Out of 259 draft selections only 4 went to the Miami Dolphins. This was the least amount of selections for any team this year.
Why so few draft picks?
Miami is still paying, quite literally for Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle who they picked up in the last few off-seasons. To acquire these notoriously fast players they traded in two first round and one second round picks. This year they forfeited their first round pick not for a previous trade, but for tampering, “impermissible contact with Tom Brady”, a story that is being kept extremely minimal at this time.
Selection logic
The Dolphins love speed. They have an extremely talented team of athletes but have shown to be very dependent on their QB to drive them. This raises concern going into next season. A lot seems to be riding on the health and success of Tua Tagovailoa. Without a doubt, if they are not training to play to their full potential without Tua, (should that happen), we will see the same confused plays and lackluster performance on the field we saw more than we should have last season.
Believing there is a plan to address this weakness in the team and considering how limited they were in draft picks, they had to be strategic about their selections. For that reason they get a B on their draft report card.
The mighty 4
Cam Smith
Image – Mile High Report
- 2nd Round – 51st overall, Cam Smith, CB, South Carolina
Cam Smith is a 4 year defensive back. While used in other positions sparingly during college, he was primarily a cornerback. His record is impressive with 69 solo stops and 91 tackles. Last year the Dolphin’s defense was their shining star. They were openly trying to fortify their CB position headed into this upcoming season. Smith shows all the possibility for helping them achieve that goal.
Devon Achane
Image – Good Bull Hunting
2. 3rd Round – 84th overall, Devon Achane, RB, Texas A&M
He is ranked ranked 3rd in the SEC and 16th in the NCAA. The concern surrounding Achane is not only is he young but his stature is small (5′ 8″) and his overall strength might not be enough for the NFL. His footwork isn’t considered great, and he has been taken down by defenders easily in his college career. He is fast though, oh so fast, running a 4.32’ 40 during the combine. We know the Dolphins love speed, but how he will perform during his first season in the NFL is TBD.
Elijah Higgins
Image – 247 Sports
3. 6th Round – 197th overall, Elijah Higgins, WR, Stanford
Elijah Higgins has a laundry list of awards, including the Frank Rehm Award for the most outstanding offensive player in the Big Game, 2022. It is also noteworthy that he has many academic achievements and awards as well. Adding more intellectual players, along with a high game IQ, won’t hurt the Dolphins offense at all. When looking at the team as a whole they are young. Because they are so relatively young, vetting for maturity could be more important for them than other teams. Higgins has shown he is focused on and off the field.
Ryan Hayes
Image – On3.com
4. 7th Round – 238th overall, Ryan Hayes, OT, Michigan
A three-time academic All-Big Ten honoree and a two-time All-Big Ten selection among many other honors and awards. He didn’t play his freshman year, but lettered the 4 years he did play. A big guy at 6’7” weighing 252 lbs, he had 6,000 total offensive yards in 2021 and 2022. Even though he was 238th overall pick he seems born for the NFL
It’s a good selection of players. The talent is solid and the potential is immense. We’ll have to wait for pre-season to really see how they will come together though.
The trade
Doubling down on cornerbacks this year, they Dolphins picked up CB Jalen Ramsey from the Rams in March, a position which was considered by some to be the biggest need on the team. They traded a 3rd round draft pick and tight end Hunter Long for a player who may or may not be the best CB in the NFL, (depending on who you ask).
Ramsey was a round 1, 5th overall pick in 2016 by the Jaguars. He is an All-pro CB and what is certain, is that Jalen Ramsey does not hold back. He seems to have no fear when it comes to a tackle, and his stats support that.
Image – Turf Show Times
I’m not totally convinced a new CB, even the best one in the NFL, is going to solve the way we saw Miami fall apart when Tua was out of play. If they want to be a champion team that can’t happen again this season. There is immense talent, but they have to find a flow and keep it together as a unit to accomplish what they want.
Balance
A team needs to find balance on field to excel just like as individuals we need to maintain balance to succeed. The players need to have chemistry and trust each other to work well together. Each player ideally is bringing a unique strength, and together, create a total and as close to flawless team as possible.
The draft selection was small but overall appears intelligent. Dolphins fans will find out how they come together in pre season. Like every year before, we remain hopeful for something amazing.
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