It was a somewhat strange week for the Miami Dolphins’ rookie class against the New Orleans Saints. The Dolphins won, but several rookies who have played a lot of snaps this season barely played. 

Ollie Gordon II, Dante Trader Jr. and Jason Marshall Jr. didn’t play/do enough to qualify for this week’s stock report. Gordon played just 16 offensive snaps, while Trader and Marshall played five and four defensive snaps, respectively. 

Miami’s trench players got enough action, though, so let’s see how they fared against the Saints in Week 13. 

Kenneth Grant

Week 11: Slight Stock Up

Week 13: No Movement

There hasn’t been much fluctuation in Grant’s stock since his small breakout against the Cleveland Browns in Week 7. It’s been trending up for sure, but it has been more of a slow, steady climb than anything. 

That’s perfectly fine because Grant being a stable run defender has helped the Dolphins immensely. He didn’t impact the box score a ton against New Orleans, but he held the point of attack well and had some nice hustle plays. 

If he can be a bit more proactive with shedding blocks and channeling some of his natural athletic ability when rushing the passer, there’s a clear path for him to become a high-impact interior player. 

As we’ve said in previous weeks, Grant has set a nice floor for his play. He just needs to tap into his ceiling a little bit. 

Jonah Savaiinaea

Week 11: Stock Up

Week 13: Slight Stock Up

Three straight stock-up performances for Jonah Savaiinaea? In this economy? 

The second-round pick still has a ways to go before he can live up that billing, but his developmental arrow has been pointing in the right direction for about a month now. 

Against the Saints, Savaiinaea was super solid in pass protection. He did allow one sack when Cameron Jordan beat him with an inside swim move, but outside of that he mostly held his own. 

The running game wasn’t perfect either, but his positives far outweighed the negatives. He sealed a couple of rush lanes and hit a few landmarks at the second level. He and Aaron Brewer also combined for a nice pancake early in the game.

Savaiinaea showing some signs of life is probably one of the more important developments for the Dolphins this season. 

Jordan Phillips 

Week 11: Slight Stock Up

Week 13: Slight Stock Up

Phillips continued his consistent play against the Saints. He had four tackles Sunday, and all of them came at or near the line of scrimmage. His ability to absorb contact from double teams and hold his ground makes the life of Miami’s second-level players so much easier. 

That led to a few good run stops for players like Jordyn Brooks and Tyrel Dodson. Phillips also had a play where he set himself up for a tackle for loss, but couldn’t quite make the tackle. 

He’s gotten better at shedding blocks throughout the season, but he can still do so with better timing and power. His limitations as a pass rusher still make him a limited player, but I don’t think that matters much at this stage. 

Zeek Biggers 

Week 11: Stock Up

Week 13: Slight Stock Down

Performances like the one Biggers had Sunday are one of the top reasons this column focuses on weighing each rookie’s performance against what they’ve already put on tape. 

Biggers wasn’t “bad” against the Saints, but it was his worst performance in the three games he’s played significant snaps. He got half a sack, but that was more of a coverage sack than anything. 

Biggers does, however, deserve credit for continuing to work through a double team on his way to the quarterback. 

He gets the stock-down designation mostly because of his run defense. He still struggles with leverage, and he missed a tackle that led to a decent run. Again, it wasn’t a bad performance for Biggers; it was just worse than the previous two. 

The arrow is still pointing in the right direction for Miami’s seventh-rounder.

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