New Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel quickly ascended to his first NFL head coaching job. And Peter King wrote in Football Morning in America that McDaniel owes some of that success to the leap made by Deebo Samuel.

“The story of the new Miami Dolphins coach is actually a story about Deebo Samuel,” King wrote. “How McDaniel, the 5-9, 165-pound former Yale wide receiver, climbed the ladder from unpaid coaching staff intern/gopher in Denver in 2005 to the exclusive 32-coach fraternity is instructive. In fact, it says everything about McDaniel, who looks far more like a Geico account executive than one of 32 NFL leaders of men.”

McDaniel took the story from there.

“So,” McDaniel began, “Deebo. we [the 49ers coaching staff] had him on our team at the Senior Bowl the January before we got to the Super Bowl. We had a saying: From Mobile to Miami, because the Super Bowl was in Miami that year, with our players. And we actually did it. He started calling me his favorite coach then. I don’t really know why. We were always close and whatever.

“This past season, I had a talk with him in the offseason. I was meeting with Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo at 6 am every day during training camp because we needed them to step up. I asked Deebo, ‘Are you the best player on the offense?’ He was like, ‘Yeah.’ I said, ‘The time is now. Do you really want to be great? Greatness is hard. That’s why it’s great. It’s not easy. It’s a burden, really.'”

Samuel fared well with that burden, putting up a career year and turning into one of the NFL’s most dangerous all-purpose threats. He caught 77 passes for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns, all of which would have been enough for a terrific season, except that he also added 59 carries for 365 yards (6.2 yards per rush) and eight scores on the ground.

McDaniel said on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz that he hopes to tap into similar potential in Dolphins wideout and former Alabama star Jaylen Waddle.

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“Waddle!” McDaniel said, when asked which player other than quarterback Tua Tagovailoa that he could get the most out of. “I just talked with him on Monday, and I think he understands his leadership role on this team. He’s a phenomenal talent, and guess what, the best and easiest way to get yards is give it to a really talented player. The 49ers, the last four or five years, have led the league in YAC. The reason is because we were addicted to getting our skill position players that are good with running the ball the ball. So yes, I would start him in fantasy. Beyond that, I think you should see some jumps in the Miami Dolphins’ offense next year. What those look like will be determined this offseason and the way the players work and attack things moving forward.”

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SANTA CLARA (AP) — The Miami Dolphins hired San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel as their head coach Sunday, making him the first minority candidate to get hired so far this offseason.

McDaniel, who is biracial, replaces Brian Flores, who was fired despite posting winning records in the final two of his three seasons in Miami.

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Flores sued the NFL, the Dolphins and two other teams last week over alleged racist hiring practices for coaches and general managers, saying the league remains “rife with racism” even as it publicly condemns it.

McDaniel had worked under 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan for the past 11 seasons and got his first shot as a head coach after only one year as offensive coordinator.

McDaniel was credited for his role in developing San Francisco’s creative running game that featured receiver Deebo Samuel as a running back at times, along with other wrinkles.

“Mike is awesome,” 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said last month. “He really is. He’s kind of that, I don’t want to say the mastermind behind everything, but he’s kind of that guy in the background that doesn’t say a whole ton to a lot of people, but his mind is always moving. The ideas that he comes up with are so fresh and new that it’s a cool guy to have on the staff. …

“He’s a lot smarter than most of us. So he dumbs it down for us and kind of gets us all on the same page.”

McDaniel could bring some of those wrinkles to Miami to feature playmaking receiver Jaylen Waddle in even more creative ways,

The Dolphins struggled offensively this season despite finishing 9-8 in a roller-coaster campaign that featured a seven-game losing streak followed by a seven-game winning streak.

Second-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa struggled at times and Miami ranked 22nd in the league in scoring this season.

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The 49ers had a much more productive offense despite also having a quarterback with limitations in Garoppolo.

The Yale-educated McDaniel got his coaching start on Mike Shanahan’s staff in Denver in 2005. He worked an offensive assistant in Houston for in 2006-08 when Kyle Shanahan was on that staff. McDaniel then worked in Washington for three years with Mike Shanahan as coach and Kyle Shanahan as offensive coordinator before working under Kyle Shanahan when he was a coordinator in Cleveland and Atlanta.

McDaniel then joined Shanahan’s staff in San Francisco in 2017 as run game coordinator and took over the offensive coordinator role this past season.

The Dolphins’ hiring of McDaniel followed some paths the team has used in the past, most notably how he is yet another first-time NFL head coach.

McDaniel becomes the 10th consecutive hire by the Dolphins to have exactly zero previous games as the person in charge of an NFL sideline, following Jim Bates, Nick Saban, Cam Cameron, Tony Sparano, Todd Bowles, Joe Philbin, Dan Campbell, Adam Gase and Flores. Bates, Bowles and Campbell were all interim hires.

Of those, including McDaniel, six have come during Ross’ ownership.

And all of those moves have come in the last 18 years, starting with the firing of Dave Wannstedt and Bates being put into place nine games into the 2004 season.

The Dolphins haven’t won a playoff game since 2000 for the second-longest active drought in the NFL to the Detroit Lions.

The hiring of McDaniel leaves the NFL with four minority head coaches with openings remaining in Houston and New Orleans. Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin, Robert Saleh of the Jets and Washington’s Ron Rivera are the others.

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The 49ers will receive two extra third-round picks the next two years as compensation for developing a minority head coach.

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September 20, 2020; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; A general view of the Miami Dolphins logo painted on the field at Hard Rock Stadium prior to the game between the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Dolphins have tons of options in the 2021 NFL Draft, with two picks in the first round and even more capital beyond. On April 29th, Miami’s plans for the first round selection are taking shape.

Things started rapidly when Miami traded # 3 overall for the San Francisco 49ers. Minutes later, the Dolphins sent the number 12 to the Philadelphia Eagles via San Francisco for the sixth pick.

With only a few days left before the NFL Draft Clock kicks off, Miami is taking calls for its first round first choice. In the meantime, the team’s position priority could change with their later selection in Round 1.

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According to Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline, Najee Harris’ Dolphins are moving away in 18th place overall and are focused on creating an edge breaker.

Harris would be a fantastic addition to Miami’s backfield. He would reunite with Tua Tagovailoa, a close friend, and help make this a more balanced offense. With teams becoming increasingly concerned about investing a selection from the first round in a running back, it comes as no great surprise that the front office could head in a different direction.

Miami would surely love it if the Michigan Edge rusher Kwity Paye, the 18th player on our draft board, was available. But he could be on the New York Giants’ radar and targeted by a few other clubs. When he’s gone, Azeez Ojulari and Jaelan Phillips stand out as intriguing options at number 18.

Miami Dolphins bill design: 7-round 2021 NFL draft projections

Assuming Miami is waiting to run back by day two, some candidates stand out.

Day 2 runs back goals for dolphins

Harris likely won’t make it through Round 1 thanks to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hence, the Dolphins will have to look elsewhere for a featured running back.

If Travis Etienne is in 36th place overall, chances are he’ll be available. He is the best threat for the 2021 NFL Draft class home run and his passport catcher skills are flying under the radar. While it profiles itself as an exciting back on the next level, it may not be Miami’s preferred target.

North Carolina star Javonte Williams is the turnaround to think about. While it’s a year-long wonder risk, it also means fewer tread concerns on the tires. At 5-foot-10, Williams offers incredible evasiveness, runs with a physicality hard to find, and is incredible at maintaining balance after contact.

NFL draft analyst Matt Fitzgerald compares him to an improved version of Josh Jacobs, the star of the Las Vegas Raiders. Such a return would be a huge boost to Miami’s crimes.

Read more: Running backs Miami Dolphins should be targeted in the 2021 NFL Draft

If Miami wants to wait a little longer, there will be a committee to fall back on. Williams’ teammate Michael Carter plays a lot taller than him (5-foot-8) and there is a lot of explosiveness in his game. It is equally important that he be one of the better recipients in this class.

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