The Miami Dolphins drafted 13 rookies from this past April’s NFL Draft. Hitting nearly every area of need, general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan had a clear vision of adding certain types of players both offensively and defensively. While many judge performance on the almighty stat, one rookie could become an extremely valuable player immediately for Miami and showed why on Friday night against the Washington Commanders.
Third-round pick (No. 87 overall) tight end Will Kacmarek, from Ohio State, was met with certain shock by many within the Dolphins community. However, when looking at the trend of NFL teams selecting blocking tight ends lately, Kacmarek is arguably one of the best in the 2026 class.
That blocking ability was on display Friday, as Kacmarek did his job very effectively against the Commanders. In a great breakdown on social media, Kacmarek showed why he was selected as a top-90 player.
A Sample of WILL KACMAREK's work on the night.
— 3YPC (@3YardsPerCarry) August 15, 2026
(THREAD) 8 clips.
#1 pic.twitter.com/pf16a3ey9K
As Sullivan indicated when becoming Miami’s general manager, his goal was to add a tough and physical identity to the Dolphins. He told South Florida reporters his job is to give head coach Jeff Hafley, “the kind of guys that want to chase championships, that are selfless, that are mentally and physically tough, who have a burning desire to be the best football players that they can be."
Sullivan hit the nail on the head here, and after he drafted Kacmarek, he told the media, “His teammates are going to follow him, and he brings a physicality and a toughness to his craft that I think is unmatched.”
In further describing Kacmarek, Sullivan said, “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.”
Added Sullivan, “When you watch the league and see tight ends block, I think this guy, Day 1, is on the upper echelon of that and will only get better. That doesn't make the stat sheet; that typically doesn't make the highlights on ESPN, but that's OK. He’s another culture guy who does everything the right way. He handles his business in the building."
To add to his skill set, Kacmarek has very good hands and could be utilized as a pass-catcher, as Sullivan stated, “He is a subtly good wide receiver. Now I'm not going to tell you that he's going to be running away from people and doing all those things, but he's very capable underneath mid zone. He can stretch the seam. He runs good enough to get down the seam.”
Sullivan continued the scouting report, saying, “He's a big body. He's got nice hands. So he’s not a guy that can't help you in the passing game; I just think his superpower is the in-line blocking.”
An interesting player comparison to Kacmarek is A.J. Barner of the Seattle Seahawks, who was drafted in 2024 in the fourth round, 121st overall out of Michigan. Barner is known for his blocking, and in that area in 2025 was graded 74.4 according to Pro Football Focus, which was 11th out of 37 qualifying tight ends. Yet when his number was called across his first two seasons, caught 77.4% of his 106 targets and 10 touchdowns.
As a pass-protector, Barner didn’t allow quarterback pressure last season. His in-line blocking as an extension of the offensive line in the run game is a strong suit. Barner and Kacmarek are similarly sized, both 6-foot-6, while Kacmarek is 10-plus pounds heavier.
Now the coincidence here is that the man who selected Barner is John Schneider, who, like Sullivan, comes from the Green Bay Packers executive tree. Sullivan and Schneider were in Green Bay during the 2004-09 seasons. Schneider became the Packers’ director of football operations during the 2008 and 2009 seasons before taking the Seahawks general manager job in 2010.
Sullivan was under Schneider and surely learned from him as a football operations assistant from 2004-07, before becoming a scout from 2008-15, and eventually promoted to vice president of player personnel from 2022 through 2025. Of course, Schneider was the architect who built the 2025 Seahawks into Super Bowl Champions.
Keep an eye on the similarities in the usage of Kacmarek to Barner’s progression, as he could be headed for a similar start to his career, which should be exactly what Sullivan and Dolphins’ fans could hope for.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Overlooked Dolphins rookie shined vs. Commanders