When the Miami Dolphins drafted Christian Wilkins in 2019, their defense had some young players who were starting to take on leadership roles, including Xavien Howard and Bobby McCain. Even Jerome Baker was named a team captain in just his second season.
Now, in 2022, Howard and Baker remain on the roster, while McCain is continuing to make a name for himself with the Washington Commanders. However, more players are stepping up to be leaders on that side of the ball in Miami, including Wilkins, who was asked about helping the younger Dolphins during his media availability on Wednesday.
“I feel like just from my experience, I’m able to be there for those guys, especially like you said, all the draft picks, all the guys who were drafted early who might feel like there was some pressure,” Wilkins said. “There’s this, that and trying to figure things out. I always try to be a guy that they can lean on, come and talk to just about anything – about life, about ball, whatever it has to do, just adjusting to life in the NFL. I always try to be that for them. I can’t tell them everything before it happens, but just kind of be a mentor and a big brother as things do come up for them, help them through whatever it is they may be going through both good and bad.”
Having a strong group of veteran leaders will be extremely important heading into this year for the Dolphins’ defense. Defensive coordinator Josh Boyer is leading the defense for the first time without Brian Flores or Bill Belichick around, so he will likely lean on some of the established players to help younger guys transition smoothly into life as a Dolphin, both on the field and off of it.
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