DAVIE, Fla. -- Not much was expected by outsiders when the Miami Dolphins selected rookie defensive tackle Davon Godchaux in the fifth round of April’s NFL draft. The former LSU product was considered a project who needed time to develop, and in the meantime Godchaux was expected to add depth.
Four months later, Godchaux is close to accomplishing what many thought was out of reach for the rookie. He is entering the final week of the preseason as a starter and is one solid performance away from locking up a starting job for Week 1 of the regular season.
“I just came in and worked,” Godchaux said of his approach. “Whatever they needed, a guy to do the dirty work, get off the ball, be physical, that’s my style of play.”
Godchaux has been arguably Miami’s most consistent rookie through organized team activities, minicamp and training camp. He has been a disruptive force on the defensive line and shown the ability to penetrate against the run and push the pocket on passing downs.
The Louisiana native has come a long way on the football field and in life in general. Godchaux overcame violence within his family as a youth to stay focused and earn a scholarship at LSU. From there, football was an escape from his tough upbringing.
Godchaux, 22, was productive at LSU but considered undersized for an NFL defensive tackle. That dropped his stock to the fifth round. Miami was happy to take Godchaux and fellow rookie and sixth-rounder Vincent Taylor late in the draft to improve depth at defensive tackle and push 2015 second-round pick Jordan Phillips.
Not only did Godchaux push Phillips, he surpassed Phillips in the preseason and earned first-team reps next to perennial Pro Bowler Ndamukong Suh. Both continue to compete for the starting job with Godchaux now holding the inside track.
“They’re all going to play,” Dolphins coach Adam Gase said of his defensive tackles. “We just want whoever is in there with Suh to get those guys as comfortable as possible to where they can work well together. It’s the same thing with the D-ends and the D-tackles. That’s all we’re trying to do. We just know we’re going to play more than one guy.”
Godchaux’s credits his focus and maturity for his rapid development thus far in Miami.
“(I’ve) just matured just being around with the guys, learning from those guys,” Godchaux said. “But the main thing is being mature on and off the field. There’s a lot of free time we have and I have to be mature in those times instead of going off and doing foolish things.”