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The Miami Dolphins have multiple holes to fill in this week’s NFL draft, and one development last week could make one of them a greater priority than the others.
The Dolphins are set on trading cornerback Jalen Ramsey, and once he’s out of the equation, it immediately makes cornerback the greatest position the team must address in the draft.
Now, general manager Chris Grier is known to select his best player available according to his draft board. However, in a year that could be make-or-break for him and coach Mike McDaniel, they may need to make sure they set up the 2025 Dolphins up as well as possible. If they just draft the best player available without thinking of needs, they might be picking someone who won’t contribute right away — and could become valuable to the team in just time for the next regime.
Cornerback would probably be at the top Miami’s priority list, but the Dolphins also need help on the defensive line and could use another starting-caliber guard on the offensive line. Miami has 10 picks to make it all happen, plus acquire youth at other positions this weekend.
Their first selection is slated to be the No. 13 pick in Thursday night’s first round, and the draft continues with the second and third rounds Friday night and Rounds 4-7 all day Saturday. Grier will do his best to marry the best-player-available approach while filling an area of need.
“It’s always a balance with that because sometimes the best player is a need,” Grier said at his pre-draft news conference last week. “For us, the draft kind of aligns with the position of need for us that people perceive and what’s on our roster right now. For us, we think at 13 there will be good players there that will be NFL-ready players but will also fill a need.”
With Ramsey set to be traded and fellow veteran cornerback Kendall Fuller released earlier in the offseason, the Dolphins’ top returning player at the position is nickel Kader Kohou, who was brought back as a restricted free agent.
This leads many to believe if either Michigan cornerback Will Johnson or Texas’ Jahdae Barron is available with that mid-first-round pick the Dolphins own, they have to go that direction.
Another caveat is Ramsey himself as a trade piece. His guaranteed salary of $24.235 million at 30 years old isn’t going to make for an enormous return for the Dolphins, but he could be dangled, along with some of the other draft capital the team has in later selections and next year’s picks, in various trade scenarios.
“If we choose to stay there, we’ll have options and if we move around we’ll take advantage of that, as well,” Grier said.
That includes scenarios where the Dolphins either trade down to accumulate more picks or can trade up for a player that’s high on their board.
“Definitely open to moving around in the draft,” Grier said, “but also if the opportunity arises to get a really good player, I would be open to figuring out a way to go get them too.”
Part of the Dolphins’ solution at cornerback still could come from within, as the team is still hopeful Cam Smith, a 2023 second-round pick, can rise to the occasion in Year 3. Storm Duck, an undrafted prospect last year, has also shown promise.
Beyond the two cornerbacks most draft analysts link to the Dolphins, they could happily draft one of the top three offensive linemen in the draft, either LSU’s Will Campbell, Missouri’s Armand Membou or Texas’ Kelvin Banks, if one falls to them at No. 13.
All three of them are tackle prospects, and the Dolphins are set with Patrick Paul primed to take over the now-retired Terron Armstead at left tackle, and Austin Jackson holding down the right-tackle post. But the three also possess positional versatility to start their NFL journeys at guard, where a starting job opposite James Daniels, Miami’s top free-agent pickup, is open.
Then, there’s the defensive line, where the Dolphins lost Calais Campbell and Da’Shawn Hand and could use young talent around Zach Sieler.
Mason Graham from Michigan tops the list there, but he’s unlikely to be available by the 13th pick, so there’s a next tier that includes Oregon’s Derrick Harmon, Michigan’s Kenneth Grant and Ole Miss’ Walter Nolen. The first half of the first round might be too early for any of those, though.
In the second round, the Dolphins have pick No. 48. Whatever they don’t address Thursday could be where they look to start Day 2, but if they don’t add more Friday selections, they’ll need to choose wisely there. The next pick they would have, without their own third-rounder this draft, would be No. 98, a compensatory selection.
Miami will then have a busy Saturday, with seven more choices to round out the 10-pick draft.
Aside from cornerback, the O-line and D-line, safety could be a spot Miami wants to find a rookie. After Jevon Holland left in free agency to the New York Giants, Grier said he feels comfortable with a group that includes newcomers Ifeatu Melifonwu and Ashtyn Davis, along with Elijah Campbell and 2024 sixth-round pick Patrick McMorris.
The Dolphins could look there in the middle to late rounds, or find another running back, a tight end, an edge rusher, a second rookie offensive or defensive linemen. They could even find their third quarterback behind Tua Tagovailoa and new backup Zach Wilson.
After the draft, Miami will also find undrafted free agents to sign Saturday night, although it should be less fewer than in past years, after the team brings in 10 or so drafted players.
Continue reading...
The Dolphins are set on trading cornerback Jalen Ramsey, and once he’s out of the equation, it immediately makes cornerback the greatest position the team must address in the draft.
Now, general manager Chris Grier is known to select his best player available according to his draft board. However, in a year that could be make-or-break for him and coach Mike McDaniel, they may need to make sure they set up the 2025 Dolphins up as well as possible. If they just draft the best player available without thinking of needs, they might be picking someone who won’t contribute right away — and could become valuable to the team in just time for the next regime.
Cornerback would probably be at the top Miami’s priority list, but the Dolphins also need help on the defensive line and could use another starting-caliber guard on the offensive line. Miami has 10 picks to make it all happen, plus acquire youth at other positions this weekend.
Their first selection is slated to be the No. 13 pick in Thursday night’s first round, and the draft continues with the second and third rounds Friday night and Rounds 4-7 all day Saturday. Grier will do his best to marry the best-player-available approach while filling an area of need.
“It’s always a balance with that because sometimes the best player is a need,” Grier said at his pre-draft news conference last week. “For us, the draft kind of aligns with the position of need for us that people perceive and what’s on our roster right now. For us, we think at 13 there will be good players there that will be NFL-ready players but will also fill a need.”
With Ramsey set to be traded and fellow veteran cornerback Kendall Fuller released earlier in the offseason, the Dolphins’ top returning player at the position is nickel Kader Kohou, who was brought back as a restricted free agent.
This leads many to believe if either Michigan cornerback Will Johnson or Texas’ Jahdae Barron is available with that mid-first-round pick the Dolphins own, they have to go that direction.
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Another caveat is Ramsey himself as a trade piece. His guaranteed salary of $24.235 million at 30 years old isn’t going to make for an enormous return for the Dolphins, but he could be dangled, along with some of the other draft capital the team has in later selections and next year’s picks, in various trade scenarios.
“If we choose to stay there, we’ll have options and if we move around we’ll take advantage of that, as well,” Grier said.
That includes scenarios where the Dolphins either trade down to accumulate more picks or can trade up for a player that’s high on their board.
“Definitely open to moving around in the draft,” Grier said, “but also if the opportunity arises to get a really good player, I would be open to figuring out a way to go get them too.”
Part of the Dolphins’ solution at cornerback still could come from within, as the team is still hopeful Cam Smith, a 2023 second-round pick, can rise to the occasion in Year 3. Storm Duck, an undrafted prospect last year, has also shown promise.
Beyond the two cornerbacks most draft analysts link to the Dolphins, they could happily draft one of the top three offensive linemen in the draft, either LSU’s Will Campbell, Missouri’s Armand Membou or Texas’ Kelvin Banks, if one falls to them at No. 13.
All three of them are tackle prospects, and the Dolphins are set with Patrick Paul primed to take over the now-retired Terron Armstead at left tackle, and Austin Jackson holding down the right-tackle post. But the three also possess positional versatility to start their NFL journeys at guard, where a starting job opposite James Daniels, Miami’s top free-agent pickup, is open.
Then, there’s the defensive line, where the Dolphins lost Calais Campbell and Da’Shawn Hand and could use young talent around Zach Sieler.
Mason Graham from Michigan tops the list there, but he’s unlikely to be available by the 13th pick, so there’s a next tier that includes Oregon’s Derrick Harmon, Michigan’s Kenneth Grant and Ole Miss’ Walter Nolen. The first half of the first round might be too early for any of those, though.
In the second round, the Dolphins have pick No. 48. Whatever they don’t address Thursday could be where they look to start Day 2, but if they don’t add more Friday selections, they’ll need to choose wisely there. The next pick they would have, without their own third-rounder this draft, would be No. 98, a compensatory selection.
Miami will then have a busy Saturday, with seven more choices to round out the 10-pick draft.
Aside from cornerback, the O-line and D-line, safety could be a spot Miami wants to find a rookie. After Jevon Holland left in free agency to the New York Giants, Grier said he feels comfortable with a group that includes newcomers Ifeatu Melifonwu and Ashtyn Davis, along with Elijah Campbell and 2024 sixth-round pick Patrick McMorris.
The Dolphins could look there in the middle to late rounds, or find another running back, a tight end, an edge rusher, a second rookie offensive or defensive linemen. They could even find their third quarterback behind Tua Tagovailoa and new backup Zach Wilson.
After the draft, Miami will also find undrafted free agents to sign Saturday night, although it should be less fewer than in past years, after the team brings in 10 or so drafted players.
Continue reading...
