A trio of Miami Dolphins met with South Florida media on Wednesday, and among that group was second-year safety Jevon Holland.
The 2021 second-round pick out of Oregon had a terrific rookie season in Miami, and even made a name for himself on a league-wide scale at his position.
Holland showed poise beyond his years last year and was formidable all over the field as a rookie. Due to his ability to blitz the passer, drop into coverage or lay the wood on booming hits, Holland recorded an 81.1 grade last season from Pro Football Focus. That mark was good for the fifth-highest grade for all rookies in 2021.
Holland discussed several topics with reporters, including the drafting of a former collegiate teammate of his, the coaching staff, new team acquisitions and some lessons he took from his inaugural professional season. You can tell when Holland speaks, that he does so with conviction and without complacency.
“Everybody is replaceable,” he said. “At the end of the day, you play and have fun because the NFL is not for long. At any point, you could be out of there, so just make sure you take full advantage of your opportunity.”
When asked about what he has been working on and focusing on heading into his second year as a pro, Holland’s answer was simple.
“It’s about repetition.” He said. “You’ve got to do something over and over again to make it a habit. That’s been my approach to how I operate this entire offseason. I think my whole gameplan for the offseason and approaching OTAs and minicamp is having the right amount of reps and to go about it in a patient manner.”
Reporters also asked about the firing of coach Brian Flores, the retention of defensive coordinator Josh Boyer and if the scheme and strategy will change at all.
“I’m just going to do what the coaches tell me because they are cutting the checks, so I’m just going to do it.,” He said. “It is what it is, but seriously, I’m just going to play what they say. That’s literally all. I’m not even going to shortchange you. I’m just giving it to you straight.”
Holland was as direct as his blitzing route to the passer and as blunt as one of his bone-crushing hits in the defensive backfield. A confident Holland let reporters know that the defensive success in the second half of last season may have just been the start of something special.
“The defense understands how [Boyer] functions, and we work well together,” Holland said. “You all saw that at the end of last season. I think it’s going to be great for our team, for our defense also.”
Now, Holland has his Oregon Duck defensive backfield teammate in the building, as Miami signed undrafted free agent Verone McKinley III, and he’s excited. The defensive back’s name was not called during the draft, but many have already labeled this a steal for Miami.
McKinley was given $85,000 guaranteed, so that could be a solid indicator of the Dolphins’ faith and hope in him. Holland was asked to give a scouting report, and he enjoyed answering.
“I would, but I feel like I’d be a little bit biased because he is one of my best friends,” Holland said. “That’s why I’m not going to say anything. He’s going to rise to the top. I believe in him. He’s a hell of a player and an even better guy. He fits right in with the culture of the team.”
Getting a bit more detailed on McKinley’s specific strengths, Holland praised his ball-tracking ability. This is something Oregon defenders pride themselves on.
“That was one of the main emphasis as a defense at Oregon, and you kind of saw that in how we played in the 2019 year, in the 2020 year, and then last year he led college football in interceptions and the Pac-12 also,” Holland said. “He’s a hell of a player.”
The presser went a little off the rails when the nickname conversation started. While it’s well known that Holland is Miami’s only “Snowman,” fellow safety Brandon Jones’ moniker is a work in progress.
In something Dolphins Twitter relishes, Holland and Jones utilized emojis to highlight their aliases. Holland provided clarity on the process, saying,
“[Jones] said it’s the joker which I understand because of the clown face,” Holland said. “But I’m like ‘bro, you got to put more context into that.’ First of all, it wasn’t even explained before. No one calls him the joker. For him to just throw it out there, it looked like he was calling himself a clown. He’s not going to call himself that anymore. We’re going to find something else for him.”
The media session ended as talk moved to the new additions on offense for the Dolphins, and Holland sees this as an opportunity for improvement.
“Just those experiences and challenges they are going to add to practice every day is going to be awesome for us,” he said. “We’re going to be in tune and already have seen those types of looks when we play the games.”
While the NFL season is still months away from kicking off, Holland, the Dolphins, and fans across the league will know when and where 2022’s games will be soon enough, as the league will release the full season schedule in just one week.
