One giant hole remains for the 2025 Miami Dolphins.
The outside cornerback position.
Having released Kendall Fuller following the end of the 2024 season and reached a “mutual agreement” to trade Jalen Ramsey, only two outside corners – Storm Duck and Artie Burns – have started more than one game. The current corner room, however, has three guys in Duck, Kader Kohou and Ethan Bonner that speak to one of Dolphins general manager Chris Grier’s best skills: the ability to find quality undrafted free agents (UDFAs).
Advertisement
“It’s the collaboration, and that’s always been very important,” Grier said of the ability in 2024. “Over the years, we’ve done well there. I think that’s the scouts and coaches. They put a lot of time into it.”
With the Dolphins’ three-day rookie minicamp set to come to a close on Sunday, there’s hope that Grier’s prowess can help fulfill some of the Dolphins’ remaining needs. Outside of cornerback, the Dolphins could depth at inside linebacker and slot receiver. After the 2025 NFL Draft, the Dolphins signed seven UDFAs players – two corners (BJ Adams and Ethan Robinson), one linebacker (Eugene Asante) and four receivers (Andrew Armstrong, Monaray Baldwin, AJ Henning and Theo Wease Jr.) — at those respective positions.
“It is the scouts’ Super Bowl,” Grier said of the UDFA process. “So working with that and the coaches, that’s where the coaches and scouts take pride in the work on the back end of trying to figure out the players who aren’t fortunate enough to get drafted, figuring out how they fit onto your roster and needs.”
Grier’s resume of past undrafted finds who have logged multiple starts includes cornerbacks Nik Needham, Kohou and Duck as well as offensive guard Robert Jones and tight end Julian Hill. Of the five, Kohou has impressed the most, having started 40 games primarily at nickel corner since 2022, the year that he signed with Miami. He has racked up three interceptions, 30 pass deflections and two forced fumbles over the last three seasons.
Advertisement
“He’s a prime example of a guy that had the intangibles to do what very few guys do and that’s contribute as an undrafted rookie,” coach Mike McDaniel said of Kohou, a player who “has instincts and the toughness and just really the football awareness to do things in the run and pass game and nickel defense that is of primary importance.”
Of the two recent UDFA corners, Adams has the potential to grow into a starter, according to NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein. As a senior, the University of Central Florida corner logged 14 tackles, two pass breakups and two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.
“Adams is at home in press coverage, where he can reroute the receiver,” Zierlein wrote, calling Adams a “man-cover corner with good size and great length but average ball production.” “His foot agility and quickness are below NFL standards and he could struggle to stay connected against an NFL route tree. Average awareness and instincts cause inconsistencies from zone but his burst to close angles to the throw work in his favor, i.”
Robinson, who wasn’t graded by Zierlein, finished his collegiate career at Minnesota where he earned All-Big Ten honorable mention. As a senior, Robinson recorded 42 tackles, three interceptions and a forced fumble.
Advertisement
A member of Bruce Feldman’s annual college football “Freaks List,” Asante was described as “the prototypical heat-seeking missile backer the SEC is known for.” The linebacker spent the last three seasons at Auburn where he finished with 134 total tackles, 7.5 sacks and two pass deflections.
“The 6-1, 219-pound younger brother of former NFL safety Larry Asante is powerful and explosive,” Feldman wrote in 2024. “This offseason, he squatted 635 pounds, benched 405 and clocked a 4.48 40. He’s also had a max velocity of more than 22 mph.”
Of the four UDFA receivers, only two – Baldwin and Henning – have extended experience in the slot. Baldwin, specifically, was listed on the “Freaks List” due to his 365-pound bench press and hitting a GPS speed of up to 23.16 miles per hour in 2023. The Baylor wideout’s receptions and receiving yards dropped slightly in 2024 yet his 16.9 yards per catch average showcase some big play ability.
Henning, meanwhile, showed flashes both in the air and on the ground. In his final two seasons at Northwestern, the 5-foot-10-inch receiver caught 104 passes for 1,021 yards and eight touchdowns. He also added 118 yards on the ground on 32 carries.
Advertisement
The other two wideouts – Armstrong and Wease – primarily played on the outside as both stand 6-foot-3-inches and above. Armstrong comes in with the strongest resume of all the receivers as he led Arkansas in catches (78) and receiving yards (1,140) enroute to a second-team All-SEC honor. A sixth-year senior, Wease paced all Mizzou receivers with 884 yards through the air, an impressive feat considering he played alongside second-round pick Luther Burden III.
The end of rookie minicamp means the Dolphins are just one step closer to optional training activities. Over the coming weeks, the 2025 Dolphins roster will begin to take shape. The first UDFA — long snapper Kneeland Hibbett — was already released on Saturday so expect more news on who did and didn’t make the cut soon.