After the 2022 NFL draft concluded, the Miami Dolphins signed a number of first-year players that went unselected throughout the process, including Idaho State playmaker Tanner Conner.
Conner, in 47 collegiate games, recorded 137 receptions for 2,383 yards ad 15 touchdowns, including 42 receptions for 735 yards and four scores in his final season.
Making the jump to the NFL was going to be a tough ask for essentially a player who’d essentially played as a big receiver and was being moved to tight end in a system that rewards those who can block.
“The biggest thing for me will be [increasing] the knowledge of playing tight end,” Conner told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “I came in as a receiver so I have great confidence in the route tree and running routes, stuff like that. Blocking I’ve come a long way; still have a long way to go. It’s a whole new world in the trenches that I was not used to” as a wideout.
With his skill set, he’s shown he has some positive traits to work with at the NFL level, and they’re more in line with what pending free agent Mike Gesicki did for Miami.
“I feel I do a good job running routes,” he said. “I run good routes. I’ve made a couple good plays.”
The tight end didn’t bring in a single reception in his 13 games played in 2022, but he was surprisingly impressive in training camp and the preseason to earn a spot on the 53-man roster.
Heading into 2023, Conner’s honest about his position, and he sees that there could be more in store for him in the future.
“I’m in a niche spot,” he said. “I’m a little bit small to be a true tight end. I’m a little big to be a receiver. What they see in me is a different breed, where I’m 230 pounds but I can still move decently fast and run good routes.
“I think they have a special plan for me the next couple years where they can use me differently than other guys in the past, and as a blocker as well.”
Tight ends coach Jon Embree, who’s worked with some of the league’s best tight ends, has some interesting options at his disposal heading into this offseason. Conner joins Durham Smythe, Hunter Long and Cethan Carter on the depth chart, who all bring something different to the table.
Conner believes that Embree will put him in the best position to reach his potential.
“Embo wants to keep me as his project and his player,” he said. “If they want to experiment with that, I would be open to it. I have a big wheelhouse I can choose from. But Embo likes to coach me and I like Embo as my coach as well.
“They have a niche spot for me and they are going use my abilities to my advantage and not put me in places where I can’t succeed.”
If the Dolphins have found an NFL player in Conner, that’s just another in a list of hits in the undrafted player pool for general manager Chris Grier. With Gesicki likely heading out the door, an ascension from Conner into a contributor would definitely ease that departure.
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