AFC Notes: Dolphins, Jets, Patriots

Dolphins

The Dolphins had a big need at tight end and this past draft class was supposedly one of the deepest in years at that particular position. But rather than use a second or third-round pick there, Miami elected to take former Stanford WR Elijah Higgins in the sixth round with the intention of converting him to tight end. Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy, who invited Higgins to the annual event earlier this year, said that’s nowhere near as unconventional as it sounds. 

“He’s almost like Mike Gesicki to me,” Nagy said via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “He can be a potential mismatch player. He was one of the top height, weight, speed skill players in this year’s draft. To get him in the sixth round was one of the best values in the draft.”

“Aside from his physical tools, he’s a high-character guy,” Nagy added. “To hit on guys who have development to go, the makeup has to match up. Elijah is a typical Stanford guy — a really hard worker and smart.”

• Jackson notes there were coaches who liked veteran TE Foster Moreau but he was too expensive for Miami, even after the cancer diagnosis. He just signed a three-year, $12 million deal with the Saints. 

Jets

Jets CB Sauce Gardner was especially excited for the addition of QB Aaron Rodgers, not just for the lift he’ll provide for the whole team in the win column, but the impact Rodgers could have on Gardner specifically to improve his game. 

“He was telling me he’s going to be able to help me out, tell me how teams are going to attack me, tell me the things I can work on as a cornerback,” Gardner said via ESPN’s Rich Cimini. “He was telling me he’s got the secret gems that he can just give me. That’s not what I was thinking, though, when I said he was going to make me better. Just hearing that from him made me respect him even more. Yeah, man, he’s a great guy. I wasn’t expecting that, but I’m looking forward to being able to just sit down and watch film and tell him what we’re trying to do and he can tell us what they’re trying to do on offense.”

Patriots

• Patriots RB James Robinson said last season was “not ideal” for him after being traded from the Jaguars to the Jets and is hopeful to prove he can rush for 1,000 yards again, per Zack Cox. 
• Robinson called himself a natural pass-catcher and thinks he’s proven to be productive as a receiver after recording 49 receptions in 2020 and 31 in 2021. (Cox)