The Miami Dolphins’ 2019 rookie class has seen strong contributions from the likes of early, mid and late round draft selections alike. Miami has constant fixtures in the starting lineup courtesy of DL Christian Wilkins (1st-round) and OG Michael Deiter (3rd-round) — plus FB Chandler Cox’s (7th-round) sporadic contributions throughout each game when the Dolphins have to go with more heavy personnel. That doesn’t even include the contributions of undrafted rookies like WR Preston Williams and CB Nik Needham.
And they’re about to get more reinforcements. The Dolphins placed 5th-round linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel on injured reserve at the beginning of the season but will be activating Van Ginkel to help further boost the offense and begin developing Van Ginkel’s promising athletic skill set.
Coming out of Wisconsin, Van Ginkel had a knack for making plays against the pass — getting his athletic ability and nose for the football on the field will provide some intriguing opportunities for the Dolphins. Add in the presence of another Wisconsin Badgers defender, Vince Biegel, with the success he has had this season as a pass rusher and the Dolphins have the opportunity to manufacture some really good pressure reps for a bit more explosive player in Van Ginkel.
Implementation will likely be gradual, the Dolphins would be wise to slowly ease the workload of Van Ginkel up throughout the final seven games of the 2019 season — but getting a look at one of their more notable draft investments of 2019 is going to be a bonus for a defense that has turned the corner and found their groove.
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