The Miami Dolphins are coming into the 2024 NFL season with a ton of expectations. They’ve committed to starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for the long term, giving him a historic extension in the offseason. They’ve also committed to All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill, giving him a massive extension of his own that keeps the duo together in Miami for the foreseeable future.
The Dolphins front office clearly believes that they’re in a Super Bowl window, and they’re a trendy pick to have significant success this season, whether that be individual accolades at the end of the season or postseason success.
However, there are some holes in the roster that could wind up dashing the Dolphins’ hopes, including the fact Miami never found a replacement for defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, who departed in free agency for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Miami gets a Wilkins replacement in the 2025 NFL Draft, but does so at the expense of making the playoffs, in the latest mock draft from The Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer. Iyer has the Dolphins picking at #17 in the first round of the draft, meaning Miami would be on the outside looking in on the 2024 NFL playoff picture.
With that 17th pick, Iyer has the Dolphins picking up Georgia defensive lineman Mykel Williams. At 6’5” and 265 pounds, Williams is a bit of a “tweener”. Not quite the prototypical size for a defensive tackle, but a bit bigger than perhaps the Dolphins would want out of a defensive end.
However, no matter what position Williams plays, he’s going to be productive. A junior for the Bulldogs, Williams has put up 4.5 sacks from the interior of the Georgia defensive line in each of his previous two seasons, and has added 6.5 tackles for loss in each of those seasons.
More than the raw stats, though, Williams has a rare combination of size, speed/explosion, and power that is going to make defensive coordinators salivate at the chance to work with him and develop his talent. Pairing Williams with current defensive tackle Zach Sieler, one of the more underrated players in the league, could give the Dolphins a dominant duo of defensive tackles to terrorize opposing quarterbacks for years to come.