- 17 hours ago
Kyle Crabbs joins to break down Jon-Eric Sullivan’s remarks at the NFL Owners Meeting, praising the Dolphins GM for so far executing on everything he said when he took over. He weighs in on Miami’s commitment to extending De’Von Achane and shares his mock draft for the team, sparking a debate with Joe about how critical it is for the Dolphins to target a wide receiver. Crabbs also dives into Miami’s overall draft strategy and discusses the possibility of adding Dontavion Wicks to bolster the roster.
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00:00A lot of key veteran players with recognizable names gone.
00:03Devon H. Chan's still there.
00:04There's been some reporting.
00:05There's been some discussion.
00:06Is he available?
00:07Is he not available?
00:08He's in the last year of his contract.
00:09Where do things stand?
00:10If there's a fan out that's got his or her Devon H. Chan jersey
00:14and wants to know, am I going to be wearing it this year,
00:16what would you say to that?
00:17Yeah, it's important to us to get a deal done with Devon.
00:20He is a difference maker as a player.
00:23We are in talks.
00:25We're trying to get that done.
00:26It's a priority to us.
00:28He is a building block for us as we move forward.
00:31What about him makes you believe that?
00:33I think he's a rare player.
00:35His feet, his acceleration, his ability to play on all three downs.
00:38He's a very good pass catcher.
00:41He reminds me a lot of a guy that I played with in high school
00:44by the name of Warwick Dunn, who went on to have a marvelous career.
00:47Maybe it's the 28 that he wears on his back, which Warwick wore forever.
00:53But I do.
00:54I see a lot of similarities now.
00:56Warwick did it for a decade.
00:58And neither one of them are big guys.
00:59And I think if Devon was sitting here, he'd be the one to tell you.
01:02I think that's going to be the question for him.
01:05Can he be as durable as Warwick was over time?
01:09But he's a marvelous player.
01:10We want to move forward with him.
01:12It's important to us to get a deal done.
01:13He's part of the future for us.
01:15We go to Miami.
01:16Sure.
01:16The first big order of business is the quarterback position.
01:20Sure.
01:20Oh, ding, ding, ding.
01:21We have a backup quarterback at the place I just came from.
01:25So, like, I'm just interested in, like, how quickly you get the job where you and Jeff, like, all right,
01:31let's sign Malik now.
01:32Like, how quickly did you come to that determination?
01:34You know what?
01:35I mean, I'd be lying if I said we hadn't talked about it along the way.
01:39Both of us are huge fans of the person, Malik Willis.
01:43Phenomenal guy.
01:44Very even keel.
01:46Yeah.
01:46Thought he could handle the ups and the downs.
01:48And then, obviously, the skill set.
01:49We feel like he's an ascending player, extremely athletic, got an elite arm, can attack all three levels of the
01:56field.
01:56And he's the right kind of guy.
01:58He's the right kind of teammate.
02:00So, quite frankly, it was a fairly easy decision.
02:02We didn't know if we'd be able to get him or not.
02:04Obviously, you're competing with other teams.
02:06It worked out.
02:07We're excited to have him.
02:09Malik knows he's got to come in and compete.
02:11We're in a situation in Miami.
02:12Nothing's going to be given to anybody.
02:14I don't care what your salary is.
02:15I don't care what you – now, look, somebody's got to run out with the first team day one.
02:19Malik's got to be that guy.
02:20Yeah, right.
02:20And I would be lying if I said otherwise.
02:22The expectations for Malik are high from half and I and everybody else.
02:27But at the end of the day, just really excited to get him into play.
02:30So, I think he's going to be a great asset to our team.
02:34Dolphins general manager John Eric Sullivan with Mike Florio and Chris Sims.
02:37We're going to head out to the Toyota of Hollywood hotline.
02:40Shop over 2,000 Toyotas on sale at one location.
02:42Toyota of Hollywood on 441 between Hollywood and Sheridan.
02:45Toyota of Hollywood.com, Joe.
02:46All right.
02:47We've got some other news, Woody, as well.
02:49Kyle Krabs, host of Locked on Fins and NFL analyst for A to Z Sports, joins us.
02:53Kyle, good morning.
02:54I got to tell you, man, I thought John Eric Sullivan was really good considering everything
03:01he's had to go through over the last couple weeks and getting ready for the draft.
03:06I thought he handled everything really well.
03:08What did you think about yesterday, his comments, especially about his new quarterback and still
03:13here, Devon Achan?
03:15Yeah, I think I listened to the whole pro football talk interview with Sully last night and I was
03:22driving home from dropping the kids off at preschool and I put it back on.
03:27I had to listen to it again because I enjoyed hearing the insight, right?
03:30So, he's certainly, there's a big picture element of kind of how they're going about their business.
03:39And I think it's really impressive that everything that he talked about back in January when he
03:45got the job, like, you can kind of go down the list and see, like, there's been tangible
03:50follow-through on a lot of those talking points.
03:53And Achan's a great example of talking about him being one of the building blocks of the
03:57roster and now we're at the point where they're having some conversations and they're
04:01prioritizing it and it's important for them.
04:04I do kind of think, especially since they did some gymnastics with his contract to get a little
04:09bit of salary cap wiggle room, I think that only makes it that much more likely that he will be
04:14here
04:14because he's already got $4.6 million of his compensation that he was scheduled to get.
04:20They paid out and, you know, as a team that's trying to be cash conscious this season so that
04:26they don't have to defer things into future years as much as possible, if they wrote the check,
04:31I think that tells you a lot about where, how serious they are with these talking voice with
04:35Devon Achan.
04:35Yeah, that was good to hear because, you know, a lot of people are going, oh, he's just
04:39trying to, he's trying to drive the price up to get a higher draft pick and come on, they're
04:44not done and, and all those types of things.
04:47So I want to ask you going forward, Malik Willis, a lot of talk obviously up there about Malik and
04:52I do agree with what his former head coach had to say, man, he's got a chance to be a
04:59really successful guy, successful starter, but he needs some guys around him.
05:04And that kind of leads me into your seven round mock draft.
05:09I was hoping you go wide receiver higher.
05:12Was where I, I put him in the seven rounder that I did for ADZ sports yesterday, but
05:17no, it's, it's kind of, again, taking, taking a talking point at face value and they've talked
05:23about, you know, wanting to win the line of scrimmage and they've talked about wanting
05:27to be able to run the football.
05:31So, you know, I, I went with Spencer Fano as an offensive lineman, plays right tackle
05:35for Utah, can play inside short term and then kick out the right tackle longterm.
05:39I also really like the Penn state guard.
05:41If you were going to go, just go with a straight up guard player in the first round, but the
05:45pass
05:46rush, you need, you need help on the pass rush.
05:48You need help on the offensive line.
05:50You need help in the secondary at corner and safety.
05:54And so it's just Rome's not built in a day.
05:57Right.
05:57So I think that's the hardest thing for me.
05:59And when I look at the wide receiver class that's out there this year, it is a deep group
06:04where I do think you, you have a chance to get meaningful players.
06:09Even if you're not getting a 140 target guy for your wide receiver room, I think you can
06:14get those guys when, when Miami has those picks at 75 through 94.
06:18Um, if Maui Noah drops to 11, I think you're going to tell me it's not going to happen.
06:24And Fano's there, which guy do you like better to be that guard tackle, maybe even a little
06:29center after being out of UM said Maui Noah has played all three of them a lot in practice,
06:34which I didn't realize, but which guy you like more?
06:38I like Maui Noah better.
06:39He's my top rated tackle, uh, in this year's class.
06:42I think Fano would probably be a better center where I think the displacement ability that
06:49Maui Noah has in the run game, um, it kind of the anchor.
06:53He, I think he's got a heavier anchor to be able to drop on guys when they try to take
06:57him down the middle off the edge.
06:58Uh, so I, I think if you're telling me all things equal, they're both playing center,
07:03I'll take Fano.
07:04If it's guard or tackle, I would take Maui Noah.
07:07Yeah.
07:07Is there any chance Maui Noah drops to 11 and I know it's all over the place right
07:13now in this whole draft, but I'm, I'm just curious, is there any shot, something comes
07:17out negative about him?
07:19Yeah.
07:19Oh, he drops.
07:21Yeah.
07:21I don't know.
07:22I mean, you saw what, what happened with Laramie Tunsil.
07:24I don't think that's coming for, for Maui Noah, but I would say the pathway for a drop is
07:31if the Cardinals at three, cause I think they're a big tackle spot, you know, they've it's,
07:36it's too early for the, the non Fernando Mendoza quarterbacks.
07:40I think they've got a big need there.
07:42They have one tackle in Paris Johnson, but the rest of the, the right side of the offensive
07:46line is kind of shaky.
07:47If they like Fano more than Maui Noah, or if they don't go offensive tackle and then the
07:55Browns kind of go, whether it's wide receiver, there's some buzz that they really like Caden
08:00Proctor, who's a left tackle out of Alabama.
08:03And they've got the other four spots they replaced from last year's team on the offensive
08:06line already.
08:07So left tackle is kind of their last spot.
08:09Like if they go Monroe Freeling, who's a left tackle from Georgia, or if they go Caden
08:14Proctor, that's the recipe for how Maui Noah makes it to you.
08:19I wouldn't bet on it happening, but I do see the pathway for that being something that could
08:24possibly come to life.
08:25Hey Kyle, this, uh, this Ty Simpson thing, it's gotten personal now it's, it's, uh, it's
08:31all over the place.
08:32And I thought all the ESPN guys were kind of, uh, are, uh, jumping on the same bandwagon.
08:37I see Matt Miller goes, I think he's a early second round pick.
08:40I don't think he goes in the first round pick.
08:43And it's just been, uh, Dan Orlosky of course kind of started with, I think he's clearly the,
08:49the number one quarterback in the draft and that got it all stirred up.
08:54And what, what's your, it's going to, by the way, just adds to the whole first round
08:58of this NFL draft, uh, on the 23rd of next month here.
09:01But, uh, what, what do you think of Ty Simpson?
09:04I, I like Ty for what he is, uh, and what he is as a one-year starter who was
09:11given a
09:11lot of responsibility to the line of scrimmage.
09:13They ran a lot of pro concepts.
09:15Uh, if you're telling me somebody who's going to get up under center and run a bunch of play
09:19action passing and turn his back to the defense and your offense is working and
09:23humming, I could see being a Ty being a guy that can be efficient and keep your offense
09:28on schedule.
09:29He's, he's got a little something to him as far as some off schedule stuff, but he doesn't
09:33really have the ability to drive the ball downfield.
09:35He's not a particularly big guy.
09:37So I think you, you would classify him probably as a lower physical tools, ceiling player.
09:44And then with the one year of starting experience, you see, if he doesn't have the answer right
09:50at the snap of the ball, there's a lot of negative plays that kind of pop up and you
09:54would expect that to get better with more reps.
09:57So I think it's his, if you said his tape was more immediately translatable to the NFL
10:03than what Fernando Mendoza's was at Indiana, I, I could get behind your argument there.
10:07But again, just the, the physical tools and the upside, I think Mendoza's got them by
10:13a good amount.
10:13And I think in the NFL, you've got to be a guy, if you, if you want to have that
10:17top
10:18tier player at the position, you're going to have to be able to carry a little bit more
10:22weight on your shoulders than what I think Ty Simpson's capable of.
10:25Not to say you can't win without it and not to say you can't win with him, but I think
10:30Mendoza's got that extra gear too.
10:32Hey, uh, so the Dontavian Wicks, the fourth receiver for the Green Bay Packers, some people
10:38are talking about him at 30 catches as a number four guy last year, 24 year old, fourth year
10:43guy, obviously our guys like the Green Packer, Green Bay Packer way.
10:48Um, you think that's somebody they're interested in adding to, to be a top three receiver here
10:53in Miami?
10:54I think they should have absolutely have interest if the Packers are kind of entertaining,
11:00potentially moving on.
11:01He's been a pretty consistent producer, uh, without having a lot of volume, you know,
11:07he's had less than 60 targets in two of his first three seasons in the NFL and Green Bay
11:12just went out and, you know, they drafted Matthew Goldman in the first round pick with
11:16the first round pick last year.
11:17Right.
11:17So contract your guy, he's big, he's physical.
11:21He's not the most twitchy or dynamic, but he's got great ball skills.
11:25He's a tough player.
11:26He's a blue collar player.
11:27That's accustomed to playing in an offense that spreads the ball around.
11:30Um, I think he's obviously, you know, with the vision that you would expect a couple
11:34of guys that have come from Green Bay, like he's got the DNA of a lot of things that I
11:40think are relevant to him.
11:41I think the challenge is contract year.
11:44What's that compensation look like?
11:46You know, is, is that giving a day three pick straight up?
11:49Is that a part of a, a pick swap back and forth where maybe you slide down in the draft
11:54at the expense of, uh, one of your top 100 picks or that pick at one 30.
12:00And do you go down into the late fifth round where I think the Packers have a pick?
12:03So there's a couple of different ways that they can get that done, but I'm sure Green
12:07Bay is not going to cut you any favors.
12:10So, you know, you, if you're going to trade for a young 24 year old wide receiver, you're
12:14probably not going to be getting them for next to nothing.
12:17Like I would expect that to be, you'd feel that compensation a little bit.
12:21So I think maybe that comes out to, you know, how did the first two days of the NFL draft
12:25shake
12:25out where maybe you don't take a wide receiver till 87.
12:28And then you get into Saturday and you say, Hey, let's move back 25 spots in the fourth
12:32realm and get wicks to be the second wide receiver that we had.
12:35Yeah.
12:36Hey, I'll tell you one thing I do like is, uh, in, uh, the first two days of the draft
12:41and, uh, and those top 90 something picks, you have us taking two edge rushers, which
12:45I I'm with you, man.
12:47I, if, uh, if there's some guys I see at 75 and 94, you, you like, uh, edge rushers.
12:53So you think that's pretty deep position?
12:55I think it is a deep position.
12:56Yeah.
12:56I think there's, uh, there's a lot of interesting, unique skill sets in that group.
13:02Um, where I, I think they'll have a decent chance to have a high volume snap taker there
13:08at 43, whether that's, uh, Zion young, who I think they're having him for a 30 visit.
13:15Uh, Gabe Ackes from Illinois, I think is in that conversation.
13:19Uh, at 30, it would be like TJ Parker who, if he makes it to that, that spot, uh, probably
13:26put a key measure door in that bucket as well at 30.
13:29And then you get into the day two guys and Derek Moore from Michigan, he wrong Crawford,
13:33who I have going in the mock draft, uh, who I really like out of Auburn.
13:37He's kind of the quote unquote other Auburn guy, but he's pretty interesting in what he
13:40does from two point stance.
13:41And he can play out in wide alignments and kind of do some of your, uh, if you do simulated
13:47pressures and you want a guy to play like a flat, right?
13:50Like he, he did that at Auburn a little bit so that they could bring somebody else from
13:53elsewhere in the defense and not compromise your zone spacing.
13:56So they're going to have options on the edge.
13:58And I think they should absolutely be looking for a couple of different skill sets to go
14:02with the guys that they have in that room.
14:03Now the, uh, the, the, the whole thing, just, um, very interesting.
14:07I think overall, the way our general managers handled what has been obviously not, not the
14:13best situation, look, you don't get these jobs unless, you know, it's a disaster where
14:18you are bad, but this thing with the money, how, how are your thoughts?
14:22I really haven't asked you about the dead money and how it's been, how you think they've
14:27handled it with so much going to the cemetery in the first year.
14:29Yeah, I think it's, you know, it's outside of norms, right?
14:35Where we're at $180 million in dead cats, it's over 60% of the cap this year.
14:42So I'll be interested to see how they balance that out with, uh, their free agency, a strategy
14:49and approach, which John Eric Sullivan's talked about, you know, it's, we'll hunt difference
14:53makers in free agency, but we're not going to be spending just to spend and look
14:59busy, right?
15:00We're going to target guys we think can be difference makers because that's the only
15:03way that it's worth it in free agency.
15:05So Miami, they, they have spent historically in free agency a lot.
15:09So you'll, you'll probably get a big name and that can happen as fast as next year
15:14now, because of the, because they did this with their prior debts where you were so aggressive.
15:21Well, right now they're, they're sitting in like $140 million in cap space for 2027.
15:25Now you're going to have to add the rookie class from this year onto that, right?
15:28You're going to have to add on extensions, presumably for HM Brewer and Brooks.
15:33And, um, you're, you're probably still going to have nine figures in cap space in 2027 to
15:39work with as a starting point.
15:42So that's why you do it, right?
15:43So that you, you could take your medicine this year.
15:46Sully, he said in that same interview with Mike Florio, you know, I get, we got to get
15:49you guys in here on one year contracts, chasing carrots, a bunch of guys that are motivated.
15:53We'll see which one of those guys sees that opportunity.
15:56And then we're going to have a lot of resources moving forward to work with.
15:58Last question for you.
16:00This is kind of out there.
16:01Uh, not, not really in any rotation here, but Markel Bell, we stood next to him at the
16:07first practice the other day.
16:10That's a big man.
16:11Uh, where do, where do you have him going as a tackle in this draft to decide to kind
16:15of last second?
16:15Wasn't sure if he's going to get another year of eligibility or not.
16:19So just decided not to fight and turn pro.
16:22Yeah.
16:23I think there's, um, a couple examples of guys that are in that, that hype stratosphere
16:28where if you're built that way, there's kind of a certain floor, you're going to get drafted
16:32no matter what, just based on their size.
16:35Um, I think about Trenton Brown from Florida.
16:40And I think about, uh, Zach Banner from USC.
16:44Both of those guys were kind of similarly statured players.
16:47I think Markel Bell's probably closer to Banner who was, I think an early fourth round pick,
16:53like one 25 ish.
16:55Like that would be about the range for me from, for Markel, just because there's going to be
16:58conversations about, um, his ability to, you know, take the right angles and have the foot
17:05speed to play in space.
17:06You know, you get a lot of wiggle room when you're a certain size that he is and the gravitational
17:10pull that comes with that playing on the edge, but he might not, not be a for everyone
17:17scheme fit because of how big he is.
17:20And because of, uh, what that might compromise for your ability to mirror in space, right?
17:25You have to be really consistent with your technique.
17:27So I expect Markel to be an early day three pick somewhere in the fourth round is kind
17:32of my baseline expectation.
17:33That's fair.
17:34Kyle.
17:34Thank you, man.
17:35I really appreciate it.
17:36A lot of stuff going on, uh, good stuff coming out of our general manager and, uh,
17:41out at the owner's meetings.
17:42I appreciate it.
17:43Thanks.
17:43Right on Joe.
17:44All right.
17:44Kyle Krabs host of locked on fins and NFL analyst for a disease sports.
17:49And right now.
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