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The wait is over as Miami Dolphins training camp opens Tuesday when rookies report. Although it will be another week until veterans join them, first-year players will kick off the process in South Florida. When the team is whole, fully padded practice will soon follow, and that is when rookies will truly be able to make an impact. The Dolphins and their fan base certainly expect the top three picks to step right in as potential starters.
Their first three selections (pick No. 12 offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor, pick No. 27 cornerback Chris Johnson and pick No. 43 linebacker Jacob Rodriguez) are all smart bets to see immediate action and snaps with first-team units. In a class of 13 draftees, mixed with more imported players than returning veterans and a very young roster, more rookies could make their name heard very early this summer in camp.
TE Will Kacmarek
One of the areas Miami will be looking to improve is the toughness within the run game. Drafting a blocking tight end in the third-round and with pick No. 87, enter Ohio State’s Will Kacmarek. In a draft that saw several blockers at the position fly off the board relatively early, first-year general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan wasn’t missing out.
At 6-foot-5, 261 lbs. Kacmarek will be an extension of the offensive line as a 6th blocker, and he loves to do it. Sure-handed when targeted, Kacmarek he is not a liability in the receiving game, yet he will make is money in protection and run blocking support. With Miami utilizing plenty of 12 and 13-personnel sets in all likelihood, Kacmarek could see ample number of snaps early and often in camp and when the season begins.
When drafting him in April, Sullivan told media, "He's an unsung hero. You know, he's a grimy, dirty, bite your face off type of dude. He’s going to be a difference maker for us in the run game which allows your offense to do so many different things. It just opens up so many doors for the offensive coordinator, the way they call the game. And he's elite; I think he's elite as a blocker."
Veteran Greg Dulcich will be the main receiving threat in the tight end room, while Kacmarek could jump free agent addition Ben Sims on the depth chart.
WR Caleb Douglas
Texas Tech wideout Caleb Douglas is a contender to start as well, in a room with essentially an open competition for outside receiving targets. Douglas will battle with free agent signing Jalen Tolbert, yet the two could even be bookends as the boundary receivers to start the season. 2025 undrafted free agent Theo Wease could challenge both, as well as a pair of free agent flier signings who haven’t materialized on previous teams such as Terrace Marshall Jr. and Jalen Reagor.
Miami's new quarterback Malik Willis seems excited to have Douglas as a target, and told South Florida reporters back in May, "Caleb, I think just when he catches the ball, his change of direction and getting vertical like as soon as he catches it, that catch transition, I think that was great on tape. I think that he gets rolling. He covers ground. It looks like he’s chilling, he’s jogging, and then he's really covering ground on you.
At nearly 6-foot-4, Douglas he also has 4.39 speed and a solid blocking aspect to his game. He needs to work on some drop issues, but he could be an early favorite with Tolbert to see plenty of action outside of the hashmarks in camp, as well as early in the season. Eventually, another third-rounder from 2026’s draft, Chris Bell from Louisville, will enter the mix when fully healthy from his ACL rehab. Until then, look for Douglas and Tolbert to man outside.
LB Kyle Louis
If rookie head coach Jeff Hafley had a rookie “coach’s pet” it could very well be Kyle Louis out of Pittsburgh. The potential Swiss-Army knife hybrid could factor in as a big nickel and even work his way into being a “star” type safety in Hafley’s defensive scheme.
His leadership, versatility and athleticism are tailor-made for Hafley, who specializes in coaching defensive backs. Louis is a fourth rounder who could pay immediate dividends for Sullivan, Hafley, and the Dolphins defense. Hafley even tipped his hand a bit in April following the selection of Louis, telling Miami media, "We added Chris (Johnson), and then really even getting Kyle (Louis), who's got the versatility – I know he's listed as a linebacker, but I think you're going to see him move around and do some things back there as well.”
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: 3 Dolphins rookies taken after Round 2 could make early camp impact
