Miami Dolphins trade up, select Jonah Savaiinaea in 2nd round of 2025 NFL Draft

The Miami Dolphins have selected former Arizona OL Jonah Savaiinaea in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. After three standout seasons playing for the Wildcats, Savaiinaea will now realize his dream of playing in the NFL.

The Dolphins traded up for the No. 37 overall pick in the draft. They sent the No. 48, No. 98 and No. 135 picks to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for No. 37 and No. 143.

During three seasons playing for Arizona, he was a two-time Pac-12 honorable mention, and earned the same honor in the Big 12 in 2024 after the Wildcats jumped conferences last offseason. Savaiinaea proved his versatility along the right side of the offensive line at Arizona. In the 36 games he suited up for, he started in all of them. The first 15 were at right guard, the next 21 at the tackle position. However, five of those came at left tackle while most came on the right side so he does have experience blocking the blind side.

Savaiinaea played his entire true freshman season at right guard, and even three games into his sophomore season before stepping outside to play the tackle position for the rest of his college career. The 6 foot 4, 324-pounder, who served as an Arizona team captain in 2024, is expected to play guard in the NFL.

Before college, Savaiinaea was a three-star recruit in the 2022 recruiting class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, which is a a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. He was the No. 650 overall player in his class, as well as the No. 50 interior offensive lineman. Savaiinaea was the third-ranked player out of Hawaii.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Jonah Savaiinaea

Now that Jonah Savaiinaea has been drafted, fans may be wondering what to expect from their new offensive lineman. NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein provided his analysis of the versatile big man. Zierlein gave Savaiinaea a second or third round draft grade.

Zierlein: “Durable three-year starter who is built like a right guard but has valuable protection experience as a collegiate tackle. Savaiinaea doesn’t have the athleticism to stick at right tackle in the NFL, but can play there in a pinch with some help. He’s very wide and can engulf smaller opponents as a base blocker while sealing off double teams and down blocks.

“His feet often deaden on contact, creating opportunities for defenders to leak through his edges in both the run and pass games. Savaiinaea’s size works to his advantage and he could become a serviceable starting guard in time.”

The post Miami Dolphins trade up, select Jonah Savaiinaea in 2nd round of 2025 NFL Draft appeared first on On3.