Making a Case for a Defensive Tackle at Number 13

The Miami Dolphins selected Christian Wilkins with the 13th pick in 2019, and they should consider something similar in 2025

Michigan defensive lineman Kenneth Grant (78) celebrates a tackle against USC during the first half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As we sit just under a month until the 2025 NFL draft, one thing already has crystalized as far as what the Miami Dolphins face, a conundrum with their first-round selection as it currently sits at number 13.

And, to be frank, the conundrum is presented at the cornerback position.     

Without question, Miami clearly sits with a roster short on cornerbacks. More specifically, it has what essentially amounts to the second-most important defensive back on your roster — the one starting outside opposite Jalen Ramsey — not clearly being a player currently on the roster.

With that and the fact that the team owns the 13th pick, one would assume there’s an easy answer: draft your cornerback there.

The 2025 draft, however, does not have a player likely to be sitting at 13 who doesn’t have more question marks than you would want from a player you are drafting that high.

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Dolphins Draft Stories:
-- Making sense of the Dolphins draft position odds
-- The case for and against drafting an offensive lineman in Round 1
-- Ranking the Dolphins mock draft projections after the first wave of free agency
-- Why the Dolphins should consider drafting a QB (and who)

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THE QUESTION MARKS AT CORNERBACK

Colorado’s Travis Hunter likely will go in the top three picks and the consensus on where the Dolphins can head from there is to go after either Michigan’s Will Johnson or Texas’ Jahdae Barron. Other options presented are simply reaches.

From a skill perspective, Johnson offers practically everything you would want from a play standpoint at the position, save maybe a clear case of him having top-end defensive back speed. He has great tape from 2022 and 2023, showing high-end instincts, anticipation and feel for the game.

But even at his best, he typically plays off receivers, again lending itself to the suggestion he might lack speed. More concerning, however, is his recent injury history.

Johnson played the first five games of 2024 but missed the rest due to turf toe. He did have two pick-sixes in his five games and three pass breakups in that short time. But having sat out from early October until late February and not being able to participate at the NFL Combine is a concern. Showing up at Michigan Pro Day nearly a month later only to report a hamstring injury is an additional concern.

And while these injuries are not torn knees or tendons, they are not the kind of thing you want if you are looking for a sure-fire starter at pick 13 opposite Ramsey. The Dolphins — especially the Dolphins, for crying out loud — have to take his injuries into account because they have too many players on their roster in a similar situation.

For those not willing to risk things but still feeling the need to draft a corner first, Texas’ Jahdae Barron has been mentioned as a possibility. Barron is not as natural of a player as Johnson and may not ultimately even be an outside corner as he played primarily in the slot or box in his first two seasons.

On the flip side, Barron did have a fantastic year in ’24, his first season playing outside, earning the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s best defensive back while posting five interceptions.

He blazed to a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash at the combine with a 35-inch vertical and 10’-3” broad jump. In 679 snaps outside last year — by far the most of his three years — he did allow a 54.4% completion rate on passes thrown in his coverage area. So there is concern for him as a man corner, though he could be physical enough to learn to play better press.

Overlooking Johnson’s issues would suggest a team is not taking a best-player available approach with its top pick and while betting on Barron is certainly safer overall, it doesn’t guarantee you will have the player you want at the spot you want him to play.   

If you’re the Dolphins and with their payroll, you have to think of yourself as a team that is not likely to get a pick as high as number 13 anytime soon. At least not with your own pick. And this only further casts an ominous shadow over the position you would likely most want to fill.

THE DIRE NEED AT DEFENSIVE TACKLE

If the team were to stay at 13 and not draft a corner, the news is actually much better both in terms of the talent pool and its ability to fill an important need.

Miami currently has two NFL starting-caliber players in Zach Sieler and Benito Jones, and that is giving Jones — typically a 0 technique — maybe more credit than he deserves.

There are only two other tackles currently on the roster and future Hall of Famer Calais Campbell’s situation is currently unknown and could be still on draft night. Regardless, Campbell even if he returns, offers the team another likely one-year solution before they will need to draft someone.

It would be fitting that one year after choosing not to re-sign their own former 13th overall pick Christian Wilkins, the team might have been wise unknowingly or not. This year’s defensive tackle class is one of the few that is very good at the top and is solid throughout.

Of all the position groups in 2025, it’s arguably the deepest and picking out of the deepest position groups often pays dividends.

A BIG YEAR FOR THE BIG GUYS ON DEFENSE

Last year, that top group was clearly offensive tackle as players who possessed typical first-round talent found their way to the second round. Eight offensive tackles were selected in the first round (Joe Alt, JC Latham, Ole Fashanu, Taliese Fuaga, Amarius Mims, Troy Fautanu, Jordan Morgan, Tyler Guyton), four of whom went in the top 14 picks.

It was this level of depth in the class that allowed the Dolphins — a team clearly in need of a left tackle — to select Patrick Paul 55th overall in the second round.

By comparison, if Paul were in this year’s draft it’s debatable that he might be the top tackle taken. No player in this draft possesses his size and physical skill set and despite being labeled "developmental" by pundits, he did come in having started every game for three seasons at left tackle, allowing just five sacks and only one in 469 pass snaps as a senior.

He did well in his first year with Miami, especially at his native left tackle, and got a year in learning from one of the best in the game in Terron Armstead. Not enough people are saying it outright, but his future is promising and he is the left tackle of this team’s future.

The long-winded point is this: 2025 is almost for defensive tackles what 2024 was for offensive tackles. And it is particularly good in the first round. And if you can’t find the right cornerback, get a player who will help the cornerbacks on the roster find themselves in coverage a shorter amount of time.

At pick 13, Miami can expect to have seen Michigan’s Mason Graham already selected. He is a high-motor player and the consensus first defensive tackle off the board. After that, it could be fair game with his teammate Kenneth Grant or Oregon’s Derrick Harmon. Both would be a fantastic fit in Miami and especially in defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver’s scheme, one similar to the defenses built with strength from front to back like with the Baltimore Ravens, the team for which Weaver worked before he came to Miami.

The hope as things stand today is that both Grant and Harmon will be there. Grant is a real possibility to go higher if another team is intrigued by his obvious physical gifts.

Grant is a noticeable, huge force on tape, even when you’re watching Graham highlights. He gets double teamed and eats them up. Plays at 6-3, 339 pounds but is athletic and can run.

Just pull up film of him chasing down a Penn State running back from behind in 2023. He has long arms and uses them effectively to help get past blocks and best of all, his power comes from the lower half and he could still stand to be get stronger. His upper body has room for development; that’s a good thing. Furthermore, his upside is nothing if not tremendous.

Pairing Sieler with a player like Grant who demands double teams will only further set off a player who posted back-to-back 10-sack campaigns for Miami. And with a group of edge rushers that should be considered one of the deepest and strongest positions on the team (assuming Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips regain their pre-injury form), the need for extra blockers might be at hand for opposing offenses with Miami’s new overall defensive front.

Harmon, who started at Michigan State before transferring to Oregon, is a player who may be slotted a few picks later in many mocks but it doesn’t change that his talent profile fits the Dolphins needs and, should he leave, even fits Calais Campbell’s defensive tackle profile to a lesser degree.

Tall at 6-5, he plays what many would consider a little high. But it doesn’t seem to affect him as he is powerful and he moves well on field and off (4.95 40-yard dash at 313 pounds at the combine). He shows great strength in his 34-3/8 inch arms and, like Sieler, shows great strength in moving defenders with his hands. He has a quick, strong burst before fighting off blocks and he doesn't lose ground to double teams, which is impressive given his height.

Harmon has room to get stronger but consider these numbers from last year: as a 3 technique, he posted five sacks, seven QB hits, 43 hurries and was one of the nation’s premier interior pass rushers with a 17.6% win rate.

That said, focusing on the tackles is not necessary either, as there are several other players with skills deserving of being selected 13th.

WHERE THE 2025 NFL DRAFT DEPTH IS

The true depth of this draft will come from two-thirds through Round 1 until likely early in Round 3 as this is not a top-heavy draft. Round 2 in particular will offer Miami several strong choices for left guard as well as cornerbacks more deserving of being selected in the second round.

In fact, the strategy the Dolphins might want to avoid in the first round might be the one that actually meets their needs in the second — entertaining a player with injury history.

East Carolina’s Shavon Revel is arguably one of the top three cornerbacks in this draft and he plays outside.

Teams with small-school fears may overlook him and he is coming off of an ACL injury suffered in practice last year that has certainly affected his draft status. But at 6-2, 194, Revel is a player who does everything. He’s instinctive in the pass and run game, he is a great tackler, an effective blitzer and his play speed is off the charts. He is expected to be cleared for full return to play this summer.

Despite a season of relative misfortune, the Dolphins go into this draft in a good position to fill needs.

The question is whether they choose to focus on needs, or seek to fill both need and best player available by going for players with equal talent and upside, but fewer question marks than the cornerbacks currently projected to go in the first half of day one.

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