Could the Dolphins find the tight end who perfectly fits their offense in the NFL Draft?

The messaging from Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier at the NFL Scouting Combine this week is the expectation that tight end Mike Gesicki will test free agency — which will likely result in him leaving Miami after five seasons.

Both said Gesicki has “earned the right” to be a free agent after playing the season on the franchise tag but recording the fewest receptions and yards in his career since his rookie year.

“He’s been a productive player, and I’m sure he’ll have some suitors and like I said, we always say never say never around anything,” Grier said Wednesday, “but he’s earned the right and I’m sure he’s excited to see what his free agency options are.”

Gesicki’s likely departure would leave the Dolphins to fill the void of a talented, but underutilized tight end who never seemed to fit in McDaniel’s offense, which places a lot of responsibility on the position not only as a pass-catcher but a blocker. There will be options in free agency, but Miami could also find a replacement in the draft with a lauded tight end class.

“I think the tight end group is the best I’ve seen in the last 10 years. It’s outstanding,” NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said on a conference call last week. “... I have 11 tight ends that I have top three round grades on, which is [a] ridiculous number. It is just a really, really good group.”

Players such as Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer and Utah’s Dalton Kincaid are expected to be drafted in the first round, but the Dolphins could find other contributors with one of their three Day 2 picks.

At one podium on Friday stood Georgia’s Darnell Washington, who, when asked whether he believed he was the best tight end in his class, referred to himself as the “most unique tight end in the draft.”

At 6-7 and 270 pounds, the declaration is an understatement. At Georgia, he was a focal point of the offense’s rushing game as a blocker, effectively serving as an extra lineman. And the belief is Washington has more potential as a pass catcher after recording only 45 catches and three touchdowns in college, the byproduct of being in an offense with an abundance of talented skill-position players.

Washington’s size, blocking ability and ceiling as a receiver could appeal to McDaniel, who saw how George Kittle’s all-around ability has transformed the San Francisco 49ers’ offense.

“I feel like I’m only scratching the surface,” said Washington, who met with the Dolphins at the Combine. “I feel like I’m a good blocker. I feel like I can turn into a great blocker. [I’m a] good athlete currently. I feel like I’m going to turn into a great athlete.”

Several podiums down from Washington was Sam LaPorta, the latest pro tight end Iowa will produce in a list that also includes Kittle, T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant. LaPorta lined up all over the field as a pass catcher through four years and, though he called himself a “developing blocker,” at 6-4 and 249 pounds he has the frame to line up in line and help out as a blocker.

“I think I’m a competitive blocker at the point of attack,” LaPorta said. “Playing in the Big Ten, playing at Iowa especially, we demand a lot from our tight ends. If you’re not going to block you’re not going to be out there. So, [I] think I’m competitive. I’m 40 or 50 pounds lighter than some of these big defensive tackles or ends that I’m blocking, so maybe not devastating, but I definitely think [I’m] competitive and I seem to win a lot with leverage and hand placement.”

The Dolphins are expected to return Durham Smythe to the tight end room in 2023, as well as Hunter Long and Tanner Conner, two young players who decision-makers are bullish on. But with a talented class full of various skill sets, a prospect who complements an already dynamic offense could emerge for Miami during the scouting process.

“I think the great thing about Mike McDaniel is that we’re just talking about what he looks at each position, and he says he can work with any type of tight end,” Grier said. “So there’s really not a ‘we have to have this kind.’ So his flexibility in working with having just good players is the one thing that always makes things easier.”