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Dolphins Sons Score Points with Performance at Combine

Mason Taylor and Oronde Gadsden II helped themselves during the combine

Dante Collinelli

LSU tight end Mason Taylor (TE20) during the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium.
LSU tight end Mason Taylor (TE20) during the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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Mason Taylor and Oronde Gadsden II did their fathers proud during the combine workouts Friday, while helping their draft stock in the process.

Taylor is, of course, the son of Hall of Famer Jason Taylor (and nephew of Dolphins legend Zach Thomas), while Gadsden is the son of the former Dolphins wide receiver of the same name.

Tight end is a position the Dolphins will have to address at some point this offseason. Jonnu Smith is more of a third receiver than an actual tight end, and the team already cut Durham Smythe, leaving Julian Hill as the primary in-line option.

Mason Taylor Combine Performance

Like many prospects this year, Taylor did not compete in any of the athletic testing. Of course, Taylor was still measured and weighed. He checked in at 6-5, 251 pounds with 32¼-inch arm length and 10-inch hands.

Weighing in at 251 pounds was a win for Taylor. Despite that ranking in the 44th percentile among all tight ends at the combine since 1999, many questioned Taylor’s ability to hold up as an in-line blocker against NFL competition. Playing at 251 pounds would at least give him a fighting chance.

Despite not competing in athletic testing, Taylor managed to generate some buzz from his on-field workout. However, anyone who watched him at LSU wouldn’t be surprised by that.

Taylor was a smooth pass catcher on tape, winning down the field and creating yards after the catch at a good rate last season. There was never any doubt about his ability to catch passes and generate big plays.

He showed some of those skills in the gauntlet drill, effortlessly catching every pass while staying down the line. Many tight ends will struggle to stay on the line and make all the catches, but it looked second nature to Taylor.

Generating positive reviews at the combine is tough, but Taylor’s field workout was good enough to do it. Taylor will likely be a Day 2 pick, meaning Miami would have to select him at 48th (second round) or 98th overall (third round).

Oronde Gadsden II’s Combine Performance

Unlike Taylor, Gadsden II actually did a few athletic tests. He did not run the 40-yard dash but competed in the vertical and broad jump while doing on-field workouts.

Gadsden II jumped 34 inches in the vertical and 9 feet 6 inches in the broad. Neither of those marks is likely to wow NFL teams, as they are in the 35th and 43rd percentile among all tight ends since 1999, respectively.

However, Gadsden II won with his weigh-ins. He came in at 6-4 and 5/8ths, weighing 243 pounds with 33⅜-inch arms. Gadsden II’s most impressive measurement was his wingspan, which came in at 81⅝ inches, ranking in roughly the 85th percentile among tight ends.

His wingspan shows up on tape, too. Similar to his father, Gadsden II is great at making difficult contest catches outside his frame. He started as a wide receiver at Syracuse and technically converted to tight end, but that change is more semantics than anything.

He played 357 snaps in the slot this past season while logging 327 snaps in line. Although that points to a balanced player, most of his in-line snaps were passing plays.

Gadsden II showed his passing game prowess in on-field drills, recording an excellent GPS time during the gauntlet drill.

Gadsden II is likely to be a Day 3 pick, as most teams will view him as a big receiver instead of a traditional tight end. For the Dolphins, it’s hard to imagine a role for him with how the offense is currently constructed.

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Dante Collinelli
DANTE COLLINELLI

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