Assessing Every Miami Dolphins UDFA's Chances of Making Final Roster
They're the players you've probably never heard of, or the players who unexpectedly were not selected during the 2015 NFL draft for one reason or another.
The NFL's undrafted free agents are sometimes considered some of the longest shots to make the final roster of their team, but in some cases, those unheralded players will have just as good a shot of making the final cut as anyone else.
For the Miami Dolphins, 14 such players will be scratching and clawing for roster spots. Probably only three to five undrafted free agents will make the roster, and while some of those players will benefit from a lack of depth at their position, others may simply be more talented than anyone else the Dolphins currently have available.
We'll assign percentage grades for each of the Dolphins' undrafted free agents.
Mickey Baucus, OL, Arizona
1 of 14
The Dolphins spent some time in Arizona, scouting offensive linemen. In the draft, they came away with Arizona State guard Jamil Douglas in the fourth round. After the draft, they inked Arizona tackle Mickey Baucus as a free agent.
He is a bit skinny for an NFL lineman at 296 pounds, but at 6'6", he has the frame to support a bit more bulk. According to CBS Sports' Rob Rang, Baucus struggles with leverage and balance due to a "top-heavy high-cut frame [that] makes him susceptible to counter moves," which forces him to lunge at defenders.
Rang also suggests that Baucus' best bet at making an NFL roster may be to move to guard or stick to right tackle. Perhaps he should be tried at both positions; the more positional flexibility he can show, the better his chances are of making the roster.
The Dolphins currently have 15 offensive linemen in their employ and will probably end up cutting at least seven of them. With five of those spots stitched up by starters, Baucus will have to make his case as one of the two or three best linemen out of the remaining 10.
Odds: 20 percent
Matt Darr, P, Tennessee
2 of 14
Matt Darr played through his senior year with the Tennessee Volunteers and averaged a solid 40.6 yards per punt in his career and 42.2 yards per punt as a senior. He was a candidate for the 2014 Ray Guy Award, which honors the nation's best punter. He also had 30 punts downed inside the 20-yard line and 30 fair catches forced on 80 punts, according to Mike Wilkening of Pro Football Talk.
He's also competing with an eight-year starter who's averaged 46.8 yards per punt with the Dolphins in his career.
Brandon Fields is entrenched as the starting punter, and unless he suffers some kind of freak injury in training camp, Darr's chances of making the roster are slim to none. The Dolphins would have to be foolish to carry more than one punter on their final roster.
Odds: 2 percent
Ray Drew, DE, Georgia
3 of 14
At some point in his playing career, Ray Drew exhibited first-class talent. He was a 5-star recruit in high school, according to 247Sports, but never lived up to the billing in his career at Georgia. Drew notched a career-high six sacks in 2013 despite playing in every game and notched only one sack in 2014 despite appearing in every game.
That being said, it's not all about sacks. He has positional versatility to create disruption in the passing game in either a 3-4 or a 4-3 front, and while he would be mostly an end-of-the-line player for the Dolphins, they could at least use him in creative ways in their pressure packages.
Between Cameron Wake, Olivier Vernon, Derrick Shelby and Terrence Fede, the Dolphins have some depth at the defensive end spot. Drew will be competing with Emmanuel Dieke and Kendall Montgomery for that final roster spot at defensive end.
Odds: 30 percent
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Andrew Franks, K, RPI
4 of 14The Dolphins want to see if anyone can push Caleb Sturgis in training camp this summer, but they could have done better than RPI's Andrew Franks if they wanted to create a real competition.
Franks hit 16 of his 25 field-goal attempts in 2014 (64 percent), but hit three field goals from 50 or more yards. He also served as both the kicker and punter in 2014 and earned different accolades for his two positions.
If Franks is able to beat out Sturgis, it will be a sign of the Dolphins' complete lack of confidence in the former Florida kicker who has hit only 77.5 percent of his career field-goal attempts.
Odds: 50 percent
Christion Jones, WR, Alabama
5 of 14
Christion Jones was Alabama's third-leading receiver of the 2014 season, with 19 catches for 264 yards and a touchdown, but the Dolphins are stocked to the hilt with wide receivers, so he will have to make his impact in other ways in order to leave a lasting impression on the coaches.
It's a good thing for Jones, then, that he already has proved his ability as a return specialist, with 37 kickoff returns for 851 yards and 19 punt returns for 152 yards as a senior. Matt Waldman of the Rookie Scouting Portfolio highlights Jones' ability on special teams as the area that could be his saving grace in earning a roster spot:
"Even if Jones never develops into a capable NFL receiver, he could earn a living in the pros if does this kind of work for a team. Kassim Osgood rarely touches the ball as a receiver or return specialist, but he’s a Pro Bowl talent at covering kicks. I wouldn’t be surprised if Jones makes a club on the basis of his return skills alone.
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Last year's rookie breakout Jarvis Landry was the one who manned the return duties for the Dolphins in 2014, and he could be asked to do that again, but the Dolphins would be wise to carry an extra return man in order to keep Landry fresh.
Odds: 40 percent
Nigel King, WR, Kansas
6 of 14
The Dolphins have severely lacked size at the wide receiver position ever since Brandon Marshall left the fold in 2012, but after adding two big-bodied pass-catchers to their depth chart, the Dolphins could feasibly field a much more effective red-zone offense this year than last.
Kansas' Nigel King stands 6'3" and 210 pounds, and while some scouts doubt his long speed, he showed off enough of it at his pro day with a 4.54-second 40-yard dash. The question is whether he can use his frame to get off press coverage at the line of scrimmage, an area where NFL.com's Lance Zierlein says the Kansas product can use some improvement.
That being said, size and speed will only get you so far in the NFL. The Dolphins already have a fairly deep group of receivers, and unless King can show some special teams versatility in camp, it could be hard for him to crack the final roster.
Odds: 20 percent
Michael Liedtke, OL, Illinois State
7 of 14The Dolphins have a lot of bodies on the offensive line but also a lot of uncertainty. One thing that seems certain is that Jamil Douglas will be starting at one of the guard spots. The other starting guard spot is up for grabs, but that battle will likely come down to Dallas Thomas and Billy Turner.
Beyond that, the Dolphins have a litany of unheralded linemen who are competing for spots. Illinois State's Michael Liedtke is among them, and turning up information on the lineman was difficult. He put up some strong numbers at his pro day, according to NFL.com's Gil Brandt, with a 4.91-second 40-yard dash, a 33" vertical jump and a 9'4" broad jump.
Brandt remarks that Liedtke was "probably a better lineman than Barton during his time at Illinois State, but because of Barton's size (Liedtke has 33 ⅛" arms) he is viewed as having better long-range NFL potential." Liedtke doesn't need to show starting ability to make the team, though; all he needs to do with the Dolphins is prove that he's better than a host of other backups.
Odds: 20 percent
Mike Hull, LB, Penn State
8 of 14
Although undersized, Mike Hull exhibits many of the qualities a team loves to see in its linebackers. He's a high-motor player who never gives up on a play, has the toughness and willingness to attack runners head on and possesses solid awareness in zone coverage.
So, why did he go undrafted? His frame was just too slight for some teams to get past. At 6'0" and 237 pounds with 30 ½" arms, Hull will be outmatched by NFL offensive linemen, and he'll have to keep himself clean and clear of contact if he's going to make plays at the second level.
Hull's experience on special teams could be his saving grace when fighting with the likes of Kelvin Sheppard, Jake Knott, Jeff Luc, Jordan Tripp, Zach Vigil and others for a roster spot. He may never develop into a starter, but he could fill in at middle linebacker in a pinch—he doesn't have quite the athleticism he'd need to play the outside linebacker spot as he did at Penn State.
Odds: 30 percent
Jeff Luc, LB, Cincinnati
9 of 14
The Dolphins signed all the linebackers in undrafted free agency. OK, not all of them, but they signed a considerable number, and it's a testament to their continued uncertainty at the position.
Cincinnati's Jeff Luc has the build of a traditional middle linebacker at 6'1" and 256 pounds, and with 32" arms, he has the frame to keep blockers away from him. He has the size and toughness to thump against the run; that being said, he doesn't possess the athleticism to contribute heavily in coverage and could even be limited against the run due to what NFL.com's Lance Zierlein calls "straight-line stiffness and inability to diagnose and flow quickly."
Luc had his most productive season in 2014, with 65 tackles and 69 assists (134 total), 10 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. The latter number is indication that he can blitz through the A-gap, but that won't be enough to earn him a roster spot.
Luc is not as experienced on special teams as Mike Hull is, which could hinder his ability to stand out. In a competition that will include at least five other bodies, Luc will need to find ways to make an impression.
Odds: 25 percent
Ellis McCarthy, DT, UCLA
10 of 14
With Ndamukong Suh, Jordan Phillips and Earl Mitchell on the roster, the Dolphins don't have much room for additional depth at defensive tackle.
Much like Ray Drew, UCLA's Ellis McCarthy entered college as a 5-star recruit out of high school, per 247Sports, but never lived up to that otherworldly potential. He has struggled with weight issues (he measured in at 6'5" and 338 pounds at the scouting combine), and scouts have doubts that he'll develop into the player he might become with more hard work.
"He was supposed to be all-world, and when he got to UCLA I don't think he had the discipline he needed," said one AFC North scout, according to NFL.com's Lance Zierlein. "He got too big, and then had knee issues and he never looked like the player he was supposed to be when he came in."
The Dolphins have five other defensive tackles who are competing for that final roster spot: A.J. Francis, Anthony Johnson, Kamal Johnson and Deandre Coleman. McCarthy won't be able to coast through a camp competition the way he coasted through UCLA. He's raw but has the potential and athleticism to carve out a niche in a rotation.
Odds: 35 percent
Kendall Montgomery, DE, Bowling Green
11 of 14
The Dolphins clearly feel as though they need to create a competition at defensive end this summer, given the pair of undrafted free-agent signings immediately following the draft.
Bowling Green's Kendall Montgomery is the long shot to make the roster compared to Ray Drew. He has the size of an NFL defensive end at 6'5" and 262 pounds, but he lacks the explosive ability off the edge that has made Cameron Wake and Olivier Vernon forces at the position in the Dolphins defense. He posted only a 33" vertical jump and a 4.91-second 40-yard dash at his pro day, according to NFLDraftScout.com.
His lack of explosiveness bears out in his collegiate production, as well. In his career, Montgomery posted a combined six sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss.
At this point, it's hard to picture Montgomery as more than a training-camp body with a shot at making the practice squad.
Odds: 10 percent
Dionte Savage, OL, Oklahoma
12 of 14
The Dolphins know they lack depth at guard. It's the only explanation for why they would bring in four undrafted offensive linemen following the draft.
Oklahoma's Dionte Savage started six games in 2014, lining up at both left guard and right guard. The positional versatility could serve him well. At 6'4" and 347 pounds, his massive frame goes beyond what you would call "imposing" for an NFL offensive lineman.
Too bad Joe Philbin is the head coach now, and not Tony Sparano. Savage would have had a chance to make the roster in a man-blocking scheme that would take advantage of his size and strength, but in a zone-blocking scheme, his lack of quickness and footwork will be exposed by interior pass-rushers.
The Dolphins have the right idea by adding depth to the offensive line, but Savage just isn't a good fit for their scheme.
Odds: 5 percent
Zach Vigil, LB, Utah State
13 of 14
With four undrafted free-agent signings at linebacker, there's a good chance that someone is going to make the roster despite not being selected to a team.
Utah State's Zach Vigil may be less likely than some of the other candidates due to his lack of experience on special teams, but one thing you can count on is that he won't give up. NFL.com's Lance Zierlein lauds his motor, pointing out that he "never quits on a play," and while motor won't win any athletic contests, Zierlein also commends Vigil as an "active pass-rusher who worked well in team blitz scheme."
Those traits will earn him points with the coaching staff—especially defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle, who loves to run his zone-blitz scheme and uses linebackers frequently in that role. He'll need to improve at the point of attack, and his lack of speed could hurt him in other areas, but if he can dominate in his niche, he could push for a backup job.
Odds: 15 percent
Aundrey Walker, OL, USC
14 of 14
One of four undrafted offensive linemen to be added to the Dolphins roster this offseason, USC's Aundrey Walker has the size (6'6", 315 pounds) to match up against big, strong interior defensive linemen in the NFL.
He has some positional versatility as both a guard and a tackle at USC, but he didn't shine at either position. He lacks the functional strength to play guard but also the quickness to play tackle. He would probably project to the guard spot in the Dolphins offense, but he would make the third such "project" to shift from tackle to guard for Miami.
From the sound of it, he's not a great fit for the Dolphins' zone-blocking scheme. NFL.com's Lance Zierlein remarks that Walker "allows rushers to leak through without enough of a chip when sliding protection" and that his "feet become heavy and lethargic at contact, preventing him from completing lateral blocks."
He'll have to outperform expectations to make the roster.
Odds: 15 percent
Unless otherwise noted, all scouting combine information and draft notes provided by CBSSports.com and NFL.com.
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