Kelly: Dolphins have big rookie class, with bigger expectations

Miami Herald

09-05-2025

Zeek Biggers' calves are the size of tree trunks, and they're needed to hold up his 6-foot-6, 320-pound frame, which based on my Lasik-assisted eyes might be a conservative weight listing.
Probably a weight recommendation because this defensive lineman from Georgia Tech is a big man, arguably the biggest of all the newcomers on the field for Miami Dolphins rookie minicamp.
'Walking in and seeing my name on the locker, and name on my jersey is surreal,' said Biggers, the Dolphins' seventh-round pick. 'I had to take a picture of it.'
There might not be a more fitting name for a rookie nose tackle than Biggers, and it's fitting for the theme the Dolphins had, and seemingly delivered on with the eight 2025 draftees, and the 16 undrafted rookies added Friday.
These newcomers — from defensive lineman Kenneth Grant, the team's 2025 first-round pick to undrafted UCF cornerback BJ Adams — are BIG.
Big, but not flabby.
Whether they're strong and can lift last year's 8-9 team to new heights is yet to be determined. But this rookie class has just as much of a chance to deliver a handful of starters than any other crop of rookies since 2020, which was Tua Tagovailoa, Austin Jackson, Robert Hunt, Solomon Kindley and Brandon Jones' class.
That's five starters from one draft class? Can 2025 replicate that?
'In my mind it's all about work,' said Grant, who was listed at 6-3, 331 pounds, 11 pounds heavier than Biggers. 'I'm for sure going to step my foot down and show people I know how to work.'
Most of these rookies are in the best shape of their lives because of the NFL Draft training they have been doing since February.
Jonah Savaiinaea seemed svelte for offensive lineman weighing 336 pounds, 4 pounds more than Grant, and based on how he moved around during Friday's field work it's clear he has some athleticism to him.
Miami needs Savaiinaea to be an immediate starting left or right guard, and the decision-makers believe he can be, which is why they traded a third-round pick to move up 11 spots in the second round to select the former Arizona starter.
If he can't then that means the Dolphins will have to lean on Liam Eichenberg, a 2021 second-round pick who was re-signed despite his struggles the past four years (52 starts), for another season as a starter.
'I'm trying to prove myself to the vets that they can count on me, earning their trust,' Savaiinaea said. 'They don't care if you're drafted or undrafted, or just got signed. They want to see you put in that winning mentality. They want guys that want to win here. Being able to be a sponge and soak up all the information here. Take a look around at who are my vets, and [paying attention] to what they are doing.'
Rookie camp's about learning how to stretch, which field to run to when the whistle blows, learning how to watch film and digesting the playbook.
Next week, when the rookies are allowed to work with the veterans, is when the real fun begins.
'When you want to get on the field you do the studying,' said tailback Ollie Gordon II, the 2023 Doak Walker Award winner, who could potentially challenge for playing time, if not a starting role, as a rookie.
A limited grasp of the playbook is why De'Von Achane got off to a slow start his rookie season, before setting the NFL record for yards per carry.
Being a quick study, and Raheem Mostert's chest injury, led to Jaylen Wright's early rise up the depth chart. But the former fourth-round pick didn't have staying power because he wasn't diverse enough as an all-purpose back.
Gordon, who is a towering 6-foot-2, 225 pounds has a reputation for doing it all at Oklahoma State, but that was going against college players.
The NFL's the big leagues, and he will be required to wear his big boy pants if he plans to push for playing time.
Because of roster voids, and Miami's newly emphasized youth movement (that's what teams do when they are rebuilding) the 2025 team needs a handful of these rookies to play immediately — if not serve as starters — on offense, defense and special teams.
'You're here to take somebody's job, or get your job took,' Biggers said about his NFL debut. 'So [I'm] kind of just coming in ready to work and ready to do what I need to do.'