When the Miami Dolphins made the decision to make defensive lineman Christian Wilkins the face of their first NFL Draft class under Brian Flores and Chris Grier, the expectation was that Miami would be getting a blue collar, high energy and high effort spark plug for the heart of their defensive line. Wilkins has, on that front, not disappointed — he’s everything the Dolphins hoped he would be for the locker room and the defense.
But Christian Wilkins has quietly developed into something else as well: perhaps Miami’s best trash-talker on the team. You don’t have to take our word for it, though — because the Dolphins strapped Wilkins up with a hot microphone for the team’s miraculous 26-25 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 16. And boy, did he chip the Raiders’ ear off.
Wilkins’ trash-talking segments were a highlight of 2019 as well — when he wore a microphone against the Cincinnati Bengals in December victory. As his body of work grows, the contenders on the Dolphins team to challenge him as the best trash talker on the roster seem to whittle away more and more. When you’re as good as Wilkins (both as a player and a teammate), you can chirp it up throughout the game. And as Wilkins continues to develop and begins to create more havoc in the backfield, we may never hear the end of it.
And as the Dolphins continue to level up their defense, Wilkins will get more one on one looks and be given the chance to make more splash plays — and subsequently tell the opposition about it in the process.