Tag: Christian Wilkins

Wilkins excited for matchup with Tom Brady, cracks joke about ‘the GOAT’

A former Clemson star is gearing up for what he knows will be a memorable NFL game. Miami Dolphins third-year defensive lineman Christian Wilkins will go up against Tom Brady at 1 p.m. ET Sunday when the Dolphins face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at …

A former Clemson star is gearing up for what he knows will be a memorable NFL game.

Miami Dolphins third-year defensive lineman Christian Wilkins will go up against Tom Brady at 1 p.m. ET Sunday when the Dolphins face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

“Watching the tape, you see why many consider Tom Brady to be the GOAT,” Wilkins said to the media this week. “So, there’s so many things he does throughout the course of the game that are different than what a lot of people do. But we’re excited for the challenge.”

Wilkins added that the matchup with Brady is one “you tell your grandkids about,” then cracked a joke about the seemingly ageless future Hall of Famer.

“This is a game you tell your grandkids about – not necessarily the game, but playing someone of Tom Brady’s stature and things like that. Well shoot, at this rate he might play my grandkids,” Wilkins said with a smile.

“So, he’s definitely a special talent, and we’re excited for the matchup.”

Wilkins has a lot of respect for the 44-year-old Brady and doesn’t think there’s been a noticeable decline in the performance of the 14-time Pro Bowler and seven-time Super Bowl champion.

“People have been saying he’s slowing down for five years,” said Wilkins, a first-round pick of the Dolphins in the 2019 NFL Draft. “But I don’t really see it much. He just keeps winning and keeps doing great things. He continues to be the player he’s always been.”

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What They Are Saying: Former Tigers shine in Week 3 of NFL action

Another Sunday, another week of former Clemson football players showing out in the league. A bunch of former Tigers shined in Week 3 of the NFL season – including Mike Williams and Hunter Renfrow among others – while there was a heavy Clemson …

Another Sunday, another week of former Clemson football players showing out in the league.

A bunch of former Tigers shined in Week 3 of the NFL season — including Mike Williams and Hunter Renfrow among others — while there was a heavy Clemson presence in Jacksonville with Trevor Lawrence, Tyler Shatley and the Jaguars squaring off against Isaiah Simmons, DeAndre Hopkins and the Cardinals.

Check out what they are saying about NFL Tigers from Sunday’s action:

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What They Are Saying: Tigers in the NFL

The NFL preseason is in full swing and plenty of former Clemson football players are getting ready for their respective campaigns. In this edition of What They Are Saying, we take a look at what is being said on Twitter about some of the former …

The NFL preseason is in full swing and plenty of former Clemson football players are getting ready for their respective campaigns.

In this edition of What They Are Saying, we take a look at what is being said on Twitter about some of the former Tigers in the NFL:

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Skalski confident Clemson defense rivals 2018’s Power Rangers

Following the Sugar Bowl loss last January to Ohio State, Clemson has its sights set on starting fresh with a new season and new opportunities ahead. For sixth-year linebacker James Skalski, it’s time to show the world what the Tigers’ defense can …

Following the Sugar Bowl loss last January to Ohio State, Clemson has its sights set on starting fresh with a new season and new opportunities ahead.

For sixth-year linebacker James Skalski, it’s time to show the world what the Tigers’ defense can do.

Clemson’s defense showed promise last season but struggled to build depth. Now the unit is looking to have what could be its best season since greats like Christian Wilkins, Clelin Ferrell, Dexter Lawrence and Austin Bryant all toed the line during the 2018 national championship season.

“I never got to fully play behind that Dexter, Christian, Cle, Austin d-line, so, in a way, this is kind of like a new wave of that hopefully,” Skalski said at the ACC Kickoff. “If those guys can live up to their expectation, it’s going to be that [type of] talent.”

With a wealth of talent returning on this year’s defense, Skalski is eager to see if his team can play more together and be a more cohesive unit once they hit the field this fall.

“It’s the same every year,” he said. “It’s play good team defense, be in the top five in most of the categories. But for me this year, I just want to see all three levels playing together. I think last year was just a little dysfunctional at times. I think we have all the things we need to glue it all together and have a great defense.”

With guys like Justin Foster, Myles Murphy, Bryan Bresee, Tyler Davis, Xavier Thomas, K.J. Henry and more returning to the defensive line this season, the linebacker is confident his team can face some of the mistakes made last season and use it as fuel to dominate any opponent they come face to face with.

“Maybe the front seven played well, but we didn’t cover the guy. Or maybe we covered the hell out of some people, and we can’t get to the quarterback or maybe the linebackers or the d-line fit the gaps right, but the safety’s not there,” the linebacker said. “Just everyone being on their P’s and Q’s as one. Too many times, we’ve had great performances from some people. But as a whole, it wasn’t good.”

In addition to a veteran d-line, the Tigers have a great deal of experience thanks to guys like Skalski, Nolan Turner and Baylon Spector in Clemson’s back seven, who can each offer both experience and leadership to younger players.

“As far as preparation goes, anyone in that room can ask me a question about their job, and between me, Nolan [Turner], and Baylon [Spector], the whole back seven, we know the answer,” Skalski said.

“Just helping younger guys come along, grow, because literally any position you want, we got an answer for it. As far as in game and in moments, I’ve been down 16-0 and beat Ohio State before, so just helping people keep level heads when things aren’t going well, but we got that. We got all those kind of guys, even without the experience, who’ve got that kind of mentality about them.”

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Wilkins poised for another jump in Year 3

Former Clemson standout Christian Wilkins looked impressive for the Dolphins last season. Miami showed massive improvement as a team last season as it jumped from 5-11 to 10-6 overall and finished second in the AFC East but narrowly missed its first …

Former Clemson standout Christian Wilkins looked impressive for the Dolphins last season.

Miami showed massive improvement as a team last season as it jumped from 5-11 to 10-6 overall and finished second in the AFC East but narrowly missed its first playoff appearance since 2016.

Wilkins showed similar improvement with a move from right defensive end to left defensive end despite missing time due to virus protocols last November. He attributed the improvement to a greater knowledge of the playbook and a new comfort level in professional football.

“It’s a lot of things you learn so much in that first year,” Wilkins said in a press conference Tuesday. “It’s all going fast and definitely in year two you know what to expect and have comfort on the field and know the playbook, just everything. You’re able to make those small adjustments in your game to have a big jump.”

Wilkins started 12 games for the Dolphins last season and started 12. He recorded 47 combined tackles, 28 solo tackles, four tackles-for-loss and 1.5 sacks.

The defensive end sets goals before every season but wouldn’t divulge what those goals were for last season or the upcoming campaign.

“My goals are pretty similar with maybe one adjustment or two so I’m not going to share last years’ goals,” Wilkins said.

https://youtu.be/GJ5O_p8oZAM

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Dolphins defenders partake in first graduation at HBCU trade program

Dolphins defenders partake in first graduation at HBCU trade program

With the NFL’s offseason slowly creeping to a close, NFL players will soon be dialed in on their business on the field. There’s a 17-game season to prepare for and teams across the league are going to have their usual extended runway to brace for the year ahead starting in just a few weeks. But for a pair of Miami Dolphins defenders, this past week offered a little focus on a different kind of business:

The Florida Memorial University’s Construction Trade Program.

The mission statement of the FMU’s Construction Trade Program is “to provide minorities within underserved populations, throughout urban communities in Miami-Dade, specifically the Miami-Gardens and Opa-Locka communities, with the skills and resources to obtain a career in Construction Trades.”

Where do the Dolphins tie in? It was announced in January that the Dolphins Social Impact Committee and the Lennar Foundation would be joining forces to sponsor the program. When the sponsorship was announced, cornerback Byron Jones was one of a number of Dolphins players involved in the Social Impact Committee to offer a statement.

“In many parts of America, people aren’t afforded the opportunity to grow up in neighborhoods with well-funded school, effective after school programs, or economic opportunities,” said Jones. “This program fills the gap that many people of underserved communities fall into. Whether you’re a high school dropout or have a criminal history, this program gives people a chance to develop career skills that will change their lives for the better.”

So with the FMU Construction Trade Program’s first ever graduation ceremony this past week, Jones and defensive tackle Christian Wilkins made an appearance to help encourage the first wave of graduates as they look to put their newfound skills to use moving forward.

 

 

Which of Dolphins’ interior defensive linemen has the highest ceiling?

Which of Dolphins’ interior defensive linemen has the highest ceiling?

Touchdown Wire revealed this past week their list of the top-11 interior defensive linemen in football — a list that did not happen to feature any members of the Miami Dolphins’ defense. It is understandable when considering the vast majority of the list is penetration defenders who log a lot of sacks and tackles for loss; that’s a role Miami doesn’t often call upon for their big men up front. So the stat sheet is never going to wow you with backfield production from the Dolphins’ interior.

But while the team was shutout of the list, the question begs to be asked:

Which of Miami’s interior defenders has the highest ceiling as a player? We’ll omit pass rusher Emmanuel Ogbah from this exercise despite the fact that the team has aligned him at times in a 4i or 5 technique alignment with someone walked up outside of him in alignment; making him an interior player. Ogbah spent nearly 150 snaps last season on the inside but logged nearly 850 total snaps defensively last season — so count him out here!

That leaves 2019 1st-round pick Christian Wilkins, 2020 2nd-round pick Raekwon Davis, 2019 waiver wire addition Zach Sieler and 20201 free agent signing Adam Butler as the primary contenders for the title.

Butler is an exciting addition to Miami for his ability to play as a rush specialist on the inside — he’s a notable upgrade over Davon Godchaux in the “disruptive play” department. But Butler comes to Miami from a similar system in New England; one that never once asked him to play more than 500 snaps in any of his first four seasons. Butler comes to Miami as a rotational player.

Sieler has been a tremendous gem for Miami off the trash heap in Baltimore. He’s provided quality play against both the run and the pass and the team has already rewarded him with an extension as a result. And we would be wise to not completely ignore his upside and sleeper status to claim the title of most “high ceiling” Dolphins IDL — he ran 4.83s in the 40-yard dash at his 2018 pro day coming out of Ferris State at 288 pounds with a vertical of 29 inches and a standing broad jump of 9-feet, 10-inches. He’s a plus athlete who is now getting NFL coaching and fundamentals down after coming out of a small school program.

If anything Sieler has closed the gap on Wilkins and Davis, who had a head start by playing college ball at Clemson and Alabama respectively. Wilkins has comparable athletic tests (5.03s 40, 29.5″ vertical) but logged his tests at 315 pounds, nearly 30 pounds heavier than Sieler did in the draft process. And while Wilkins hasn’t finished his pressures and converted them into sacks, he’s gotten plenty of push inside and is a reliable piece of the puzzle up front in all phases for Miami.

But Raekwon Davis has the highest ceiling of this group. Because while Wilkins is good across the board and Sieler is blossoming in a bigger role with the Dolphins, Davis was dominant for large stretches of play in the back half of his rookie season. Miami bulked Davis up to 330 pounds to play nose tackle and he’s got monstrous potential there. He actually had a better pressure rate (5.51%) than Wilkins (4.96%) did in his opportunities there, too. And entering into Year 2, Miami must be thrilled about his potential to bully opposing centers once again in 2021.

It’d be fair to assess Sieler is the best athlete of the group and Wilkins is the most versatile of the group. But the one who has the highest potential of being dominant in their respective role? That title looks, at least for now, to belong to Davis.

Watch: Christian Wilkins mic’d up in Dolphins’ win over Raiders

Watch: Christian Wilkins mic’d up in Dolphins’ win over Raiders

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.

Miami Dolphins set to get boost with return of DL Christian Wilkins

Miami Dolphins set to get boost with return of DL Christian Wilkins

The Miami Dolphins appear to be in line for some reinforcements this week after their first loss in nearly two months at the hands of the Denver Broncos. The Dolphins had their fair share of trouble tracking down the Denver rushing attack in Week 11 and as a result the Dolphins weren’t able to make the plays necessary to secure their 6th-straight win of the season. With the Dolphins now looking to start a new winning streak, the team does appear to be in position to get some reinforcements back this week ahead of their clash with the New York Jets — most notably former 1st-round pick Christian Wilkins along the defensive line.

Wilkins, who has been on the Dolphins’ reserve/COVID-19 list since ahead of Week 10 against the Los Angeles Chargers, was spotted on Wednesday afternoon with the rest of his teammates practicing for the first time in two weeks.

Wilkins, who is a talented spark plug for the Dolphins’ defensive front seven, will undoubtedly be raring to go this weekend provided he continues to clear the COVID-19 testing protocols and is confirmed back to 100% health. With Miami looking to continue their push to a winning season; a healthy, rested Wilkins may be the spark the Dolphins need to get back to their dominant defensive ways and put the clamps on the New York Jets in Week 12.

The Dolphins have yet to make an official announcement regarding Wilkins’ status, but we should expect one this afternoon given his presence with the team at practice this morning.

How can Dolphins pivot defensive personnel versus Chargers?

How can Dolphins pivot defensive personnel versus Chargers?

The Miami Dolphins absorbed some bad news on Thursday when it was announced that the team was placing three, including defensive starters Kyle Van Noy and Christian Wilkins, on the reserve/COVID-19 list — casting serious doubt into their availability to play in Week 10 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Given the Chargers’ ability to move the football and the high-performance of young quarterback Justin Herbert thus far in the season, having all hands on deck would have eased a lot of minds for how Miami was going to draw up a game plan to cross up the young quarterback.

Instead, the Dolphins must continue their preparations with the assumption that neither Van Noy nor Wilkins will be in play for the Dolphins. There does appear to be some outside hope that Van Noy may be available, as sources have told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald that Van Noy’s designation on the list is on account of contact tracing.

“NFL Network reported that both players will miss Sunday’s game, though the team would not confirm that and The Miami Herald has been told that at least one of the two has not yet been ruled out,” wrote Jackson.

“If the players contracted the virus, both would definitely miss Sunday’s home game against the Los Angeles Chargers. But Van Noy was placed on the list because of contact tracing, according to a source.”

While the Dolphins likely already know whether or not there’s a chance Van Noy is at their disposal, lets operate under the assumption that neither Christian Wilkins or Kyle Van Noy is eligible to play for Miami on Sunday. How are those defensive snaps shared?

Kyle Van Noy has played in no less than 88% of the Dolphins defensive snaps in any of the last four games he dressed for (Miami sat him versus the Jets due to a minor injury). But the Jets game holds a clue for Miami: as there was a player who saw a significant jump in snap production for that football game. It wasn’t Andrew Van Ginkel, who may have been the first assumed choice — it was LB Sam Eguavoen. Aside of the Jets game, Eguavoen’s season high for defensive snaps is just 8, which came against San Francisco in Week 5.

Week 6 against the Jets? Eguavoen played 49 defensive snaps (69% of team reps). Look for him to adopt many of Van Noy’s reps this weekend with Andrew Van Ginkel a more likely candidate to take the obvious passing down/distance snaps.

On the defensive line, the Dolphins can take solace in the strong play of Zach Sieler up front. He’s played about 65% of the Dolphins’ snaps during their four game winning streak; which is a sizable amount. Fellow defensive tackle Raekwon Davis has played in over 50% of the team’s snaps for the past two weeks as well — that figure is likely to further expand as Miami looks to cover their bases up front. And while this duo can take a fraction of Wilkins’ snaps depending on the rest of the front, Miami will still need someone else to step in on the defensive line.

Look for Shaq Lawson to get more run. Miami can play four across the front with Lawson, Sieler, Davis and Emmanuel Ogbah and still reasonably expect to hold their own up front — and Lawson has been playing less than 50% of the Dolphins’ defensive snaps over the course of the last two weeks.

Miami may still need to promote IDL Benito Jones off the practice squad for short yardage reps, but the Dolphins’ defensive personnel groupings won’t handle these losses with a one for one swap. Expect a group effort and expect Sam Eguavoen and Shaq Lawson to carry the brunt of the extra weight for each respective loss for the week.