Before the 2024 draft, general manager Chris Grier mentioned that he is always taking a 2-year look into the future on what his team could be. The Miami Dolphins followed this approach as well as addressing immediate needs to improve the team in 2024. 

1st Round (21st overall) 

EDGE Chop Robinson, Penn State:

You can tell Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel were giddy about this pick. Both members of the Dolphins front office showed that with their body language in their press conference following the initial night of the draft. They were loose, confident, smiling, and joking with the media. Grier admitted Robinson was a player he not only selected but was targeting in this draft. 

Robinson has a quick first step which he realized was a talent he possessed back in middle school. He was also the 4th-highest rated EDGE player on CBS draft prospect rankings. 

Robinson’s sack totals and overall production weren’t impressive at Penn State, but Grier wasn’t paying attention to that as much as Robinson’s play disruption. Robinson runs a 4.48 40-time which is tied 7th all-time for defensive ends at the combine. He demonstrated elite traits, but his hand usage and other parts of his game need to be polished. One NFC scout compared him to Cowboys star pass rusher Micah Parsons, although the scout admitted that Parsons was more polished entering the draft. 

How he fits:

Starting EDGE rushers Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb may not be ready for the early portion of the regular season, so the Miami Dolphins needed depth to replace them until they can return. Shaq Barrett was signed as depth but he is 31 years of age, so the Dolphins could use more youth and talent at that position. Phillips 5th-year option is expected to be exercised by the team, but a longterm extension isn’t in the works yet, so the Dolphins have to be prepared for that scenario by 2026. Robinson should be getting enough looks, reps, coaching, and game experience in order to develop in the meantime. 

2nd Round

OT Patrick Paul, Houston:

Another selection that Grier and McDaniel were very happy about – and that Paul was very happy about too. Paul made it known to the Dolphins during their pre-draft visit that he wanted to be in Miami. His agent even texted the Dolphins all Friday and as Paul was falling in the 2nd round saying “‘The kid is driving me crazy. He wants to be here.’ (laughter)”.

The Dolphins were impressed by Paul’s size and wingspan (6’7”, 331 lbs, 36 ¼” arms–perhaps the longest arms in the draft), recovery skills, and his growth and desire to get better. 

Overall, Paul is more of a polished pass-protector than he is a run blocker. Pro Football Focus graded him in 2022 with a pass black rating of 91.1 and 91.5 in 2023. However, his run blocking grades weren’t as impressive – 60.4 and 69.4 respectively. His long arms allow him to get first-contact on defensive lineman, and he has the ability to quickly recover when he is out of position, but needs to get grittier in the run game. 

How he fits:

Paul played left tackle throughout his days at Houston and was a team captain during his final two seasons. So it’s expected that he will fill Terron Armstead’s role if he gets injured or retires after the season. 

However, Grier downplayed this angle saying that the team doesn’t draft with the philosophy of position chasing. That may be true, but the fact remains that the team will have a need a left tackle by this season’s end, and they just drafted one in the 2nd round. The Dolphins say Paul has the ability to swing to either side, and purely envision him playing tackle at this time.

Madman Mike’s Take: I think the possibility is still open for Patrick Paul to compete and have a chance at LG, I can’t see a 2nd-round pick sitting on the bench as a reserve swing when the team’s left guard spot is currently being filled by a career backup in Robert Jones. 

4th Round

RB Jaylen Wright, Tennessee:

Mike McDaniel has a type, doesn’t he? And that was proven by giving the Eagles a 3rd-rounder in 2025 in order to put up and select Jaylen Wright in the 4th round. This is just another weapon to add to a speedy backfield as well as an offense that is already the fastest in the NFL. 

Wright ran a 4.38 40-time, and averaged 6.0 and 7.4 yards per carry during his final two seasons at Tennessee with at least 135 carries in each year. NFL draft analyst graded Wright as a Round 3 value. 

How he fits:

Wright has good size and breakaway speed. At 210 lbs, he is tied with Jeff Wilson as the 2nd-heaviest back after Chris Books in the backfield. The upside with Wright is that Wilson and Brooks are buried in the depth chart, so Wright has a chance to be in rotation with Devon Achane and the aging Raheem Mosert for snaps, and possibly a larger role if anything happens with either of those two. Wright’s speed fits with McDaniel’s off-tackle running approach, and his size could bring the element of physicality the Dolphins need to convert for 1st-downs in short-yardage situations. His sticky hands and ability to run routes should also make him a fun target for Tua Tagovailoa.

5th Round

LB Mohamed Kamara, Colorado State:

If the Dolphins were ever sad that they missed out on Jared Verse in the 1st round, this pick should make up for it. Mohamed Kamara is the speed-to-power pass rusher that is a similar style to Verse but with 3rd round talent. The Dolphins said they were surprised he was still available and love his mentality.

Kamara’s statistical production increased each year at Colorado State and totaled 45.5 TFLs, 30.5 sacks and five forced fumbles. He was also named Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year. His positional production score was ranked 5th at the NFL Scouting Combine, but his athletic traits and measurables ranked him 20th out of the players at his position. Still, despite his athletic shortcomings, he plays with a relentlessness and ferocity which should help him find success with the right opportunity. 

How he fits:

As I mentioned before, with stars Phillips and Chubb expected to miss the early portion of the regular season, the Fins need all the passrushing help they can get in their absence. Grier addressed the problem in this draft and McDaniel said you can never have too many pass rushers. The addition of Kamara allows Miami to potentially start Barrett and Robinson while having Kamara as a rotational piece.

6th Round

WR Malik Washington, Virginia

If any of you were waiting for the Fins to address their slot WR position, you were finally granted your wish on Day 3. Lance Zierlein had a Round 3 grade on Washington when the Dolphins finally snatched him in the 6th round. McDaniel did a big fist pump in the war room during the moment to express his enthusiasm.

Washington has extreme production. In 2023, he was Second-team Associated Press All-American. First-team All-ACC. Led the FBS with school-record 110 receptions, ranked 4th with a school-record 1,426 receiving yards (13.0 per), 9th with 1,706 all-purpose yards. Led the team with 9 receiving TDs. Played in all 12 games with 11 starts (3-7-2.3 rushing).

Washington is not a tall receiver. He is 5’8 and runs a 4.47. He is ideal for the slot WR position, which the Dolphins are still trying to figure out. Washington brings a toughness, quickness, and urgency in his play. But he will need to learn how to separate better against press coverage in the NFL. 

How he fits:

In the latter part of the 2023 season, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle dealt with injuries, and it seemed that if either one of those two receivers went down, so did the offense. Waddle was the team’s 2nd leading receiver in yards after Hill with 1,014 yards, but the 3rd leading receiver was tight end Durham Smythe with 366 yards. So there is a huge dropoff between Tua’s 2nd to 3rd option. The Fins are looking for a reliable outlet for Tua, especially since this offense is oriented to throwing over the middle of the field. Washington is an interesting option and could compete for that slot-WR position. However, he compares similarly to Braxton Berrios in stature, so it’ll be interesting to see if Washington can stand out. Washington has some return ability in his background, so he may start there. 

Round 6

S Patrick McMorris, California:

McMorris is a depth pick with the chance to play special teams if he stands out enough in that area. For the most part, McMorris knows how to play the position, but lacks the athletic traits to keep up with faster players. He brings an element of size and physicality, but has average speed in coverage. 

How he fits:

Although the Dolphins have a nice safety tandem entering 2024 with Jevon Holland and Jordan Poyer, there is not much depth behind them. Poyer is listed as the team’s strong safety but is 33 years old, and if he goes down, the team could be in trouble on the back end of the defense. McMorris has the body-type to play the SS position, but will have to show he can adjust to NFL speed, especially against the Miami offense. 

Round 7

WR Tahj Washington, USC:

The Dolphins found more depth and competition for the slot position. Washington is another productive, but smaller WR. He has average traits, but knows how to take advantage with his route running. He doesn’t make much separation but counters that with his contested catch-making. 

How he fits: 

There is too much competition for the slot WR position on the Miami Dolphins at the moment, so I can’t see Washington getting much playing time there. However, Washington flashes return ability which could make him a compelling player for special teams. The Miami Dolphins need to improve in their return game, and with the kickoff rule changes, he has a chance to carve out a role. 

The Celtics smoked the understaffed Heat at Kaseya Center, taking a 2-1 lead in the series.

The Heat was absent Jimmy Butler (knee), Delon Wright (personal reasons) and Terry Rozier (neck).

The Celtics’ defense blocked the hosts from prosperity, allowing only three points through the first six minutes and then five of 21 attempts in the first quarter. On offense, Kristaps Porziņģis blasted the zone and man coverage with a pair of trays, plus slammed a lob from Jrue Holiday in the half-court. Jaylen Brown added six points on three of eight looks.

Haywood Highsmith and Bam Adebayo were the only Heatles who made multiple field goals early. The former scored on two isolation drives to the rim. The latter hit a baseline jumper with contact and logged a putback.

Next, the Heat’s defense yielded, giving up 42 points on 65.2% shooting in the second quarter. Jayson Tatum made five freebies, two trifectas and an iso step-back jumper over Caleb Martin. Derrick White put up a dozen on two 3-pointers, a tip-in off Brown’s missed freebie plus another putback in transition and a cut through the middle for a layup. The rest of the Celtics converted seven of 10 baskets.

Tyler Herro answered for the Heat with 10 points, canning a floater and 3-pointer against Porziņģis in drop coverage and another three when KP came up closer after the screen. Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jović and Adebayo scored four more points apiece.

At halftime, the Heat was down 39-63 and was outrebounded by 12. On top of that, the squad had 12 paint points, none on the break, five via second chances, two after turnovers and six from the bench.

The Celtics had 26 interior points, two in the open court, 10 on extra tries, 19 after turnovers and 14 from the reserves.

Out of the intermission, Brown spun past Herro to the cup, beat JJJ on the baseline for a jam, downed a floater in the lane and hooked over Adebayo at close range. White further contributed four points.

For the Heat, Adebayo maneuvered on the baseline around White and Porziņģis for a layup, dunked on the break and canned a floater at the dunker spot. Herro, Jović and Jaquez followed his lead, but it wasn’t enough.

The fourth quarter began with the Heat down 61-87.

Adebayo dunked over Porziņģis to cut the deficit to 27 points and later a hook over White, slicing the disparity down to 24 with six minutes left. And JJJ and Patty Mills combined for 11 points.

The Celtics produced 17 points on 35.7% accuracy in the fourth quarter.

The Heat lost 84-104 and was beat on the glass by seven. To boot, the team had 34 paint points, six on the break, 11 via second chances, four after turnovers and 17 from the bench.

Adebayo scored 20 points on eight of 18 attempts, with nine rebounds and three assists. Jović had 15 points on 45.5% shootings, with eight rebounds and one assist. Herro put up 15 points on five of 16 looks, with two rebounds, two assists and four turnovers. And Jaquez logged a dozen, making 38.5% of his tries and picked up five rebounds, five assists and three turnovers.

The Celtics had 42 paint points, two in the open court, 17 on extra tries, 24 after turnovers and 23 from the reserves.

Brown (22), Tatum (22), Porziņģis (18) and White (16) were the Celtics’ double-digit scorers.

At the postgame presser, Spoelstra said, “Early on, I thought the process was solid. We missed some open shots and then we made mistakes on the other end.”

Adebayo said, “We just made mistake after mistake on offense. Not communicating, throwing the ball away. Turnovers that shouldn’t happen in the playoffs.”

Jović said, “Our fans deserve to see us be better.”

—

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A valiant effort wasn’t enough for the Lakers to hold off the defending champions at The Crypt. Anthony Davis and LeBron James were dynamic. But the Nuggets’ fantastic four were overbearing and are now up 3-0 in a best-of-seven series.

Nikola Jokić chopped down interior protections. Jamal Murray’s jumper was on target in frames two and three. Aaron Gordon finished a dozen times in the restricted area. And Michael Porter Jr. closed the door on the hosts with 10 fourth-quarter points.

Unless the Purple and Mold transform into the ‘87 Lakers, and the Nuggets play with a tied hand behind their backs, what’s left of the matchup is a formality.

After the game, Jokić was asked about MPJ. He said his teammate is “one of the best shooters I’ve ever seen or played with… he’s capable of making big, tough shots.” Before leaving, Joker credited Porter’s mindset and his approach, too.

Porter’s glass clean up and marksmanship has been a security blanket for the outfit through three outings. He is the second-leading rebounder and his Effective Field Goal percentage is 12.3 points higher than the league average (54.7). Additionally, MPJ is putting up 20.3 points, nine rebounds, 1.3 assists and a steal per game against the Lakers in round one.

Yet, Porter is balling while going through an emotional time. His brother Jontay was expelled from the NBA for betting on games with someone else’s account. And his other brother, Coban, was sentenced to six years in prison for a drunken, fatal vehicular crash on April 19. MPJ was present in court that day, giving a character statement. He said Coban was the brother he looked up to while growing up.

Then Coban was cuffed and taken to prison at the hearing’s conclusion. As children, Michael and his brothers were best friends.

After Game 1, MPJ was asked about playing with heavy emotions in the locker room. He said, “[I] definitely tried to compartmentalize. Some bad stuff happened to my brothers, but I got 15, 16 more brothers in here. I knew I had to be here for them…”

On Friday, Porter’s nine-point flurry to close the first half helped the Nuggets reclaim its focus. In Game 2, he connected on a critical second-chance triple that tied the game with 75 seconds left. And late on Thursday, he buried the Lakers, swishing four jumpers and recording a layup off a backdoor cut.

As Lakers fans dispersed, Porter handled the on-court interview with Altitude TV. He said staying aggressive was the priority and that his jump shot was falling.

At the postgame presser, he was asked about his three assists that Gordon scored on. He said, “That’s my boy on and off the court. We definitely got a connection…you can throw the ball anywhere [and] he’s going to get it, he’s going to go up strong and dunk it.”

With Porter performing at this rate and the other pieces producing at a high level, knocking off the champs looks nearly impossible.

The hosting Celtics were up nine points within two minutes on the Heat, compelling coach Erik Spoelstra to call an emergency timeout. It didn’t get much prettier after the first frame as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown zoomed by Jaime Jaquez Jr. to the cup. Kristaps Porziņģis feasted at close and long range. And Derrick White plus Dan Houser poured in a glut of trays; while the Heat were stopped from getting into actions, misfired makable shots and failed to generate trips to the line.

The Heat was absent Jimmy Butler (knee) and Terry Rozier (neck).

But the 2-2-1 press, a stretch of stops in the 2-3 zone, and a stimulus from vintage Kevin Love cut the deficit to three points at the start of the second quarter. Yet, it was short-lived, and the Celtics converted its next 11 of 21 attempts. Gang Green’s leading man in the sequence was sharpshooter Sam Houser, who buried four jumpers.

Tatum successfully isolated Haywood Highsmith and JJJ for midrange buckets, scored on the break and made four freebies.

On the other side, Adebayo tried to drag the crew forward, logging seven of 19 field goals.

Jaquez nailed a fadeaway over White in the post, finished two layups and spun past Houser into the lane on the right side for two points.

But Tyler Herro didn’t produce. He was hounded by White and Payton Pritchard, scoring once in the first half while they were on him. And on defense, Herro was lost, giving up multiple 3-pointers.

At halftime, the Heat was below 45-60 and out-hustled on the glass by six. Additionally, the team had 24 paint points, four on the break, two via second chances, two after turnovers and 12 from the bench.

The Celtics had 16 interior points, four in the open court, eight on extra tries, 12 after turnovers and 22 from the reserves.

Later, Brown scored twice, racing by the Heatles in transition and swishing two outside jumpers. White downed two triples as well.

Yet the visitors came out of the half registering four of 12 ventures, credited to Nikola Jović, Jaquez and Adebayo. The group followed up with six straight misses as the Celtics contested perimeter shots cleanly and disrupted rim attacks.

Subsequently, the Heat supplied 14 of 19 baskets in the fourth quarter but never came closer than within 14 points. The Celtics were already in clock control, taking only six attempts in the first five minutes of the fourth.

The Heat was slaughtered 94-114 and allowed the Celtics 10 more rebounds. To boot, the squad had 44 paint points, 13 on the break, five via second chances, 17 after turnovers and 29 from the bench.

Adebayo totaled 24 points on 10 of 18 attempts, with six rebounds and three assists. Delon Wright put up 17 points on 85.7% accuracy, with one rebound, three assists and two steals. JJJ had 16 points on 16 tries and recovered four rebounds and four assists. And Herro logged 11 points, making four of 13 baskets, with four rebounds and four assists.

The Celtics had 24 interior points, six in the open court, 11 on extra tries, 18 after turnovers and 30 from the reserves.

Tatum (23), White (20), Porziņģis (18), Brown (17), Hauser (12), and Al Horford (10) were the six Celtics who scored in double digits.

At the postgame presser, Herro said the Celtics pressured the Heat on both sides. He also included that
the team didn’t “play with enough force and effort on the defensive end.”

Spoelstra said, “It’s clear, Boston controlled this game from the tip. The very first possession, offensive rebound and three. And from there, they controlled it.”

—

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Coban Porter was sentenced to six years in prison for the drunken automobile accident that killed Katharina Rothman, who was a mother and injured another. He will also serve two years for a related charge that will run concurrently, plus three years parole. He was also given one day of pre-sentence confinement credit.

Porter is the brother of Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr..

Porter arrived at the Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse with a large party, and more came after. They took up the entire left side of the courtroom, all of the jury seats and a section of the back row on the right. Family members of the victim and representatives of the District Attorney’s office sat and filled out the remainder of the right side. Porter’s arresting officer, Aaron Botts, stood on the left side of the room.

Following a few cases, Porter’s was picked up from the docket at 9:12 AM MT, but Judge Ericka Englert summoned DA Austin Leighty and Porter’s attorney, Harvey Steinberg, to the bench for nine minutes for a quiet discussion.

Six family members plus Leighty spoke on behalf of Rothman. First was her mother, Connie Johnson.

“This pain and trauma have become my worst reality,” Johnson said. “I stand here before you today, but all at the same time, I am elsewhere. On Jan. 22, 2023, my life ended with my sweet, innocent daughter, Katharina Rothman.”

The DA’s office advocated for the maximum eight-year penalty.

Leighty said, “He was driving more than 50MPH in a 30MPH zone… From the videos that were submitted, the light that Ms. Rothman was going to be driving through and tried to drive through was green at the beginning of the video. The crash occurred 23 seconds into [the video]. For 23 seconds, [Porter’s] light was red.”

Then friends and family of Porter spoke for him, including his brother Michael, who wasn’t planning on talking but wanted to offer his perspective on character.

“Coban was the one who [while I was growing up], that pushed me to achieve… He was the one I looked up to, even though I’m the oldest brother. I truly don’t think I would be in the position I am [in] today as a professional basketball player if I didn’t have a brother like Coban push me every day.”

Michael continued, adding that he wished to take his brother’s place. He posted the $2,000 bond payment for his brother following the arrest.

Lisa Porter said her son is remorseful for the crash and prays for the Rothman/Johnson family. “He has pleaded with God, to help them, to do something, to bring honor to Katharina.”

Subsequently, Steinberg defended his client, saying no one had suffered more than him throughout the case. On top of that, he said, “I hate to even say this, but maybe some good can come out of this… maybe Judge, if you choose, you can fashion a sentence that allows him to try to make up for what he’s done by making this world a better place, and by deterring others for making the tragic mistake he made in his youth, instead of simply saying ‘sorry’ and having that cell slam behind him.”

Porter talked last. He said he could never make up for the wrong, but that he is sorry, wishing it was him who died instead of Rothman. He said he wants to make a difference for people who were like him, too.

Next, Porter was cuffed and taken away.

Englert approved Denver7 and 9News’ request for expanded media coverage for the sentencing hearing, despite the defense’s objection. Englert had previously denied the application of expanded media in her courtroom for the Oct. 17 arraignment date.

While the case was in the arraignment stage, Englert allowed Porter to live out of state and agreed to remove GPS tracking on him, in spite of the DA’s objections. Then, his permanent address was then listed in Denver, now Columbus, Missouri.

Steinberg had no comment after the hearing.