The Miami Dolphins have a plenty of issues to address on their roster, and perhaps none more pressing than fixing their suddenly vacant offensive line.  

With all three starting interior linemen set to be unrestricted free agents, Terron Armstead considering retirement, and swing tackle Kendall Lamm also a free agent, the Dolphins desperately need help up front.  Add in the team's cap woes, and bringing in a young, cheap, controllable option makes a lot of sense.  

As such, the draft is the perfect opportunity for the Dolphins to get better up front. 

The Dolphins should draft Christian Haynes with the 55th overall pick in 2024 NFL Draft

Yes, I changed my pick for Round 1 from Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson to Washington guard/tackle Troy Fautanu, and I'm making a change again here from Miami safety Kamren Kinchens to UConn center Christian Haynes.  

The 6'2" 317-pound Haynes proved his athleticism at the combine over the weekend and was mentioned among A to Z Sports' Travis May's "winners" for offensive lineman at the combine.  May noted: 

Christian Haynes always displayed elite play strength and control as an offensive guard at UConn, but his testing numbers were eye-opening. He nearly ran a 5-second forty at 317 pounds, then posted 80th percentile jumps as well. He was already a fringe second round pick, but he might go as early as Top 50 with this level of athleticism.

Haynes' athleticism matches, as May notes, excellent play strength, which bodes well for Mike McDaniel's offense that requires offensive linemen to get out in space in its outside zone blocking scheme.  As such, with two guard positions open before free agency, Haynes serves to fill one of them and provide another solution, along with Fautanu at either guard or tackle, to a major problem area on the roster. 

Why the change from Miami safety Kamren Kinchens?

Kinchens ended up with a poor showing at the combine.  His 40-yard dash time of 4.65 was tied for the worst among safeties, which bodes poorly for his ability to recover from mistakes in coverage.  His broad jump of 9'2" was also last among all safeties.

Kinchens is a good football player.  It's hard to be a first team All-American and not be, which Kinchens was in 2022.  However, a step back in 2023 performance wise coupled with a subpar showing in Indianapolis likely pushed his draft stock down, perhaps to the third round where the Dolphins have no picks.  

Final word

Yes, it might seem like a lot to spend two picks on one area, especially with other areas needing to be addressed on the roster.  The Dolphins could have serious questions on the edge with Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips working to recover from serious injuries and their 2024 return dates unknown and Andrew Van Ginkel hitting free agency.  The secondary strongly needs reinforcements.  The tight end room is in need of a major upgrade.  If the Dolphins don't tag or re-sign Christian Wilkins, the defensive front becomes a significant concern.

However, Haynes is likely a better player at his position than the comparable pass rushing options that will be available in the latter half of the second round.  And protecting Tua Tagovailoa and creating a foundation for the offense to function has to be at the top of the list of priorities for the Dolphins. 

Things could change depending on what the Dolphins end up doing in free agency to address different parts of their roster, including the offensive line.  However, looking at things after the Combine, Haynes would make a lot of sense as an athletic and physical lineman to help reshape Miami's front.

Previous selection: Kamren Kinchens

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