Top News: Christian Wilkins Continues To Improve, Make Progress

[DKphin]

Defensive tackle Christian Wilkins continues to make progress in his first NFL training camp, but Head Coach Brian Flores had a message for the 2019 first-round pick after practice Wednesday.

“He’s doing a good job,” Flores began after being asked about the kind of camp Wilkins has been having. “This is a kid who’s high-energy, he’s got a lot of ability. He plays extremely hard.”

Then came the message.

“He’s got to play with better pad level, that’s for sure,” Flores said. “I hope he reads this. Somebody make sure that he reads that: He’s got to play with better pad level. But this is a talented young man. Again, for him, every play, every series is a good experience for him. The early-down stuff is good. The pass rush, his technique has got to get a little bit better."

https://www.miamidolphins.com/news/top-news-christian-wilkins-continues-to-improve-make-progress

 

[circumstances]

Defensive tackle Christian Wilkins continues to make progress in his first NFL training camp, but Head Coach Brian Flores had a message for the 2019 first-round pick after practice Wednesday.

“He’s doing a good job,” Flores began after being asked about the kind of camp Wilkins has been having. “This is a kid who’s high-energy, he’s got a lot of ability. He plays extremely hard.”

Then came the message.

“He’s got to play with better pad level, that’s for sure,” Flores said. “I hope he reads this. Somebody make sure that he reads that: He’s got to play with better pad level. But this is a talented young man. Again, for him, every play, every series is a good experience for him. The early-down stuff is good. The pass rush, his technique has got to get a little bit better."

https://www.miamidolphins.com/news/top-news-christian-wilkins-continues-to-improve-make-progress

Maybe tell him yourself, Coach.

Or better yet, coach him.

What a novel concept.

 

[Kdawg954]

Gonna be a heck of a player for us. Checks all the boxes. Not as freakish as others but he'll be a fan favorite and a leader of this team in no time.

 

[GCD960]

Maybe tell him yourself, Coach.

Or better yet, coach him.

What a novel concept.

What would be awesome is if he’s actually great at the pad level. That would be pretty funny

 

[Jerrysanders]

Gonna be a heck of a player for us. Checks all the boxes. Not as freakish as others but he'll be a fan favorite and a leader of this team in no time.

Was never a fan of the pick because he looked soft at the point of attack, lacked length and his body type. Hopefully that flexibility and quickness will show itself in the NFL.

 

[mmikel30]

Was a safe pick a good guy In the locker room good not great player a good leader but will never be an elite player.

 

[TraderJoe]

Flores sending messages through the press is concerning. I hope that it was taken out of context and maybe he said it in a more joking manner.

Didn’t like the pick much either, he doesn’t really have a position in the 3/4 Defense and just made no sense when we have no Right Tackle on the roster.

If they intended on trading a 2nd for Rosen then I would have thought trading back in the first, picking up more draft capital and picking a Right Tackle like Kaleb McGary would have been the smarter move.

 

[BSQ]

If we didn't pick Wilkins we'd be awfully thin at DT. BTW, I know it wasn't against the 1's but Prince looks like he's got some quickness. What if he steps it up and beats out Mills.

 

[TeeMoney]

Flores sending messages through the press is concerning. I hope that it was taken out of context and maybe he said it in a more joking manner.

I saw the video, he had a smile on his face as he reiterated "pad level" so it seems to me that it's something Wilkins is being coached at in camp and Coach is ribbing the guy by doing it in the press conference also. It's silly to think that he doesn't tell him this, or coach him in this in practice but decides to do it in a press availability.

 

[TraderJoe]

I saw the video, he had a smile on his face as he reiterated "pad level" so it seems to me that it's something Wilkins is being coached at in camp and Coach is ribbing the guy by doing it in the press conference also. It's silly to think that he doesn't tell him this, or coach him in this in practice but decides to do it in a press availability.

I figured that had to be the case, Flores doesn’t strike me as the type to to have the media do his dirty work.

 

[Pachyderm_Wave]

Coach is right - I talked about how in my opinion his weakness is to stand straight up and expose his chest plate to the offensive lineman's hands in the defensive line thread a few weeks ago. It's the defensive line coach's job to coach him on proper technique.

If I have to get out there and coach the techniques then I don't need position coaches.

 

[dougb123]

In hindsight I wish we took an offensive lineman, the way the offensive line looks.

As far as Wilkins being elite or just a safe pick it seems it's way to early to tell, 2 or 3 years down the road we can assess what he is.