Miami Dolphins: Terrill Hanks an undrafted player to watch in 2019

The Miami Dolphins are in the early stages of a franchise overhaul. Players like 2019 undrafted free agent Terrill Hanks can make their mark right away.

Early on in the 2019 NFL Draft process, it was easy to see why some felt like Terrill Hanks had a chance to follow in the footsteps of another versatile and productive small-school linebacker (some guy named Darius Leonard).

Hanks had more than 100 tackles in each of the last three seasons for New Mexico State, and had 81 tackles as a freshman back in 2015.

He finished his career with a whopping 391 total tackles, 43.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, eight interceptions, and seven forced fumbles.

That kind of all-around production is what drew some initial Darius Leonard comparisons, but that’s right about where they ended as well.

Hanks ran a 4.98 in the 40-yard dash at the 2019 Scouting Combine while Leonard ran a 4.68 on a rep where he pulled a hamstring.

Physically and athletically, Leonard trumps Hanks by a long shot, but would a poor-man’s version of Leonard be such a bad thing?

The Miami Dolphins probably don’t think so.

Hanks was picked up by the Dolphins whose new head coach — Brian Flores — spent the last 15 years working for the Patriots in just about every way possible. He was a scout, special teams coach, offensive assistant, defensive assistant, and last year he was the team’s defensive coordinator.

He’s worked quite a bit with linebackers in recent years, and as a former linebacker himself he knows exactly what he’s looking for at that position.

Hanks has apparently impressed so far in Dolphins OTAs and he hopes to carry that momentum into training camp.

Hanks’ road to the active roster is not as tough as other undrafted players in the league. The New Mexico State product who grew up idolizing Zach Thomas, Jason Taylor, and Channing Crowder has a chance to crack the Dolphins’ top five or six at the position for the 2019 season if he can prove himself worthy on special teams right away.

Obviously his athleticism is going to limit Hanks in space. He doesn’t have the speed to stick with really any skill position, but if he can learn to consistently put himself in the right place at the right time, there could be a role for him as a three-down linebacker in the NFL.

What we know he does well is flow downhill and attack the line of scrimmage, even if his aggressiveness gets him into trouble from time to time.

He played special teams through his senior season at New Mexico State, so even though he was probably one of the best prospects on campus (and knew it, I’m sure) he didn’t big-time anybody.

This guy is team-oriented and he was too productive in college to just discredit at the NFL level.