| Miami Dolphins | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Offensive tackle |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | February 28, 2000 (age 23) Traverse City, Michigan, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Weight: | 305 lb (138 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Traverse City West |
| College: | Michigan (2018–2022) |
| NFL Draft: | 2023 / Round: 7 / Pick: 238 |
| Career history | |
| Miami Dolphins (2023–present) | |
| Roster status: | Unsigned draft pick |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| 2× Second-team All-Big Ten (2021, 2022) | |
| Career NFL statistics | |
| Player stats at NFL.com | |
Player Bio
Hayes is the son of two former Central Michigan athletes — his father, Mike, played football and his mother, Sue, is in the school’s Hall of Fame as a basketball player. Hayes excelled as a two-time all-state football player, conference basketball player of the year and baseball pitcher of the year during his time at Traverse City West High School. He matriculated to Michigan, starting two of 12 games played at left tackle as a redshirt freshman in 2019. Hayes started two games at left tackle in 2020 before starting all 14 games at that spot in 2021, garnering second-team All-Big Ten Conference accolades and helping the Wolverines’ offensive line win the Joe Moore Award as the country’s top unit. The line won that award again in 2022, as Hayes repeated his second-team all-conference performance starting 12 games at left tackle. — by Chad Reuter
Overview
Two-year starter at left tackle for a unit that won consecutive Joe Moore Awards (best offensive line in college football). He’s tall and plays with good technique and strong hands, but Hayes is missing functional length as a tackle. He tough at the point of attack and gets into space with athletic movements but he plays with a slightly elevated pad level that could slow a transition inside to guard. He’s solid in pass protection, but he plays with an average anchor and might not have the range to keep speed rushers from tormenting the pocket. He could become an average player at tackle or guard in the pros.
Strengths
- Plays with above average technique.
- Athletic when pulling into space and hitting moving targets.
- Strains through the echo of the whistle.
- Torques hips and kicks out his edge blocks.
- Stiff punch and clinch can gather and collect the rush.
- Resets hands to find opponent’s frame in pass pro.
- Adequate redirection slide to mirror the inside move.
Weaknesses
- Might lack desired length to stay at tackle.
- Mechanical getting off the snap and into his blocks.
- Pad level rides high into contact at point of attack.
- Bounced back into the pocket by bull rushers.
- Recovery movement is heavy-legged and slow.
- Lacks ideal athleticism and length to protect his edge against speed.
My Take:
Just like they say you cannot have enough CB’s it also holds true with O-linemen and with Miami having O-line issues from injuries to poor play it is wise to add more to the mix. I do not share the concerns that many have about Miami’s O-line because I figure if the team and their coaches do not seem to be panicking then that must have greater faith than us amateur back seat drivers.
The Dolphin Seer 