trade for him after going Travis Hunter at number 2.

From Kendavidson2025:

Tua had a muscle tear in Houston on the same hip that was surgicially repaired. That muscle stabilizes the joint to avoid redislocation, a retear has to be 2-edged sword concern heading into '25 for Grier and Co., does it not? Doesn’t that make drafting a QB more likely?

Hey Ken, I’m not a doctor, so I can’t speak on what exactly happened with their hip injury, other than relay that Mike McDaniel said it was not related to what happened at Alabama, it was not joint-related and it was soft tissue. But I don’t think it’s out of line to be concerned about the hip, given the severity of what happened in college. The fact is there is an overriding durability concern with Tua, which is why some expect the Dolphins to take a quarterback sooner rather than later in the draft.