Dolphins give big money to nose tackle, bring in prospects with local ties among undrafted free agents

MIAMI GARDENS — Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier was not joking when he said he was immediately bolting upon conclusion of his draft wrap-up news conference to get to work on undrafted free agent additions Saturday night.

After the Dolphins’ four-pick draft haul between Friday and Saturday, the work immediately began within minutes of Mr. Irrelevant being announced as the final pick of the 2023 draft with at least 15 agreements reached.

Miami’s undrafted additions, according to league sources and social media announcements: Arkansas State quarterback James Blackman, Jackson State linebacker Aubrey Miller, San Diego State offensive lineman Alama Uluave, USC defensive lineman Brandon Pili, Michigan State offensive tackle Jarrett Horst, Oregon safety Bennett Williams, Campbell tight end Julian Hill, Illinois State linebacker Zeke Vandenburgh, Western Kentucky wide receiver Daewood Davis, BYU running back Chris Brooks, Mississippi State defensive lineman Randy Charlton, UCF defensive tackle Anthony Montalvo, Stanford cornerback Ethan Bonner and Nebraska linebacker Garrett Nelson. The Dolphins are also reportedly signing Miami Hurricanes edge rusher Mitchell Agude, according to ESPN.

“There’s still work to be done,” Grier said after the Dolphins completed their draft. “We’ll be trying to add the best players we can, and hopefully, we’ll find a couple undrafted gems or hidden gems for us to help the roster.”

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In Pili, the Dolphins could find a backup nose tackle for Raekwon Davis, the 2020 second-round pick who enters the final year of his rookie contract in 2023. Miami is giving $100,000 guaranteed, according to agent David Canter, to the massive defensive lineman who was listed at 6 foot 3, 345 pounds by USC.

Pili recorded 49 tackles, including 7 1/2 for losses and 2 1/2 sacks, three pass deflections, a forced fumble and a blocked field goal in 38 games, five starts, in his Trojans career. He bounced back from a torn Achilles that cut his 2021 season short to be a key member of the Trojans defense in 2022.

The Dolphins have just four defensive linemen on the roster with defensive tackles Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler, who are also on the last years of their deals, and defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah joining Davis. Miami let veteran nose tackle John Jenkins walk in free agency this offseason.

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Also receiving significant guaranteed money of $80,000, according to national NFL reporter Aaron Wilson, is Bonner, who ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at his pro day. Miami invested in the undrafted cornerback after using its top 2023 draft pick on another, South Carolina’s Cam Smith in the second round.

Agude, in his lone season at UM after transferring from UCLA (the same trajectory Dolphins’ 2021 first-round draft pick Jaelan Phillips experienced), had 39 tackles, seven for loss, and four sacks in 2022. Although not a combine invite, Agude trained locally in South Florida ahead of UM pro day.

Blackman is a former Glades Central High standout and Florida State Seminole who stands at 6 foot 6. In 2022, his sixth college season, he completed 64.3 percent of passes for 2,471 yards, 14 touchdowns and three interceptions. He played his final two seasons at Arkansas State after spending four years at FSU.

Davis is also a local product from Broward County, who spent time at Deerfield Beach, Stranahan and Somerset Academy among his local high schools. Starting his college career at Oregon, the speedster combined for 1,635 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns over two seasons at WKU.

In the draft, the Dolphins started by selecting Smith and Texas A&M running back Devon Achane on Friday night, in Rounds 2 and 3, respectively. Saturday, Miami added Stanford wide receiver-turned-tight end Elijah Higgins and Michigan offensive lineman Ryan Hayes.

This story will be updated.