Miami Intensifies Safety, OL with Jevon Holland, Liam Eichenberg -

With the second round of the NFL Draft now over, the Miami Dolphins further attacked more key needs of its team. They held two picks in the second round and cashed in on both, adding a starting safety and new offensive lineman.

Miami selected University of Oregon safety Jevon Holland with pick No. 36 and traded up from its original No. 50 overall selection to No. 42 to select offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg from the University of Notre Dame.

Both of these guys are looking to be starters sometime this year, so let’s take a deeper look at the Dolphins picks.

Jevon Holland, Safety:

When looking at Holland we can see a few things from his tape. He has a slender frame, is 6 feet, 1 inch and 201 pounds.

As a true freshman, Holland amassed interceptions, picking off five total, for 10th best in the Football Bowl Subdivision. He also only went up from there.

He went from a 2017 SF Chronicle East Bay Player-of-the-Year to a All-Pac-12 Honorable mention. Holland managed to have a good campaign, snagging four more interceptions, and even returned one for a touchdown where he was breaking up tackles left and right.

Former University of Oregon safety Jevon Holland was selected No. 36 overall by the Miami Dolphins.
Graphic Credit: Dolphins Wire – USA Today

NFL.com Grade Pits Him in Dolphins Starting Rotation

He could be an instant day-one starter, or at the very least, a very good backup to Miami’s safety room that currently features Eric Rowe, Bobby McCain and Brandon Jones.

NFL.com grades him with a 6.25, meaning Holland is in between a good backup and starter and will elevate to a full-time starter in two years. This is very promising news for a team that needs to shore up its backend that it got burned outside of Rowe in a lot last season.

Holland mostly resembles Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer that has proven to be a strong safety at the NFL level.

Holland Must Work on TE Approach, Faces Tough AFCE Tests

However, Holland will need to improve his stamina and his approach when guarding tight ends. He most notably struggled against University of Washington TE Cade Otton in 2019. Holland will have his work cut out for him in the AFC East, especially guarding new New England Patriot TEs Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith, along with New York Jets TE Chris Herndon.

EP 136: Week 3 Studs and Duds
by Full Press Coverage on September 26, 2023 at 7:01 pm

MORE PODCASTS From FPC

Liam Eichenberg, Tackle

Miami addressing the offensive line again here is a bit of a head-scratcher, but there are some positives. The Dolphins originally had the No. 50 pick but decided they needed to sure up the OL and trade with the New York Giants to move up eight picks to No. 42. The Dolphins also sent away a 2022 third-round pick in the move.

Eichenberg started all 26 as a Notre Dame senior but was a star from the get-go who can play both the left and right side. He earned scholarships from a number of schools but decided on the Fighting Irish. For Notre Dame, Eichenberg racked up awards from second-team AP All-American to first-team ALL-ACC. He won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy for being top OL – which is no easy task considering where he played.

Former University of Notre Dame offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg was drafted No. 42 overall by the Miami Dolphins. Graphic Credit: Dolphins Wire – USA Today

Eichenberg Resembles Cardinals’ Justin Pugh

When making an NFL comparison, he mostly plays like Arizona Cardinals guard Justin Pugh. But while at Notre Dame, he was already getting NFL-quality tid bits while sitting behind All-Pro Baltimore Ravens tackle Ronnie Stanley and now-Indianapolis Colts guard Quenton Nelson.

Like Holland, Eichenberg received a grade of 6.27. So, he could be a rotational starter and even be a true starter very soon. With his versatility of being at left and right tackle, the Dolphins deploying him on the right and second-year Austin Jackson on the left would make the most sense for Miami’s current needs on the line. This gives the OL a boost and will help protect quarterback Tua Tagovailoa from injuries.

Both Holland and Eichenberg will have the opportunity to fight for a starting job in week one.

– Alessandro Senatore is a Sports Contributor for Full Press Coverage Miami Dolphins who specializes in the NFL Draft and fantasy sports. Like and follow on Follow @AM_Senatore Follow @FPC_Dolphins and Facebook.