Tag: Skylar Thompson

WATCH: First-year Dolphins getting work in at rookie minicamp

Let’s see what the young guys look like.

With the 2022 NFL draft and the schedule release in the books, the Miami Dolphins have turned their focus to instruction, as their first-year players and some tryouts are on the field for rookie minicamp this weekend.

Players are working out during the three-day event and are going over the basics of what the Dolphins want from those who make the final roster. Position coaches, coordinators and head coach Mike McDaniel are on hand to provide that instruction.

A number of beat writers, as well as the Dolphins’ social team, have put out some videos showcasing the work being done on the field.

Skylar Thompson is really looking forward to working with Dan Marino

He has the right attitude.

The Miami Dolphins have put together an interesting quarterback room as they prepare for the 2022 NFL season.

Tua Tagovailoa leads the group with veteran Teddy Bridgewater backing him up. Then, competing for the third/developmental spot are Skylar Thompson and Chris Streveler.

The former was Miami’s final pick in this year’s draft, and the Dolphins’ decision-makers really believe that he could grow into something with this team.

Luckily for Thompson, not only does he have Tagovailoa and Bridgewater to learn from, but he also has one of the great quarterbacks of all time, Dan Marino, who’s always popping into the quarterback room. The rookie is very excited about the opportunity to work with him.

“Man, it’s incredible,” Thompson said on “Drive Time” with Travis Wingfield. “Being able to be in the same room and share thoughts and try to be a sponge to one of the greatest of all time to play the position. That’s amazing just being able to be in the same presence, being able to ask questions, have him as a resource, someone who’s done it and done it really well. That’s something I’m really looking forward to whenever I get to meet Dan, and talk to him and just pick his brain and be a sponge.”

Thompson has the right attitude. He’s willing to do whatever the team asks, and he’s ready to learn from everyone in the building.

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Dolphins announce jersey numbers for rookie class

Now, we can imagine what they’ll look like in the aqua and orange.

The Miami Dolphins are set to hold their rookie minicamp this weekend, and in preparation, the team released a roster for the event.

There are a lot of names that we are familiar with, including the four rookies that the Dolphins drafted and the 14 undrafted free agents that they signed to the roster. In addition, there are a number of players who will be trying out for the team.

Here are the jersey numbers of the four drafted rookies and the UDFAs:

  • Skylar Thompson – No. 19
  • Verone McKinley – No. 32
  • Elijah Hamilton – No. 33
  • Kader Kohou – No. 38
  • ZaQuandre White – No. 47
  • Tanner Conner – No. 48
  • Channing Tindall – No. 51
  • Cameron Goode – No. 53
  • Deandre Johnson – No. 56
  • Tommy Heatherly – No. 59
  • Ty Clary – No. 61
  • Kellen Diesch – No. 64
  • Andre Blaise – No. 71
  • Braylon Sanders – No. 86
  • Erik Ezukanma – No. 87
  • Ben Stille – No. 90
  • Owen Carney – No. 93
  • Jordan Williams – No. 97

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Dolphins announce signings of all 14 UDFAs and QB Skylar Thompson

Half of Miami’s draft class is now under contract.

On Thursday, it was reported that the Miami Dolphins agreed to terms with seventh-round pick Cameron Goode.

Now, on Friday, the team has confirmed that news. They also announced that seventh-round pick Skylar Thompson also signed his contract. Linebacker Channing Tindall and wide receiver Erik Ezukanma remain unsigned, but they can still participate in minicamp this weekend despite not being under contract.

With that information, Miami also announced the official signing of 14 undrafted free agents, including running back Zaquandre White, wide receiver Braylon Sanders, tight end Tanner Conner, offensive tackle Blaise Andries, offensive tackle Kellen Diesch, center Ty Clary, defensive lineman Ben Stille, defensive lineman Jordan Williams, defensive lineman Owen Carney, linebacker Deandre Johnson, cornerback Elijah Hamilton, cornerback Kader Kohou, safety Verone McKinely III and punter Tommy Heatherly.

According to the team’s website, the Dolphins currently have 83 players on their roster while the limit is 90 at this time.

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Setting expectations for Dolphins’ draft class in 2022

Miami should see an impact from some of these rookies in year one.

The Miami Dolphins didn’t have the largest draft class in 2022 due to the offseason trade for speedy wide receiver Tyreek Hill with the Kansas City Chiefs, but they still walked away with four young players.

Going into their first season, it’s tough to determine what exactly rookies are going to do for their teams because the range of outcomes is so wide. They could end up being an All-Pro, or they may not even make the team, and a number of factors could influence any result.

Here are some realistic expectations for each Dolphins draft pick in their rookie seasons.

One college coordinator believes Skylar Thompson is better than a typical seventh-round pick

Maybe there’s hope for development there after all.

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The Miami Dolphins used their final draft pick of the 2022 NFL draft (No. 247 overall) to select Kansas State quarterback Skylar Thompson, bringing him into a room that already has Tua Tagovailoa, Teddy Bridgewater and Chris Streveler.

Quarterbacks taken in the seventh round are far from guaranteed to make the final roster. In the last 10 drafts, just over half of the 16 seventh-round quarterbacks that were drafted made the team’s 53-man roster to start the season, and even less lasted their full rookie year with the team that drafted them.

However, the Dolphins believe that Thompson has some skills to build on to potentially get something out of him in the future. They’re not the only ones that think that.

For a piece for ESPN+ (subscription required), ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg spoke with college coaches regarding some of the selections in this year’s draft, and one of them backed the Dolphins taking Thompson.

“He’s more prototypical, size-wise,” a Group of 5 defensive coordinator said. “If he wouldn’t have gotten hurt so much, he would have been a higher pick, because he kind of fit all the stuff they’re looking for.”

Thompson dealt with both ankle and knee injuries that cost him time in 2021, and a shoulder injury in October 2020 cost the quarterback the rest of that season.

Heading into a battle with Streveler for that third spot, either on the active roster or the practice squad, Thompson will have to show that there’s potential for him to grow with time in Miami’s system.

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Watch highlights of the Dolphins’ 2022 draft picks

Check out highlights of the Dolphins’ four draft picks this year, from Channing Tindall to Skylar Thompson.

With the Miami Dolphins trading their first and second-round selections to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for wide receiver Tyreek Hill, none of four members of the team’s 2022 draft class would be considered household names.

However, Miami did still get some talented young players who had varying levels of productivity in their collegiate careers that they expect to have some impact in the coming years.

We’ve taken the time to find some highlight videos of linebacker Channing Tindall, wide receivers Erik Ezukanma, linebacker Cameron Goode and quarterback Skylar Thompson so that we could all familiarize ourselves with the newest Dolphins.

Where did each Dolphins draft pick rank on pre-draft big boards?

There were some good deals, and there were some swings.

When teams make their selections during the NFL draft process, one of the first things that everyone does is check where the newest members of their organization were ranked.

Fans want to know whether the team made a smart move and grabbed someone who was valued higher or reached a bit and grabbed a player that may have been available later in the draft.

This year, the Dolphins seem to have a mix of results as far as value goes. We looked at four pre-draft big boards to compare how each Dolphins’ selection ranked before the draft to where they were actually taken.

Draft Wire: Top 300
Pro Football Focus: Top 250
CBS Sports: Top 300
The Athletic Consensus Board: Top 300

Chris Grier, Mike McDaniel share why they drafted QB Skylar Thompson

The former Wildcat has some traits that the Dolphins covet.

With their final pick of the 2022 NFL draft, the Miami Dolphins added a fourth quarterback to the roster, selecting Kansas State’s Skylar Thompson.

Thompson being drafted was far from a sure thing, and you could hear the excitement when he received that phone call from the Dolphins’ brass.

The former Wildcat completed 62.4% of his passes during his collegiate career, amassing 7,124 yards, 42 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He also used his legs for another 1,087 yards and 26 touchdowns in those five seasons.

With Miami appearing to have a starting quarterback and a backup, there were some questioning the selection when there were other needs that could’ve been addressed. And, even if they were set on drafting that position, there were other quarterbacks rated higher.

Luckily, during the post-draft press conference, general manager Chris Grier was able to explain why it was he wanted Thompson to be a Dolphin.

“Yeah, I think going through the process here, we’ve all kind of seen him over the years,” Grier said. “It seems like every year Kansas State pulls a big upset over someone and he has a game that people end up talking about. He’s a competitive kid that’s smart, tough. He’s got some athletic ability. I always appreciate how he played and how their coaches and people around him talked about the character and the person. It was always intriguing and then we got to the point here at the end where there is a guy that has some potential to develop as a quarterback and has some upside. We’re excited. The coaching staff and Mike (McDaniel), I’ll let him speak on that but they followed suit with their work.”

Then, head coach Mike McDaniel chimed in, responding to the same question.

“You’re excited when you turn on the tape and you see a guy with passion play the position of quarterback,” McDaniel explained. “You could feel his command and his competitiveness and that’s something that the entire team benefits from because you’re touching the ball all the time and making decisions. We felt good about that opportunity. I just really like the way he played the game and how competitive he was. I think that everyone will be excited that we added another competitor to the team and move forward in that way. Skylar by far had the best audience, too, around him. (laughter) They were all great but I think he had like several people screaming in his ear and into the phone because it was that loud. A lot of people were excited about it.”

Thompson may have a lot of work to do before he earns anything in Miami, but it’s evident that the Dolphins, as an organization, like what he brings to the table.

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Recapping the Dolphins’ 2022 draft weekend

They walked away with four drafted rookies and a bunch of undrafted players as well.

Now that the 2022 NFL draft is officially closed, the Miami Dolphins added four selected players as well as a slew of undrafted free agents.

The Dolphins added a pair of linebackers in the draft in third-round pick, Channing Tindall from Georgia, and seventh-round pick, Cameron Goode from California.

Tindall is Miami’s earliest drafted linebacker from Georgia since Bill Stanfill was selected 11th overall in 1969. At the time of his retirement, Stanfill led the Miami franchise in sacks. Today, he’s third in team history.

Goode is the first-ever linebacker from California picked by Miami, and the earliest Golden Bear drafted by the Dolphins since tight end and current South Florida broadcaster, Joe Rose.

The Tindall pick clinched the continuation of two trends displayed by Miami general manager Chris Grier in his tenure as a lead executive. He’s gone through seven straight drafts with selecting a player from a reigning collegiate national champion. He’s also picked an SEC player in all of his selection processes.

Grier also took care of the offensive side of the ball as well, as he added two depth pieces in wide receiver Erik Ezukanma out of Texas Tech and closed their draft with quarterback Skylar Thompson from Kansas State.

Ezukanma is the sixth player Texas Tech player drafted by Miami. The last was wide receiver Jakeem Grant. The former Dolphin was taken in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft and was dealt to the Chicago Bears last season.

Of course, legendary linebacker Zach Thomas was from Texas Tech, and Ezukanma’s new wide receivers coach Wes Welker was also a Red Raider. Perhaps a ready-made apprentice-teacher relationship is inevitable for Ezukanma and Welker.

Thompson, who was just the ninth quarterback Miami has ever drafted, was moved to tears when getting the phone call from Grier and his new coach making him Dolphin.

While the 2022 draft ended with four players, the fewest in one selection meeting in team history, Grier beefed up the roster with a crew of undrafted free agents.

On Miami’s roster right now, cornerback Nik Needham, wide receiver Preston Williams, offensive lineman Robert Jones and defensive lineman Benito Jones all eventually earned a spot as undrafted free agents.

The Dolphins will look forward to mini-camps with their rookie class in May, leading into a summer of what looks to be a number of heated positional battles.

Following the draft, rookie head coach Mike McDaniel was asked how he felt now that his first selection process in Miami went.

“I feel like there has been a lot of work done, but nothing has been done if that makes sense,” he told reporters.

That’s becoming a typical McDaniel response. It’s this type of answer Miami fans should be excited about, on top of every other aspect this new coach brings to the table. Grier has set the table with the groceries, and now it’s time for McDaniel and staff, as well as their players, to cook.

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