The Miami Dolphins under Mike McDaniel were consistently accused of being a “soft” or “finesse” team when it came to the nitty-gritty. While anyone would be wise to think twice before looking someone like Jordyn Brooks, Zach Sieler, Aaron Brewer, or Patrick Paul in the eyes and calling them soft, the team’s inability to win games against playoff foes and in harsh weather created a narrative for better or worse.
Fans have become enamored with the idea of building through the trenches. Teams of Dolphins’ past always seemed to shortchange the offensive line, rendering the impressive skill players who’ve called Miami home over the years less effective. Sports Illustrated’s Justin Melo reports that behemoth offensive tackle prospect Travis Burke has been invited to Dolphins HQ for a pre-draft 30 visit, a development sure to fire up all the trench-truthers out there.
Burke’s collegiate career started at FCS Gardner-Webb in 2021. After two years with the Runnin’ Bulldogs, he got FBS interest from Florida International University (Paws Up!), where he spent an additional two seasons, starting each of the 22 games he appeared in.
He transferred one final time to close out his college career, spending 2025 with the Memphis Tigers, where he started 11 games before suffering an ankle injury that ended his season.
Miami Dolphins showing interest in Travis Burke, a truly rare prospect with measurables you can’t teach
At 6’9″ and 325 lbs, Travis Burke is in rare company at the NFL level. His athletic profile garners comparisons to the Chargers’ Pro Bowl tackle Joe Alt and rock-solid Broncos veteran Mike McGlinchey. For all of the talk of arm length, fans have been inundated with information regarding many of the draft’s top offensive line prospects. Burke clears the bar with 34 1/4″ arms.
The best thing about Burke is that he has the stuff you can’t teach. Don Shula himself couldn’t stretch your arms out or make you grow a few inches. He represents a piece of clay that, if molded effectively, could pair with left tackle Patrick Paul to give the Dolphins a formidable (and one of the largest) tackle duos in the NFL for the next 10-plus years.
As a later-round prospect, Burke certainly has some kinks in his game to iron out. NFL.com’s resident scout Lance Zierlein had a measured take on Burke’s film:
“Burke is a tall tackle with plus drive-blocking talent for his body type. He uses flexible hips and ankles, along with well-placed hands, to create leverage at the point of attack. He finishes blocks with good aggression when the opportunity arises. A lack of short-area quickness limits his range as a run blocker and in pass protection. He’s scheme-dependent in the run game and will need help managing NFL edge speed, but strong hands allow for longer sustained control when he lands cleanly. There are areas of concern that might not be coachable, but Burke’s length and demeanor work in his favor.”
Lance Zierlein
Despite this, Pro Football Focus gave him a sterling 84.5 grade for the 2025 season, which ranked 9th out of 613 qualifiers at the tackle position. Travis Burke seems to represent the perfect kind of late-round gamble for Jon-Eric Sullivan. If he hits, the Dolphins could wind up the beneficiaries as their quest to build an elite offensive line chugs on.