{"id":44573,"date":"2025-04-28T03:31:10","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T03:31:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=44573"},"modified":"2025-04-28T03:31:10","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T03:31:10","slug":"mel-kiper-jr-torches-dolphins-draft-but-fans-have-every-reason-to-defend-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=44573","title":{"rendered":"Mel Kiper Jr. torches Dolphins draft (but fans have every reason to defend it)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"article-intro mb-4 text-darkGrey font-group-large md:font-group-normal lg:font-group-large\">What is more surprising is that anyone listens to him anymore!<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex items-center\">\n<div class=\"mb-0 md:mb-9 relative md:mx-10 md:mb-9\">\n<figure>\n<div class=\"overflow-hidden bg-lightGrey\"><picture><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full\" title=\"2007 NFL Draft\" src=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_363,w_3504,h_1971\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/GettyImages\/mmsport\/62\/01jsvtzcxz85fzwkd3tc.jpg\" alt=\"2007 NFL Draft\" width=\"3504\" height=\"1971\" data-uw-rm-alt-original=\"2007 NFL Draft\" data-uw-rm-alt=\"ALT\" \/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"ml-1 pb-2 mt-4 md:m-3 text-darkGrey font-group-tiny\">2007 NFL Draft | Chris McGrath\/GettyImages<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex flex-wrap\">\n<div class=\"flex mr-4 lg:w-[calc(70%-3em)] max-w-full\">\n<div class=\"hidden md:block md:mx-4 hidden md:block\" data-testid=\"share-menu\">\n<div class=\"sticky top-20 mb-3\" data-testid=\"share-menu-inner\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><main class=\"min-w-0 flex-1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"viewablity-block\">\n<figure class=\"player-wrapper relative aspect-video mb-[18px] bg-grey rounded-md hidden player-wrapper-lg md:block\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">How did the Miami Dolphins do in the 2025 NFL Draft? Well, they hit on a few players, took some risks on others, and even reached for a few prospects. However, the full spectrum of what they did won&#8217;t be known for at least two seasons.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">That doesn&#8217;t stop anyone from releasing grades on a draft that was just completed (we did it, too). Drafts come and go, and unless a team completely blew their selections (Charles Harris and Noah Igbinoghene, anyone?), teams get average grades.<\/p>\n<div id=\"inarticle_d_1_4\" class=\"mm-slot-content\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">NFL Draft expert\u00a0Mel Kiper Jr. has given the Dolphins a C+ grade\u00a0this year but still lists them as one of the worst draft classes in 2025. Why? Because they didn&#8217;t draft who he thought they should. Instead of basing his decision on the players they did draft, it is clear from his comments that he just didn&#8217;t like how they went in a different direction.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-3\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">When speaking about Kenneth Grant, Kiper had a lot to say, but this sums up his opinion: &#8220;I just don&#8217;t know that No. 13 overall was the place to find that player &#8212; especially because Grant&#8217;s pass rush upside is limited.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">The issue here, Kiper felt, is that Miami should have gone with a player from the secondary.<\/p>\n<div id=\"inarticle_d_1_5\" class=\"mm-slot-content\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">Kiper believes Miami&#8217;s biggest need (and the position he mocked to Miami) was corner. What he didn&#8217;t look at was the fact that Miami&#8217;s defensive line was almost only Zach Sieler.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">Grant may have to work on areas of his game, but he is a good selection at No. 13. Maybe the Dolphins could have moved down a few spots, but there would be no guarantee they could have still drafted him. And frankly, No. 13 was also a bit high for Jahdae Barron, who was the player\u00a0Kiper had going to the Dolphins in his final mock draft.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"scroll-mt-24 my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">Mel Kiper Jr. did not like the Miami Dolphins draft, saying it was one of the worst in 2025<\/h2>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">Kiper didn&#8217;t bother to touch on the other selections outside of second-round pick Jonah Savaiinaea and seventh-round selection Quinn Ewers. Kiper projects Savaiinaea to be a guard, which isn&#8217;t surprising since the Arizona product told the media that is where he wants to play. As for Ewers, Kiper didn&#8217;t like that pick either, saying, &#8220;He throws with touch, but I just didn&#8217;t see a lot of consistency from him. He&#8217;s a backup quarterback in the NFL.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"inarticle_d_1_6\" class=\"mm-slot-content\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">First,\u00a0getting Ewers in Round 7 is a no-risk draft pick.\u00a0It&#8217;s a seventh-rounder, and Miami has spent those selections on far worse players in the past. Second, the Dolphins were looking for a quarterback they can develop&#8230;into a backup.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/main><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is more surprising is that anyone listens to him anymore! 2007 NFL Draft | Chris McGrath\/GettyImages How did the Miami Dolphins do in the 2025 NFL&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":44577,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Mel Kiper Jr. torches Dolphins draft (but fans have every reason to defend it) - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=44573\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mel Kiper Jr. torches Dolphins draft (but fans have every reason to defend it) - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What is more surprising is that anyone listens to him anymore! 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