The Miami Dolphins have concluded their 2023 draft process by selecting Michigan offensive tackle Ryan Hayes with pick No. 238.
Hayes played left tackle for the Wolverines and was a second-team All-Big Ten player for two consecutive seasons. He was part of a unit that won two straight Joe Moore Awards for the best offensive line in college football. He was also a three-time Academic All-Big Ten Honoree. He even was a 2022 graduate student last season.
The knock on his ability to play tackle in the pros is due to reports of limited arm length, but he has great size for the interior. He’s powerful and has football smarts, but he does need work in overall fundamentals, including footwork. He could do well in a system like Miami has with their RPO and play actions.
Hayes is a technically sound blocker, with fine size for the pros at 6-foot-6 and 298 pounds. He could be a quality left-guard candidate to compete with Liam Eichenberg, if he moves to the interior as some predict. In a pinch, he could be a quality competitor in camp at multiple areas of the line, while providing backup depth for veteran Terron Armstead.
The pass protection could use some fine-tuning, but Hayes is clearly very coachable and has a good combination of size and strength. He has a solid overall athletic background, playing baseball and basketball as well in high school. He also has a pedigree in athletics, with both of his parents being athletes and his brother, too, playing for the University of Pittsburgh.
Hayes makes for a very quality capper of a pick, in a draft process that checked off a number of needs for the Dolphins, especially taking into account the fact their missing picks, this year, are Bradley Chubb and Jalen Ramsey.
The Dolphins have had a productive offseason thus far, with more free agents on the market, and a post-June 1 scrap heap of potential cuts on the way. Not to mention the $13.6 million in cap space that is returning to the Dolphins with the official release of cornerback Byron Jones.
As the 2023 NFL draft comes to a close, Miami will certainly have a long list of undrafted free agents that’ll be added to this year’s rookie class of cornerback Cam Smith, running back Devon Achane, tight end Elijah Higgins and offensive lineman Ryan Hayes.
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