The Miami Dolphins knew they needed to upgrade their defensive line. Last season, the defensive front was a combination of over the hill veterans and castoffs, and they desperately needed new talent. They ultimately addressed it with their first pick in last month's draft, taking Clemson defensive tackle Christian Wilkins 13th overall.
Wilkins was a part of Clemson's dominant defensive line last season, and the Dolphins are hoping he can bring that to Miami. The folks over at Pro Football Focus shared an interesting statistic that should make Dolphins fans happy.
The Dolphins selected Christian Wilkins after he won 16.7% of his pass-rushes last season at Clemson, third-best among all DIs. pic.twitter.com/X4zJOJBBup
— PFF (@PFF) May 20, 2019
Last season, Wilkins won 16.7 percent of his pass-rush snaps according to PFF, which ranked third among all defensive linemen. Wilkins was a solid contributor for the Tigers since his freshman season, and spent four years at Clemson. Last year, he had 14 tackles for loss, including 5.5 sacks, two passes defended, and two fumble recoveries.
In addition to his contributions on the field, Wilkins should also be a great locker room presence for a rebuilding Dolphins team. Wilkins won the William V. Campbell Trophy last season, annually awarded to the college football player with the “best combination of academics, community service, and on-field performance.”
The Dolphins had virtually no pass-rush last season, so if Wilkins can provide anything at all from the interior, it'll be a huge boost. Wilkins sounds exactly like the type of player new coach Brian Flores wants as he seeks to rebuild the culture in his image.
NFL.com's draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote before the draft he had the “desired combination of athleticism, production and character with the ability to fit into a stop unit that already has some pieces in place.”
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