Top 25 Miami Dolphins players countdown: No. 19 is Andrew Van Ginkel
This is The Palm Beach Post's Top 25 countdown of Dolphins players entering the 2022 season. We'll reveal multiple players each week throughout the summer, as ranked by our reporters using a simple criterion: Who's the better player right now?
On a defense loaded with high draft choices, former fifth-round edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel has carved out a key role on the Dolphins with relentless motor and work ethic.
Van Ginkel is always prepared.
"Gink is one of the smartest guys I’ve played with,” defensive tackle Christian Wilkins said last season.
Van Ginkel impacts the game in many ways. As they say in the NBA, he "fills the box score."
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In his third season in the NFL, Van Ginkel posted 62 tackles, four sacks, nine tackles for loss, 20 quarterback hits (second only to Emmanuel Ogbah), eight batted balls and two fumble recoveries.
And Van Ginkel tied for the team lead with nine special teams tackles.
Since Van Ginkel's arrival, Dolphins coaches have praised his toughness, consistency, dedication and "it's never over" commitment to chasing down a play.
Why we ranked Andrew Van Ginkel 19th
Van Ginkel recovered from a fairly slow start to his third season.
According to Pro Football Focus, Van Ginkel was the 12th-best edge rusher in the NFL in 2020 and only 71st in 2021.
That seems a bit harsh.
Though Van Ginkel did not make as many game-changing plays last season as he did in his second season, he still found ways to positively impact the game.
Once a high school quarterback in Iowa, Van Ginkel was a skinny and a bit under-the-radar defensive end at South Dakota and Iowa Western Community College.
He has improved his strength and pass-rush moves in the NFL with the help of such coaches as Austin Clark, Anthony Campanile and Josh Boyer.
In some ways, Van Ginkel's knack for getting to the ball and knocking it down and away reminds one of what Kiko Alonso did for Miami in 2016 and 2018.
Where we see Andrew Van Ginkel headed
Van Ginkel has a chance to earn a solid contract with another strong performance in the final year of his four-year rookie deal.
Due to the NFL's "Proven Performance Escalator" for highly contributing non-first-rounders, Van Ginkel's fourth-year cap hit is boosted to more than $2.6 million.
Asked about a potential extension, Miami general manager Chris Grier noted this offseason, "Andrew does things the right way."
It can't be underestimated that several players, including veteran linebacker Jerome Baker, have said they lean on Van Ginkel to "get them right" at times during games.
Van Ginkel always seems to be lined up correctly and seems to put himself in good position to make key plays.
Donning long blonde locks, Van Ginkel has always played as if his hair were on fire.
That is his greatest asset to the Dolphins.
Joe Schad is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Florida Network. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins Top 25 players summer countdown includes Tua Tagovailoa
