While the Miami Dolphins have made a ton of moves to improve their roster heading into the 2022 season, most of that work has been done on the offensive side of the ball.
The only defensive player they signed this offseason is defensive back Keion Crossen, who was brought in mostly for his special teams contributions.
This is probably why so many are looking for the Dolphins to draft a defensive player with their first pick. In Draft Wire’s most recent mock draft, they have Miami selecting Ole Miss edge prospect Sam Williams at No. 102.
Williams stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs 261 pounds which makes his 4.46-second 40-yard dash even more impressive. He spent the last three seasons at Ole Miss, totaling 134 tackles and 22.5 sacks.
Prior to his time in the SEC, Williams was a junior college prospect at Northeast Mississippi Community College. During his time there, he was named first-team NJCAA All-American and Defensive Player of the Year in his region.
Here’s what NFL analyst Lance Zierlein wrote about Williams:
“Despite his troubling performance versus the run, Williams’ pass-rush flashes tend to leave a more lasting impression. He was often overmatched and pummeled at the point of attack, failing to play with the effort and grit needed to stand up to SEC linemen. As a rusher, he gets off the ball quickly and attacks the pocket with the bend and hand work to gain entry into the backfield from a variety of angles. He projects as a potentially dangerous sub-package rusher who will need to get stronger and more competitive against the run if he wants to be considered for early down snaps.”
Miami loves speed and Williams encapsulates that off the edge. The good thing about this pick would be that he could ease into a role with the Dolphins having some solid edge rushers at this point. That would take some of the pressure off of his shoulders entering a team that has lofty aspirations despite having a first-year head coach.
