Day 1,213, Quasi-Quarantine: The Dolphins Go Back To The Well With Another Project Tight End/Wideout

I promise I'll stop mentioning the lack of offensive linemen at some point. But, yeah, so Miami ignored the beef again, opting for a 'tweener receiver/tight end -- a move that has rarely panned out for the 'Fins. Let's hope that sixth-rounder (197th overall) Elijah Higgins is the exception to that rule.

The pluses: Draft guru Dana Brugler described Higgins as having an NFL body with good fluidity to his movements. Despite his size (6-3, 235 pounds), he is described as decelerating well and maintaining good balance, managing to serve as a "competitive blocker" while still being good after the catch.

Brugler assigned him a fifth-round grade as the No. 23 wide receiver in the draft, so Higgins represents good value for where the Dolphins got him. Using a 4.54-second 40-yard dash, 35-inch vertical, and 10-6 broad jump, he led Stanford in receiving as both a junior (45 for 500, four touchdowns) and senior (59 for 704, two touchdowns). Higgins earned honorable-mention All-Pac-12 honors in his final campaign.

The negatives: A ratio of 10 drops and six touchdowns in his career is suboptimal, and Brugler noted that Higgins can lose focus when presented with physicality in the second line of defense. The youngster was also not a difference-maker in the red zone at the college level, recording a single score there as a senior. Brugler also identified sharpening his routes, reducing fumbles, and resolving "position confusion" as challenges for Higgins.

The bottom line: With Mike Gesicki lost to free agency, there is a potential opportunity for a "hybrid" move tight end -- or even a bigger slot wideout -- in Miami's offense. From an optimistic standpoint, Higgins could represent a mismatch for safeties and linebackers, taking advantage of underneath opportunities created when Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle stretch defenses. From a pessimistic standpoint, we saw how poor-blocking tight ends have next to no role in coach Mike McDaniel's offense, so it's hard to see a path to a significant contribution for a raw 'tweener. But the sixth round is where personnel departments can roll the dice without a lot of risk, making Higgins at least an interesting dude to follow in training camp.