Miami Dolphins rookie defensive tackle Christian Wilkins has shown steady progression throughout the course of his rookie season, an encouraging sign for the team’s 2019 1st-round selection. Many rookies hit a late season rookie wall, where as Wilkins seems to be playing some of his best football in recent weeks. He’s dialed up the penetration and disruption and on Sunday against the Bengals, Wilkins got into the action as a fullback on the offensive side of the ball, as well.
Oh, right. He scored a touchdown after catching a ball in the flat on the goal line, by the way. And in scoring, Wilkins became the 3rd player of the 2010s to score a receiving touchdown and record a sack in the same game, according to the research of Brett Brecheisen, who works football communications for the Dolphins.
.@cwilkins42 is the third NFL player in the past decade to catch a touchdown pass and record a sack in the same game.
Tampa Bay's Vita Vea did so earlier this season and Houston's J.J. Watt has accomplished the feat twice.
— Brett Brecheisen (@bbrech) December 23, 2019
Of course, this stat is mostly a fun factoid and we certainly shouldn’t be gearing up to put Wilkins on the same trajectory as J.J. Watt as an overall player. But Wilkins has gotten some pushback from fans who expected more out of the #13 overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft — every bit of positivity and production helps to quiet that nonsense.
Wilkins has played this season on a defensive line with minimal to no push from the outside, which allows opposing offenses to clog the middle of the pocket and make life difficult for anyone looking to create penetration on the inside. Even the best of the best need a little bit of help from their teammates to open up lanes and play complimentary football. And yet over the course of the last few weeks, Miami has healthy scratched DEs Charles Harris and Taco Charlton on multiple occasions.
Don’t judge Christian Wilkins based on his 2019 season, although the arrow has steadily pointed up and progress has been made all year. Instead, celebrate the momentum Wilkins has built through the second half of the season. And reserve any lingering questions for until the Dolphins get a single player capable of winning on the edge in the pass rush.
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