The Miami Dolphins are certainly a different organization than they were this time last year. Chris Grier is now in Detroit, Mike McDaniel is now in Los Angeles, and the Dolphins’ passing game battery of Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle is now spread out across the country.

With Tagovailoa’s release and the dead cap straight jacket that came with it, it was hard for the Dolphins to be aggressive in free agency regardless. But that was not the plan of general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley anyways.

This offseason was about resetting for the future and avoiding the bad free agency decisions that got the Dolphins caught in the web of mediocrity in the first place. And reset the Dolphins did, particularly in the draft, where the team made 13 selections.

Now, with the rookies reporting on Tuesday for training camp, the Dolphins come into the season with a lot of youth to be called upon. But ESPN writer Aaron Schatz sees the possibility for a strong foundation there for Miami.

Schatz put out his ranking of all 32 NFL teams based on under-25 talent, and he has Miami at 12, which is a jump of 19 spots from last season. Schatz notes that his evaluation and ranking is determined by a large number of factors, including but not limited to number of starts and snaps by players under 25, the “quality of play” by said under 25 players, value and length of contracts, and expected key starters and reserves under 25.

Dolphins move up from 31 to 12 in ESPN’s list of under-25 talent

“As you would expect from a team that is rebuilding, the Dolphins have a ton of young talent but few top players,” Schatz wrote. “After all, they had 13 draft picks this year but only three came in the top two rounds. Kadyn Proctor, who will start at left guard before moving to tackle, is 21. Cornerback Chris Johnson is also 21, while linebacker Jacob Rodriguez is 23.”

In addition to the new faces the Dolphins added this offseason, Schatz also pointed out key parts of the Dolphins’ foundation already in place who have not yet reached the age of 25.

“Also along the offensive line, left tackle Patrick Paul is 24. Savaiinaea, who will play right guard, is 22. Running back De’Von Achane has impressed to start his NFL career and doesn’t turn 25 until October. Rookie wide receivers Caleb Douglas and Chris Bell are each 22. The defensive line features 22-year-olds Kenneth Grant and Jordan Phillips.”

It’s certainly an exhaustive methodology that Schatz put into his rankings, but really, for Miami, the success for its young core comes down to a number of players in key spots, and those happen to be along the offensive line and in the secondary. Naturally, that’s the case when you invest premium draft picks at those spots.

Three of Miami’s offensive linemen have one year of experience or less in Paul, Savaiinaea, and Proctor. The hope is that Savaiinaea’s move to the right side will help unlock his potential after a tough 2025 season, and putting Proctor and Paul by each other will give the Dolphins a physical edge on that side. If this combination works as the team hopes, it could help give Miami a solid base to build a tough offensive line that, frankly, has eluded the franchise for far too many years.

Miami will also be relying on a number of young players in their secondary, where 2026 first-round pick Chris Johnson is expected to man one of the starting jobs. Jason Marshall, Jr. is a candidate on the other side, and though he’s aged out, Storm Duck should be the leader in the clubhouse at nickel.

There’s plenty of youth and promise on Miami’s roster. Now, it’s up to Hafley and his staff to mold that promise into production in the coming years.