The Miami Dolphins reportedly are among the teams that have spoken to defensive lineman Elijah McAllister ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft.
McAllister reportedly “turned heads” by running a 4.87 40-yard dash and 4.51 short shuttle at his Pro Day. In addition to the Dolphins, the Arizona Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals have spoken to the former Auburn University lineman.
Three time SEC captain, DL Elijah McAllister has spoken to the #Cardinals, #Saints, #Dolphins, #Panthers, #Steelers, #Vikings, #Cardinals, #Jets, #Bengals, source says.
At 6’6.5” and 271 pounds, @e_mcallister1 turned heads as he ran a 4.87 40 and 4.51 short shuttle at pro day pic.twitter.com/aV3HY2GFIf
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) March 25, 2024
After beginning his career at Vanderbilt University, playing three seasons for the Commodores, McAllister transferred to Auburn for the 2023 season. He made a major impact with the Tigers, recording 28 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks and two passes defended across 13 games.
Miami lost several key defenders this offseason, including interior defensive lineman Christian Wilkins. It’s possible the team could look to the 2024 NFL Draft – and a player like McAllister – to help fill the void left by Wilkins’ departure.
A first-round pick by the Dolphins in the 2019 NFL Draft, Wilkins spent the last five seasons with the team before signing with the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason. A constant in the Dolphins’ defensive lineup, Wilkins started 77 of the 81 games that he appeared in with the franchise. He also played in all 17 regular season games in each of the last three campaigns.
It’s going to be hard to replace Wilkins’ production, as he had 20.5 sacks, 355 tackles, four forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries in his first five NFL seasons.
McAllister, who has a lot of college experience, could be a player that the team believes could make an impact right away, especially after he posted impressive measurables at his Pro Day.
In his collegiate career, McAllister played in 48 games and recorded 93 total tackles, including 9.5 tackles for loss. He had his best season in terms of sacks as a freshman at Vanderbilt (2.5 sacks in the 2019 season), and he finished with 4.5 sacks for his career.
The Dolphins currently have six picks in the 2024 NFL Draft:
- Round 1, Pick 21
- Round 2, Pick 55
- Round 5, Pick 158
- Round 6, Pick 184 (from Chicago Bears)
- Round 6, Pick 198
- Round 7, Pick 241
It’ll be interesting to see if the team uses one of its selections on McAllister or if it hopes for him to go undrafted so it can sign him as an undrafted free agent following this April’s draft.
