The Dolphins have a GM and a head coach in ‘lockstep’ as draft nears

When watching movie of offensive gamers in the next NFL Draft, Miami Dolphins basic supervisor Jon-Eric Sullivan, understandably, asks his defensive-minded head coach, Jeff Hafley, for ideas.

“I’ll ask him or sometimes he just offers it up like, ‘Hey, this guy wouldn’t scare me,” Sullivan mentioned earlier than the NFL Draft. “If I’m game-planning against guy, I’m not worried about taking him out. And that’s valuable for me to hear.”

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Sullivan and Hafley, who come to Miami from Green Bay, arrive on the identical timeline. This, and the truth that they work properly collectively, must be a bonus for the Dolphins.

While they are not better of mates, continuously hanging out collectively at Joe’s Stone Crab and Top Golf (as some would possibly guess), they actually appear like-minded in method.

“The relationship hasn’t changed,” Sullivan mentioned. “I mean, we’re tight as ever, thick as thieves. We’re in lockstep.”

Sullivan and Hafley might have dreamed of this second on one snowy day in Wisconsin final season. It’s Sullivan’s first draft as an NFL GM and Hafley’s first as a head coach.

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And they’re doing this collectively.

“I’ve woken up in the middle of the night, literally, with my hand, like dreaming that I’m taking a tag off the board,” Sullivan mentioned.

Miami Dolphins future using on Jon-Eric Sullivan’s picks

And but Sullivan is aware of not each participant he picks goes to be the favourite of Hafley or maybe a coordinator or place coach.

“The coaches are incredibly important to what we do,” Sullivan mentioned. “Make no mistake about it, and they put a ton of work into it. I think anytime they have a vision for a player, it gives me clarity, sometimes more so than others. I appreciate their feedback. I appreciate their vision. And it’s important to me, but by the same token, I have a responsibility to do what I feel is best for the Miami Dolphins.

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“And I’m not going to ever exit of my approach to shove a participant down the throat of a coach that he would not need. But there might be occasions when possibly we see issues otherwise. Ultimately, the ultimate choice comes right down to me, and I’m going to do what’s greatest for this place.”

There’s some nice clarity with Sullivan clearly taking ultimate responsibility for any and every draft pick the Dolphins make. Those picks haven’t been good even over the last 26 years, resulting in no playoff wins.

Sullivan wants to focus on hitting a series of run-scoring “doubles” in the NFL Draft, not always aiming for the “residence run.”

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Sullivan wants to avoid red flags if he can, hit on positions of need if he can (there are many) and to add as many of the guy who he views as “wired proper” as possible.

Sullivan and Hafley seem on the exact same change about adding players with the mental and physical mindset, aggressiveness and commitment that will be needed to turn around a struggling franchise.

“There’s nice collaboration,” Hafley, the coach, said. “You take the perfect gamers. the perfect gamers, the hardest gamers, the blokes with the best character. I believe these are all of the issues that are not going to alter. We need guys that love soccer. We need guys that play soccer the appropriate method. And we need to draft actually good gamers, too.”

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Joe Schad is a journalist protecting the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can attain him at jschad@pbpost.com and observe him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe’s free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help help our work by subscribing today.

This article initially appeared on Palm Beach Post: What do Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley want in Dolphins draft picks?