Best Is Yet to Come for Top 2022 Dolphins Draft Picks

Channing Tindall and Erik Ezukanma generally were viewed as developmental prospects when the Miami Dolphins took him in the 2022 NFL draft

The Miami Dolphins got very little out of their 2022 draft class, with seventh-round pick Skylar Thompson really the only one who saw significant playing time.

The team's top two picks, linebacker Channing Tindall and wide receiver Erik Ezukanma, contributed very little, which easily could be viewed as a major disappointment from the outside.

It was especially true for Ezukanma, who shined in the preseason but then was inactive for all but one game in the regular season and played two snaps in that one appearance.

Making matters worse was the Dolphins elevated two different receivers from the practice squad — River Cracraft and Braylon Sanders — to make them active instead of Ezukanma.

As for Tindall, he did play in 16 games but got only nine snaps on defense to go along with 167 on special teams. That wasn't ideal for a defense that could have used a playmaker at linebacker.

But here's the thing: That Tindall and Ezunkanma didn't contribute much as rookies shouldn't have come as a major surprise.

NFL Network Daniel Jeremiah conducted a pre-draft press conference Friday ahead of the scouting combine in Indianapolis next week, and we asked him whether Tindall and Ezukanma not doing much as rookies was surprising.

Looking back at his notes from last year — because he's been so immersed in 2023 prospects — Jeremiah confirmed that Tindall and Ezukanma each needed some development before being able to make an impact in the NFL.

"I had him as a late guy," Jeremiah said, adding he didn't have Ezukanma among his top 150 prospects. "You know, a lot of bubbles, a lot of 50-50 balls. I thought he was kind of a project in terms of working with him and developing him, so I guess I wouldn't be surprised that he wasn't playing there.

"(Tindall) was my 76th player. Didn't start there. Speed . Explosion. Thought the FBI in terms of football intelligence, seeing things clearly, was a little bit of a question mark. More see and go. Thought there was some stiffness in space. I said he'd be an animal on special teams initially.

"So I think both those guys you're probably looking at some development that needed to take place. So maybe not a shock that (the Dolphins) didn't get as much out of them right away."