Dolphins
The Dolphins had a slow start to free agency, but HC Mike McDaniel notes that the team wants to find a good balance of players who are ready to play via the draft and have the potential to grow in the future.
“I think you value upside because you want growth, but it’s a happy balance of — we don’t have a farm system,” McDaniel said, via Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN. “Generally, when you are drafting someone, you don’t have the luxury of redshirting them in the National Football League … I’m looking at the college game and extrapolating it to the professional game. So, taking what’s happening in college football with the players on any given play and extrapolating that to what that would look like on the NFL level. If there’s a ceiling for, ‘Oh that’s good enough, and…’ that’s extremely attractive and that’s probably what you want the most, is you want the NFL ability with room to grow into greatness.”
Jets
Jets S Andre Cisco is returning to his home state of New York after a stint with the Jaguars to begin his career. He was born in Queens, New York, and went to Syracuse for college, which played a big factor in his decision.
“I went to Hofstra camp growing up, so I saw the Jets at their camp when they used to be on Long Island,” Cisco told NewYorkJets.com. “A few years later, I went to some preseason games, and I was the kid yelling at guys on the sideline, ‘I’m here! Hello!” Fast-forward to when we were season ticket-holders for a few years. And I was a true Jets fan, especially around the time of the back-to-back AFC Championship Games.”
“It’s hard to say anything other than New York because it’s such a big reason,” Cisco said of his signing. “Coach AG has a great background, a great track record. I’ve known a few guys who played for him and have nothing but rave reviews. He has a great history of getting guys the ball and doing it right, so being part of that product was huge for me. I’m very aggressive to the ball, looking to get the ball and bring it back to the offense most of the time. And just being a field general, commanding the field, being loud, and being in communication. And past that, just letting guys play around me and bringing the best out of everybody is my job.”
Patriots
Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf told season ticket holders that the team plans to take the best player available in the draft, noting that they may have focused too much on drafting players at positions of need last year.
“No, we don’t (feel compelled to draft for need). The best player available is going to be the way it is,” Wolf said, via Karen Guregian of MassLive. “Maybe we went for need a little bit too much last year. Obviously, that culminated in us drafting Drake Maye, so it wasn’t all bad. But, just moving forward, it’s taking the best player, and understanding that we’ve filled a lot of needs already in free agency.”
Wolf also mentioned the visit of WR Stefon Diggs and said the team wanted to get a closer look at him after his season-ending injury in 2024.
“We feel really excited about some of the names that we’ve added. We still know there’s a lot of work to be done,” Wolf continued. “(We’ve had) a lot of defensive adds, a few offensive adds, we’re always looking. We’re still looking. The Diggs visit is part of that. We’re just really excited to be able to go into the draft, not forced to pick something.”
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