by The waiting position has been a thorn for a few years in view of the offensive line of Miami Dolphins. Last year Liam Eichenberg and Robert Jones took the most snaps on the guard and they never played well in the season.
Both players are approaching free agents, which means that the dolphins have a huge need for watch, whether they will return Jones or Eichenberg. The NFL concept of 2025 will offer the dolphins a few good options to upgrade the waiting place, and the 10 picks from the team mean that they have sufficient opportunity for this.
With that in mind we have put together a list of five guards who may fit what the dolphins are looking for. This is a difficult exercise this year because the “Guard” class is filled with many players who were tackles at the university.
For example, the best interior -offensive lineman of most analysts is LSU’s Will Campbell, who played zero guard snaps in three seasons with the Tigers.
That forced us to ask a few judgment for this list, which means that popular Dolphins selections such as Josh Conly Jr. Van Oregon and Kelvin Banks from Texas, who can play guard but can probably be considered tackles.
Armand Membou, Missouri
Membou is one of those judgments, while he played Zero Guard Snaps at the university, but two seasons started on the right tackle for the Tigers. Whether he plays or approach will probably be on the schedule, but we think he can reach a higher ceiling as a guard for the dolphins.
He is a good athlete that excels in fights from close by with heavy hands, good power and solid leg drive. Simply put, Membou is a people mover in the current game. He has the power to create gaps early in repetitions by upgrading defensive rulers out of their holes.
Membou is also a solid athlete, which is extra important for a dolphin team that wants to perform many external zone concepts.
In Pass Protection, Membou shows the foot speed to mirror speed Rushers and the anchor to use Power Rushers. Maintaining the integrity of the bag is extra important for the Dolphins Tua Tagovailoa is a shorter, injury-sensitive Quarterback.
If Membou loses in pass protection, it will be because he missed his first blow, not because he was immediately pushed back into the lap of Tua.
Membou is one of the few players with sufficient athletic ability to run Miami’s outdoor zone scheme and to give the team a much needed physicality in the interior.
Current round projection: Top 15 General
Gray Zabel, North Dakota State
Last season, Zabel played on the left Tackle in North Dakota State, but has taken 363 careers on the watch, and that is where he stood in line when he dominated the senior bowl last month.
The calling card of the former FCS prospect is power and aggressiveness, which translate beautifully into the current game. Zabel’s tape is filled with him who drives defenders of scrimmage and downfield. He is also pretty good at curing holes to close hasty lanes on zone concepts.
Zabel’s fitting protection is rough around the edges on tape, but last month he showed a lot of improvement in mobile, Alabama. He spent the entire senior bowl winning 1-on-1 Pass Protection Reps. He showed impressive power to maintain the bag, great footwork to mirror pass-rush movements and the tenacity to finish on the ground.
Just like Membou, Zabel is athletic enough to operate Miami’s outdoor zone scheme. Although that might not be his best fit, it would stimulate Zabel in the Line -up the dolphins to vary their running game.
The dolphins should become more difficult in the middle of the attacking line, and Zabel would be the perfect player to start that process.
Current round projection: Early 2nd
Donovan Jackson, Ohio State
Jackson has stood up steadily on design signs after the National Championship Run by Ohio State. He took over for starting left -Tackle Josh Simmons halfway through the season after playing the first 2.5 years of his career.
His left tackle -Tape started a rough start against Abdul Carter from Penn State. Yet Jackson got better every week, culminating in an impressive series of performances during the play -offs of the University Football.
Despite his strong Tackle game at the end of the 2024 season, Jackson could be considered a potential starting guard. He can move Defense Linemen from the scrimmage and does an excellent job with working double teams with his teammates. He plays with a physical mentality that also corresponds to his strengths as a Runblocker.
As a fitting protector, Jackson has the athletic ability to match Rushers, but his battlesming and hand placement make him an easy target for experienced Pass Rushers. He tends to just throw his hands without thinking much about where to go.
The Jackson ceiling looks a bit higher on the guard. He is still a bit heavy feet when dealing with Speed Rushers at Tackle, and for the dolphins specifically he would probably judge as an above -average athlete on guard.
Current round projection: Late 1st – beginning 2nd
Jonah Savaiinaea, Arizona
Savaiinaea is another tackle converted that some teams will see as a guard. The transition could be easier for Savaiinaea, because he had registered 790 Snaps in the right protector in 2022 before he split the time between the left and right tackle in his remaining two seasons.
Savaiinaea is another Mauler who does his best work in the current game. He has the right mentality, size and construction to enforce his will in opposing lines of defensions, so that running lanes with vertical push are cleared.
The biggest problem with projecting Savaiinaea to the dolphins is how it fits their schedule. The Arizona product would go much better to a gap schedule than a zone. He is not a bad athlete, but that is not where his strengths are.
If the dolphins draw up Savaiinaea, they have to undertake to run less out of zone. That would probably benefit the team, but that change would wrinkle in other position groups. For example, Center Aaron Brewer would not match that schedule change, nor would the fall from De’von Achane.
That does not mean that the dolphins have to revise the entire schedule to accommodate Savaiinaea. In an ideal world, Savaiinaea Miami would enable just enough power/gap concepts to keep the defense out of balance and yet to be a primary outdoor zone team.
However, finding that balance is difficult, especially for a team that immediately needs an improved security game.
Current round projection: 2nd
Tate Ratledge, Georgia
Ratledge is the only player on this list who did not play a tackle snaps at the university.
He played a lot of football (2,068 Snaps in three seasons) and carried out many different responsibilities during his time at Georiga. He blocked all kinds of varying pressure stunts and carried out almost every type of run concept that you could imagine.
Ratledge is a sturdy, experienced pass protector with the length and strength to retain well at the NFL level. He is doing well to make use of his strength to hide opponents, and he has the length to close them when needed.
Although Ratledge projects as a functional player in just about every schedule, he is only a modest athlete, which means that his projection to the outdoor zone scheme of Miami is a bit cloudy. Yet he would probably fit better than someone like Savaiinaea.
Ratledge also misses upside down. He does not project as a player who will dominate and consistently improve every season. Ratledge checks many courses, but outside of power, nothing about the physical characteristics Side fascinates that he will become a steadfast member of an attacking line.
However, it is difficult to deny the attraction of an NFL-ready player for the dolphins.
Current round projection: 2nd
