Miami Dolphins rookie extremely grateful to be with team: ‘It can’t get any better than this’

As undrafted free agent rookie Mitchell Agude tries to beat the odds and make the Miami Dolphins’ final roster, he’s taking a highly positive and enthusiastic approach to the task.

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald looked at how Agude is expressing confidence about his abilities, including how he’s looking at his job as an edge rusher and outside linebacker from a mental perspective.

“My physicality is one thing coaches like about me, being aggressive coming off the ball,” Agude said. “Being able to make someone not want to play: That’s my main goal when I’m on the field. I want to put fear in someone’s head. When the ball is snapped, he knows he has to go against Mitchell Agude.”

Besides bringing confidence, Agude is making sure to remain aware of just how fortunate he is to be with the Dolphins.

“I can’t put it to words how grateful I am to be in this situation,” Agude said. “I’m a Miami Dolphin. It can’t get any better than this.”

Agude played last season with the University of Miami after two seasons at the University of California, Los Angeles.

After signing with the Dolphins following last month’s draft, Agude took part in the team’s rookie minicamp. He was joined in that competition by former Hurricanes teammate D.J. Scaife, who ended up being released.

The 24-year-old is trying to avoid a similar fate, with his positive approach to the situation no doubt based on an event that took place more than a decade ago.

At the age of nine, Agude struck the back of head on a concrete ramp while skateboarding. The injury left him in a coma for three days, though he seemingly suffered no lingering effects from the incident.

From that point, Agude developed into a player who was recruited by UCLA and put up a pair of solid seasons for the Bruins. He collected 14.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage while recording 4.5 sacks. He also forced six fumbles.

The California native then made the decision to play for the Hurricanes last season. He finished with seven tackles for loss and four sacks, though his total tackles dipped to 39 on the season.

As Agude makes his bid for a roster spot, he’s hoping to follow in the footsteps of another University of Miami product on the Dolphins roster, Jaelan Phillips.

The two players joined the Dolphins in drastically different ways. In contrast to Agude’s undrafted status, Phillips was selected by the Dolphins with the 18th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Agude is also hoping to use lessons learned from Dolphins Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, who served as an analyst for the Hurricanes last season. Having that unique access certainly can’t hurt Agude’s chances of success.

For now, Agude will continue to prepare for the start of training camp and keep counting his blessings.