Dolphins Draft Pick Mohamed Kamara Deep Dive

What film study reveals about Miami Dolphins fifth-round pick Mohamed Kamara, where he shines, where he needs work and what his potential role might be as a rookie

Dolphins fith-round pick Mohamed Kamara / Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 NFL draft is over, and the Miami Dolphins are hoping their seven-player class can help them take that next step and get over the hump in the playoffs.

Miami’s draft featured a first-round pick for the first time since 2021, a second-round pick and five picks on Day 3, including a trade to get them back into the fourth round.

Today, our series of film breakdowns examines Mohamed Kamara, who the Dolphins drafted 158th overall in the fifth round out of Colorado State. Kamara has five years of legitimate playing experience and was one of the more productive pass rushers in the class.

He finished his career with 45.5 tackles for loss, 30.5 sacks and five forced fumbles, culminating in a dominant 2023 season as he won Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

Will Kamara help the Dolphins in Year 1 despite being a late-round selection? Let’s dive in and see what the film tells us.

Mohamed Kamara’s tape is a lot of fun. Think he’s got a place in Miami’s rotation, even when Chubb and Phillips return. pic.twitter.com/phZ67G8XDm

— Dante Collinelli (@DanteCollinelli) April 29, 2024

Mohamed Kamara’s Pass Rush Plan

Kamara’s polished technique and pass-rush plan are the first things that jump out when watching him on tape. He’s played a lot of football in his career, and it shows consistently.

Because he’s such a diverse pass rusher, Kamara forces tackles to plan for a lot before the snap. Many of his 13 sacks from the past season came when attacking the tackle’s outside shoulder.

On those reps, he does an excellent job timing the snap and then using his hands to soften his path around the arc to the quarterback. Kamara is especially fond of using a two-handed swipe paired with a rip move.

He’s quite accurate with that move, and he understands how to win on those reps, even if his hands miss the initial punch. His bend when turning the corner isn’t special, but it’s good enough for him to get on the field in the NFL.

That’s Kamara’s speed-rush profile, but his power-rush profile is also impressive. Kamara’s lower half is strong, allowing him to get into the offensive tackle’s chest and collapse them into the pocket.

His power also shows when his hands miss, as he’s capable of just pushing through the tackle’s hands and turning to the quarterback anyway. Kamara can also win when rushing the inside shoulder because of his strength.

At times, he can rely too heavily on his power profile to win reps, which will be much harder for him to do in the NFL because he lacks above-average physical traits.

Still, Kamara is an absolute technician when rushing the passer. Plus, he’s got a relentless motor. So many of his sacks were the product of never giving up on reps, even if he was initially blocked.

Those effort snaps aren’t flashy, but when you’re a fifth-round pick, it goes a long way to making an NFL roster and getting on the field.

Mohamed Kamara’s Run Defense

This is where we start getting into some of the reasons Kamara fell to the fifth round last weekend. His run defense is sub-standard for the NFL level.

Kamara’s lack of size really limits what he can do when forced to set the edge against bigger blockers. The Colorado State product measured 6-1 and weighed 248 pounds at the NFL combine, good for the third and 11th percentile, respectively.

Additionally, Kamara’s arm length is also way below average. His 32 ⅜-inch arm length was good for the 10th percentile. Those limitations pop up when he rushes the passer, but they limit him more when defending the run.

Kamara has a lot of trouble getting into an offensive lineman’s chest and controlling reps. Because of that, he tends to get moved off the line of scrimmage way too easily. His weight won’t help him hold his ground either.

To his credit, Kamara is an intelligent player with an impressive motor. Those things allow him to create some havoc in this area. Since he’s so small, Kamara is quite good at wiggling through gaps.

That way, he gets into the backfield without disengaging from a block. Kamara’s effort also makes him a solid pursuit player. If he’s left unblocked on the weak side of the run, he’ll run across the field and try to get in on the play.

With that said, Kamara is not an NFL-ready run defender, and given his lack of physical traits, it’s hard to imagine him ever becoming a consistent run defender, regardless of his development.

Mohamed Kamara’s Burst, Athleticism

Kamara doesn’t have a reputation as a solid athlete, but he’s got impressive burst off the line of scrimmage. Many analysts believe Kamara is simply a power rusher with limited athletic ability, but his film and testing paint a different picture.

As mentioned before, many of Kamara’s pass rush wins come on the outside. His ability to burst off the ball aids him a ton on those reps, creating advantageous positioning quickly. He’s not as athletic as Chop Robinson, who Miami took at No. 21, but Kamara can hold his own.

At the combine, Kamara ran a 4.57 40-yard dash, which finished in the 93rd percentile. However, his 1.58 10-yard split (91st percentile) is way more critical when discussing how he fits in at the NFL level.

That short-area burst is impressive, and Kamara needs to have it because he’s so small. He’s strong for a player of his size, but he’ll get outmuscled more times than not against NFL competition.

He needs to have the burst to avoid contact in the first place, whether he’s rushing the passer or shooting gaps in the running game. That burst shows up on tape enough to believe it can translate well enough to the next level.

Kamara’s athleticism does have some limitations, though. Mostly, those appear when he’s trying to change directions. It takes him a second to pivot and start accelerating again. He’s much better when working downhill and in a straight line.

The Bottom Line With Mohamed Kamara

Kamara’s film is much better than his draft slot would indicate. He’s — by far — the most polished pass rusher the Dolphins drafted this year, has impressive production and a path to instantly contributing in specific defensive packages.

Getting Kamara in Round 5 is excellent value for the Dolphins. He can be a designated pass rusher for a team in need of some extra bodies on the outside.

If Kamara makes the roster and produces even a few sacks for multiple seasons, that’s a massive win for a fifth-round selection.

However, there’s also a reason Kamara was available in the fifth round. The main reason is the lack of measurables. As we covered in Robinson’s breakdown, natural traits are more important for edge rushers than other positions.

Kamara is a gigantic outlier in terms of height, weight and arm length. And all of those limitations pop up on his college tape. He can mitigate them a bit when rushing the passer, but he’s almost a non-factor against the run.

At the end of the day, Kamara is a specialist at the NFL level. He shouldn’t be asked to make many starts and should only see the field when the other team is almost guaranteed to pass.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that role, given where Kamara was picked. Finding a rotational pass rusher on Day 3 is great value. However, the Dolphins pass-rush group already has several of those players.

With Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips recovering from significant injuries, Shaq Barrett and Robinson are in line to take a ton of snaps. Like Kamara, both are better suited for designated pass rusher roles.

Essentially, the Dolphins don’t have a healthy, above-average run defender in their edge group. Robinson has some upside in that area, but Kamara won’t help mitigate the group’s most significant weakness this season.

Still, it’s hard to argue with getting someone who can rush the passer at Kamara’s level in the fifth round.