Dolphins rookie safety Dante Trader Jr. is the star of the team’s 2025 draft class. Keep an eye on him when the Dolphins play Washington on Sunday in Madrid, Spain. You’ll agree with my asessment.
Trader, the fifth-round pick out of Maryland, is wise beyond his years and peers. He’s got depth to his personality, he’s got aggression in his game, and he’s got the respect of teammates and coaches. At just a touch beyond the midseason mark, it appears the Dolphins got a good one.
Through 10 games, Trader (30 tackles, one fumble recovered, one fumble caused) has been better than rookie defensive tackle Kenneth Grant (20 tackles), the first-round pick. He’s been better than rookie left guard Jonah Savaiinarea, the second-round pick. Trader’s fellow fifth-round picks, defensive tackle Jordan Phillips (20 tackles) and cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. (seven tackles), have had their moments, and the same is true for running back Ollie Gordon II (119 yards rushing, one touchdown; 30 yards receiving, one touchdown), the sixth-round pick. But Trader has been more impactful than all of them.
Trader has made three starts while playing in all 10 games. His 30 tackles are sixth on the team. He’s often the deep safety in the nickel package when fellow safety Minkah Fitzpatrick plays the slot/nickel role. You’ll see Trader back there talking, pointing and getting players lined up correctly.
“I would say that’s one of my strengths,” Trader said, “being able to play my position, know the playbook, and being able to communicate and move disguises, move off motion, pre-alert stuff.”
That’s the obligatory on-field introduction. And it’s only part of the story.
Trader is an interesting personality. He’s blue collar. He considers himself a bit undersized at 5-foot-11, 202 pounds. He likes boxing so much that he has a Muhammad Ali tattoo. He was a third-team All-America lacrosse player as a freshman at Maryland and the nation’s No. 9 lacrosse recruit coming out of high school. He’s from a small town in Delaware. He’s fiercely competitive. He plays with a chip on his shoulder. He’s a student of the game. And he talks to himself.
I took special notice of Trader’s maturity when he stayed in the locker room after giving up a key play in the 29-27 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. He didn’t hide. He didn’t shirk responsibility. He looked me in the eye and answered every question. And he vowed to be better.
It’s that combination of on-field and off-field traits that makes Trader so intriguing and so effective.
Trader is one of the most mature, accountable young players I’ve come across in the Mike McDaniel era, which began in 2022. In that regard, Trader is on a path toward running back De’Von Achane, left tackle Patrick Paul and cornerback Kader Kohou.
Trader is an old soul.
“If you didn’t know he was a rookie, you wouldn’t have guessed,” veteran cornerback Rasul Douglas said. “He’s got this thing about how he works.”
Trader appreciates old-school safeties such as Ryan Clark (Pittsburgh), Earl Thomas (Seattle), Bob Sanders (Indianapolis) and Antoine Bethea (Indianapolis).
“I like to watch the old-style safeties hit,” he said.
He’s embraced by team leaders.
“Talking with him over this year, I just have all this respect for that kid,” defensive tackle Zach Sieler, a team captain, said, later adding, “He wants to get it right. He cares and he loves the game, and that’s all you can ask for.”
And he absolutely loves the competitive aspect of the game. He once told me, “I ain’t afraid of nothin’.”
Here’s what he told me last week.
“There ain’t nothing better than seeing these highly elite players and going right at them and saying, ‘I ain’t going to quit. You may get me, but you have to kill me to stop,’ ” he said.
Ask Trader what are his highlights of his rookie season and he gives a bizarre answer.
“I think my lows,” he said before cracking a sly smile and adding, “I’m kind of crazy.”
But when Trader explains what he means about his lows being his highlights, it occurs to you that he’s perfectly sane. And he’s insightful. And he’s uniquely intelligent.
“My lows,” he said, “like, how I felt, you don’t want to feel like that again.”
There are a couple of plays Trader keeps close to his heart and in his mind.
There’s the late-game 42-yard reception by Chargers receiver Ladd McConkey that led to a game-winning 33-yard field goal in a disappointing 29-27 Dolphins loss.
There’s also the wheel route to Baltimore wide receiver Zay Flowers that went for 39 yards in the Ravens’ 28-6 victory.
Trader, a native of Delmar, Delaware, talks to himself frequently. When he has bad plays he tells himself one thing: “If you want to be back in Delaware, be soft and don’t respond after it. If you want to be in Miami, play for the Dolphins, you respond and be resilient, be tough about it.”
Trader learned about toughness as a youngster. His dad worked three jobs. His mom worked two jobs.
“We ain’t getting no handouts, no nothing,” he said. “So you got to go take it.”
My guess is by season’s end Trader will take the title of top player in Miami’s 2025 draft class by everyone’s assessment.
