Ask former Miami Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert why Mike McDaniel failed as Miami’s head coach, and he’d give you an answer.

Mostert, a pending free agent after spending the 2025 season with the Las Vegas Raiders, discussed his Dolphins tenure and McDaniel’s coaching style in a recent appearance on Fox Sports’ “The Herd with Colin Cowherd.” In the veteran running back’s eyes, his former head coach’s “laid-back” mentality and eagerness to be a “players’ coach” kept him from pushing his team to get better results.

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“When you have a coach that is so player-friendly, it doesn’t really mix all that well,” Mostert said. “Look at the coaching history, not just in the NFL, but MLB, NBA. All of these different sports franchises have coaches that implement toughness, resilience, and that’s something that [McDaniel] kind of missed the mark on in being a head coach.”

Still, Mostert said, McDaniel was a good coach in terms of his football savvy as well as his ability and willingness to listen to his players. But as a head coach, McDaniel did not do enough to keep the Dolphins’ players in check.

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

1. Las Vegas Raiders – Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

1. Las Vegas Raiders – Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

2. New York Jets – OLB/DE David Bailey, Texas Tech

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

3. Arizona Cardinals – OLB/DE Arvell Reese, Ohio State

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

4. Tennessee Titans – RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

5. New York Giants – LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

6. Cleveland Browns – OL Francis Mauigoa, Miami (Fla.)

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

7. Washington Commanders – S Caleb Downs, Ohio State

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

8. New Orleans Saints – WR Carnell Tate, Ohio State

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

9. Kansas City Chiefs – OT Spencer Fano, Utah

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

10. Cincinnati Bengals – DE Rueben Bain Jr., Miami (Fla.)

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

11. Miami Dolphins – CB Mansoor Delane, LSU

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

12. Dallas Cowboys – CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

13. Los Angeles Rams (from Atlanta Falcons) – WR Denzel Boston, Washington

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

14. Baltimore Ravens – DL Caleb Banks, Florida

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – TE Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

16. New York Jets (from Indianapolis Colts) – WR Makai Lemon, USC

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

17. Detroit Lions – OT Monroe Freeling, Georgia

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

18. Minnesota Vikings – S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

19. Carolina Panthers – DT Peter Woods, Clemson

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

20. Dallas Cowboys (from Green Bay Packers) – OLB/DE T.J. Parker, Clemson

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

21. Pittsburgh Steelers – WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

22. Los Angeles Chargers – G Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

23. Philadelphia Eagles – DE/OLB Akheem Mesidor, Miami (Fla.)

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

24. Cleveland Browns (from Jacksonville Jaguars) – WR Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

25. Chicago Bears – S Dillon Thieneman, Oregon

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

26. Buffalo Bills – WR Malachi Fields, Notre Dame

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

27. San Francisco 49ers – Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

28. Houston Texans – Blake Miller, OT, Clemson

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

29. Los Angeles Rams – QB Ty Simpson, Alabama

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

30. Denver Broncos – WR KC Concepcion, Texas A&M

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

31. New England Patriots – DE Keldric Faulk, Auburn

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

32. Seattle Seahawks – RB Jadarian Price, Notre Dame

Of all of the players in the NFL, Mostert is among those most equipped to provide commentary on McDaniel and his coaching style.

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The veteran running back played five full seasons under McDaniel in San Francisco before they both landed in Miami in 2022. The former Dolphins coach spent four seasons in the Bay Area (2017-2020) focused on the 49ers’ run game – one as the team’s run game specialist, then three as its run game coordinator – before becoming their offensive coordinator in 2021.

Mostert and McDaniel ended up sticking together in Miami from 2022 through 2024 when the latter took the Dolphins’ head coaching job and the former signed with the team in free agency.

In total, Mostert has spent eight of his 11 seasons in the pros working closely with McDaniel.

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In his interview with Cowherd, Mostert went on to contrast how McDaniel’s coaching style differed from other, more successful head coaches. Former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and current Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel had a harder line drawn in their relationship with players.

“It’s no-nonsense,” Mostert said. “We get in here, we’re getting the job done, and it’s my way or the highway.”

For Mostert, McDaniel was too “nonchalant,” “laid-back” and wanted to be a players’ coach, which set a poor standard for the players.

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“When you’re dealing with something like that, as a player, you’re like, ‘No, I need somebody tough that’s going to lay the hammer down when it needs to be down and tell other players to get in line,'” Mostert said.