Tag: Skylar Thompson

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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Social media reacts to Dolphins drafting Kansas State QB Skylar Thompson

Quarterbacks are always popular picks.

The Miami Dolphins concluded their 2022 NFL draft on Saturday evening when they selected quarterback Skyler Thompson from Kansas State with their 247th pick. The Dolphins only had four selections, and they made the most out of them. Channing Tindall, Erik Ezunkanma, Cameron Goode, and Thompson make up Miami’s draft class.

With starter and hopeful franchise quarterback Tua Tagovailoa looking for a leap-year, and backup Teddy Bridgewater for insurance, this was a needed pick to finalize the QB room. Thompson will be a developmental third quarterback for the Dolphins.

In what can be viewed as a successful process, mixed with the flurry of offseason moves, including the acquisition of wide receiver Tyreek Hill, the Dolphins will now wait until the final pick, and then search the scrap heap for undrafted free agents.

As always, social media was quick to react to Miami’s decision to draft Thompson.

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Instant analysis of Dolphins drafting QB Skylar Thompson

Here’s what to make of the selection.

With their final scheduled pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the Miami Dolphins drafted Kansas State quarterback Skylar Thompson in the seventh round.

Thompson was Miami’s fourth pick of the draft, as they also selected Channing Tindall from Georgia, Erik Ezukanma from Texas Tech and Cameron Goode from California.

He’ll be entering the NFL as a 25-year-old rookie, after throwing for 7,124 yards with 42 touchdowns and 16 interceptions during his time with the Wildcats. He also rushed for 1,087 yards and 26 touchdowns.

His arm strength and accuracy are both decent, but he wasn’t overly impressive during his collegiate career. The athleticism to do some things in the rushing game is a nice plus, but it didn’t move him up anybody’s board.

Thompson joins a Dolphins’ quarterback room that has Tua Tagovailoa, Teddy Bridgewater and Chris Streveler at this point. Before you ask, this pick is not about Tagovailoa. Both Tagovailoa and Bridgewater are guaranteed spots in 2022, but there will definitely be room for a third either on the active roster or on the practice squad.

Miami will have an interesting battle to watch. It may be a better option to keep a project rather than Streveler, who, despite being only two years older than Thompson, has been out of college for four years.

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Dolphins select QB Skylar Thompson with pick No. 247

Everybody freak out!

The Miami Dolphins drafted linebacker Channing Tindall in the third round, wide receiver Erik Ezukanma in the fourth and linebacker Cameron Goode with the first of their two seventh-round picks.

With pick No. 247 the Dolphins selected Kansas State quarterback Skylar Thompson.

More to come.

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Lions 2022 NFL draft: A quarterback for every round

Presenting a QB option in each round for the Lions in the 2022 NFL draft

With the 2022 NFL draft rapidly approaching, it’s time to break down what the Detroit Lions can do with their picks in April’s selection process. Instead of another mock draft, this series will break down positional prospects at each position that project to be available to Detroit GM Brad Holmes to consider in each of the draft’s seven rounds.

First up: The quarterbacks.

The purpose here isn’t to advocate for or against any specific player. This is about presenting the options that are likely available to the Lions (and other NFL teams) at the position in each round. We’ll go through the options at each position, and we’ll also include projections for the fourth round, where the Lions do not currently hold a pick.

 

Diving into Kansas State quarterback Skylar Thompson

Breaking down a number of plays from Kansas State quarterback Skylar Thompson.

With the 2022 NFL Combine approaching, we are nearing the first time — and only — time of the draft cycle where the bulk of the prospects will be taking the field together, albeit for limited workouts and testing. That means we will finally get to see players who participated in different All-Star games, as well as the underclassmen, sharing the same stage.

That gives us a chance to dive into prospects a bit more, and that leads us to Kansas State quarterback Skylar Thompson. Thompson participated in the Shrine Bowl this All-Star cycle, coming off a senior year that saw him complete 69.5% of his passes for 2,113 yards and 12 touchdowns, against just four interceptions. Thompson and the Wildcats earned an invitation to the TaxAct Texas Bowl, which Kansas State won over LSU by a final score of 42-20.

Looking at Thompson on film, there are some positives that stand out to his game. In this video breakdown, looking at plays from three different games, you will see his pocket movement, his timing in the passing game, and more:

As discussed, teams that rely on the horizontal passing game or West Coast passing concepts might love what they see in Thompson.

Texas Bowl: Handing out game balls for LSU and Kansas State

Which players stood out in the Texas Bowl?

The LSU Tigers football team never had a chance; Kansas State beat them 42-20 in the Texas bowl. LSU was missing a lot of players due to many reasons and could not overcome it. Now the Brian Kelly Era will begin. Here are the players of the game of both teams; it was hard choosing for LSU. 

Game balls

LSU

Jontre Kirklin, a receiver, was thrown in the quarterback position in the Bowl game. Kirklin passed for 138 yards, three touchdowns, including an 81-yard touchdown pass to Chris Hilton Jr. to end the game. Kirklin also threw two interceptions. All night, Kirklin was throwing the ball up for grabs, and LSU receivers came down with the ball a few times. Kirklin also rushed for 61 yards, giving him 199 total yards for the game.

Defensive back Pig Cage had six tackles, three TFLs, and one sack. He played well Tigers, it’s pretty amazing that a defensive back has three tackles for a loss.

Kansas State

Quarterback Skylar Thompson passed for 259 yards and three touchdowns. Thompson was under pressure early in the game but scrambled and was able to find open receivers down the field. He completed 75% of his passes and had a 188.1 passer rating. 

LSU’s defense did an ok job holding Deuce Vaughn in check to start the game, but as the game went on, Vaughn got it going. He finished with 146 yards in 21 carries and three touchdowns. His long was 48 yards, and Vaughn averaged seven yards per rush.