With the 13th pick in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL draft, the Miami Dolphins selected Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel, which makes him the second Wisconsin player drafted by Miami this year, the first being third-round pick Michael Deiter.
Van Ginkel started 11 games as a senior and earned third-team All-Big Ten honors by collecting 46 tackles, seven for loss, 4.5 sacks, two pass breakups, and a blocked kick that year with the Badgers.
Before that, Van Ginkel started his collegiate career at the University of South Dakota, and as a redshirt freshman, he was named first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference and conference newcomer of the year in 2015, with 56 tackles, 18 for loss, nine sacks, two forced fumbles in 11 starts at defensive end.
He then transferred to Iowa Western Community College after his coach retired from USD, posting 50 tackles, 13 for loss, and 3.5 sacks in 2016.
Van Ginkel’s value is likely as a special teams player, but as a pure defensive player, Van Ginkel is a pass rushing type linebacker, with a motor that won’t quit.
“I feel like I can get after the (passer),” he said. “I’ve been working on it ever since I got to college. I’ve always tried to develop my game and I’ve really anchored down on the ground to be able to stop the run. I’ve really worked on that my whole career. I feel like it’s something I continue to work on and something that I can improve on.”
Miami needed an edge rusher, and Van Ginkel could potentially become decent with some really good coaching, but this is one of those picks where it’s necessary to trust that Dolphins GM Chris Grier knows what he’s doing, as he was evidently much more impressive at the combine than on film.
Van Ginkel fills a need position-wise, but NFL.com had him projected as a 7th rounder; this coaching staff will have to work hard to turn him into more than just a workout warrior.
