Miami Dolphins sign 12 undrafted college free agents
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May 10, 2024
Miami Dolphins sign 12 undrafted college free agents
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Miami Dolphins today announced they have signed 12 undrafted college free agents: wide receiver Je’Quan Burton, safety Jordan Colbert, cornerback Storm Duck, quarterback Gavin Hardison, cornerback Isaiah Johnson, offensive lineman Matthew Jones, tackle Bayron Matos, offensive lineman Andrew Meyer, linebacker Grayson Murphy, defensive tackle Leonard Payne, safety Mark Perry and tight end Hayden Rucci.
Burton played in 34 games over three seasons (2021-23) for Florida Atlantic, where he hauled in 84 receptions for 1,277 yards (15.2 avg.) and nine touchdowns. Prior to FAU, Burton spent the 2020 season at Iowa Central Community College after spending two seasons (2018-19) at Southern Illinois, where he was a member of the Missouri Valley All-Newcomer Team as a freshman. Burton is from West Orlando, Florida and played high school football at Jones High School.
Colbert spent his final two seasons (2022-23) at Rhode Island, where he appeared in 21 games with 11 starts and recorded 96 tackles (66 solo), 0.5 sack, two interceptions, six passes defensed, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery for a TD. Colbert began his collegiate career at Columbia (2018-21) and earned third-team All-Ivy League honors in 2021.
Duck played his final collegiate season at Louisville, where he appeared in 12 games with four starts and recorded 32 tackles (23 solo), 1.0 sack and seven passes defensed. Duck transferred from North Carolina, where he played four seasons (2019-22). He earned second-team All-ACC honors in 2022 after posting 46 tackles (36 solo), five interceptions, 12 passes defensed and one forced fumble.
Hardison spent five seasons (2019-23) at UTEP, where he completed 570-of-1,061 passes (53.7 pct.) for 7,963 yards and 40 touchdowns. His 7,963 yards are the third-most in UTEP history, while the 40 touchdowns rank fourth most in school history. Hardison was named honorable mention All-Conference USA in 2021. Prior to UTEP, Hardison played five games at New Mexico Military Institute in 2018, where he threw for 408 yards and four touchdowns and added a score on the ground.
Johnson played his final two seasons (2022-23) at Syracuse, where he appeared in 25 games with 19 starts and totaled 115 tackles (74 solo), two interceptions, nine passes defensed and one forced fumble. He began his career at Dartmouth (2018-21), where he earned first-team All-Ivy League honors in 2021 after registering 55 tackles (38 solo), one interception returned for a touchdown and seven passes defensed.
Jones was a five-year letterwinner for Ohio State (2019-23), one of only three Buckeyes in history to do so. Jones played in 53 games with 29 starts, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2022 and 2023.
Matos signed with the Dolphins as a part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program. He played in two games for South Florida in 2022, mostly seeing the field for special teams and defensive line snaps. Matos was also on the basketball team at South Florida that same year, where he played in 28 games with four starts and averaged 1.5 points per game with 2.7 rebounds. Matos transferred from New Mexico, where he spent two seasons (2020-21) on the Lobos basketball team and scored in the double figures three times. He played in 20 games with 15 starts, averaging 6.0 points per game and 4.1 rebounds per game.
Meyer started all 12 games at center for UTEP in 2023, earning him first-team All-Conference USA honors after starting all 12 games at center for UTEP last season. Meyer appeared in 54 games with 43 starts at center during his collegiate career at UTEP and was an honorable mention All-Conference USA selection in 2020 and 2022.
Murphy spent his final two years (2022-23) at UCLA earning third-team All-Pac 12 honors in 2022 and was an honorable mention All-Pac 12 recipient last season. He appeared in 26 games with 14 starts and recorded 58 tackles (40 solo), 10.0 sacks, two passes defensed and two forced fumbles with the Bruins. Prior to UCLA, Murphy played three seasons (2019-21) at North Texas where he posted 57 tackles (25 solo), 11.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery during his time with the Mean Green. He earned third-team All-Conference USA honors in 2021.
Payne played his final collegiate season at Colorado, where he appeared in 12 games with seven starts and notched 10 tackles (six solo), 3.0 sacks, one pass defensed and one forced fumble. Payne transferred from Fresno State (2018-22) where he played in 28 games with nine starts and had 35 tackles, 5.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.
Perry played his final two seasons (2022-23) at TCU, where he recorded 142 tackles (103 solo), six passes defensed and one forced fumble. He was named honorable mention All-Big 12 in 2023 after starting 12 games for the Horned Frogs. Perry transferred from Colorado, where he spent three years (2019-21) and accounted for 91 tackles (63 solo), 2.0 sacks, three interceptions, seven passes defensed, one fumble recovery and one blocked kick. He was also a sprinter on Colorado’s Track and Field team.
Rucci appeared in 36 games with 18 starts over four years (2020-23) at Wisconsin, where he grabbed 17 receptions for 200 yards (11.8 avg.) and one touchdown. He was also a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection in 2020, 2021 and 2023.
| Name |
Pos. |
Hgt. |
Wgt. |
Birthdate |
Exp. |
College |
Hometown |
Acq. |
| Je’Quan Burton |
WR |
5-9 |
177 |
3/8/00 |
R |
Florida Atlantic ‘24 |
West Orlando, Fla. |
FA, ‘24 |
| Jordan Colbert |
S |
6-2 |
214 |
3/18/00 |
R |
Rhode Island ’24 |
Clinton, Md. |
FA, ‘24 |
| Storm Duck |
CB |
6-0 |
195 |
12/15/00 |
R |
Louisville ’24 |
Boiling Springs, N.C. |
FA, ‘24 |
| Gavin Hardison |
QB |
6-2 |
206 |
5/15/02 |
R |
UTEP ’24 |
Hobbs, N.M. |
FA, ‘24 |
| Isaiah Johnson |
CB |
6-3 |
205 |
3/29/00 |
R |
Syracuse ’24 |
Beverly Hills, Mich. |
FA, ‘24 |
| Matthew Jones |
OL |
6-3 |
316 |
6/13/99 |
R |
Ohio State ’24 |
Brooklyn, N.Y. |
FA, ‘24 |
| Bayron Matos |
T |
6-7 |
313 |
12/8/00 |
R |
South Florida ‘24 |
Santo Domingo, DR |
FA, ‘24 |
| Andrew Meyer |
OL |
6-3 |
295 |
1/14/00 |
R |
UTEP ’24 |
San Marcos, Calif. |
FA, ‘24 |
| Grayson Murphy |
LB |
6-2 |
249 |
10/13/00 |
R |
UCLA ’24 |
Dallas, Texas |
FA, ‘24 |
| Leonard Payne |
DT |
6-3 |
301 |
9/15/00 |
R |
Colorado ’24 |
Los Angeles, Calif. |
FA, ‘24 |
| Mark Perry |
S |
6-0 |
213 |
5/30/01 |
R |
TCU ’24 |
Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. |
FA, ‘24 |
| Hayden Rucci |
TE |
6-5 |
247 |
1/27/01 |
R |
Wisconsin ’24 |
Lititz, Pa. |
FA, ‘24 |
