Orlando Sentinel

Monday night a look into future?

- By Safid Deen

The upcoming Monday Night Football game between the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers may not be the sexiest matchup on the NFL’s most significan­t weekly stage.

But the game could offer football fans a glimpse into the growing pains NFL teams experience trying to reach their potential.

The 0-6 Dolphins will visit the 2-4 Steelers, led by longtime coach Mike Tomlin, who has had to deal with a season-ending injury to franchise quarterbac­k Ben Roethlisbe­rger in Week 2 and the departures of standout playmakers Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown during the offseason.

Don’t expect the Steelers to look pass the winless Dolphins, especially in prime time on ESPN.

“Are you familiar with our record and journey to this point? You know, we’re not in position to overlook anybody. We’re a fragile group,” Tomlin said succinctly during a conference call on Wednesday, when asked if his team would take the Miami lightly.

“We’re dealing with similar circumstan­ces. From that standpoint, it’ll be a level playing field on Monday night.”

The Dolphins, led by first-year coach Brian Flores and general manager Chris Grier, are in the midst of a rebuilding process where this season has served as an opportunit­y to identify building blocks and develop depth for the future.

And Miami’s future could be bright if it hits on its high picks in future NFL drafts, where the Dolphins own 11 picks in the first three rounds in 2020 and 2021 drafts.

Tomlin and the Steelers have made the most of their draft opportunit­ies in recent years — and perhaps, more importantl­y — kept most of those players on their roster.

Of Pittsburgh’s 27 homegrown players drafted by the team, 17 were selected in the first three rounds — with six third-round picks from the past three drafts boosting that figure.

Of the Dolphins’ 21 homegrown players, only nine were drafted in the same time frame.

Receiver Juju Smith-Schuster and running back James Conner were secondand third-round picks for the Steelers in 2017, and have emerged as valuable starters for Tomlin since Bell and Brown departed.

So has 2018 third-round quarterbac­k Mason Rudolph, who has replaced Roethlisbe­rger in the lineup and is expected to start Monday night after suffering a concussion in Week 5.

“We’re always drafting for competitio­n, depth and future,” said Tomlin, who reiterated the school of NFL draft thought that teams hope to draft starters in the first three rounds.

“We primarily build our team through the draft. We’re not heavy players in free agency by nature. Those are always our thoughtful intentions.”

Pittsburgh still has all but two firstround draft picks since 2010 on its 2019 roster.

That’s eight players in total the Steelers have drafted and cultivated, including former Florida Gators center Mike Pouncey (2010), former Miami Hurricanes cornerback Artie Burns (2016), and former Flanagan High standout linebacker Devin Bush (the 10th pick in the 2019 draft).

Former Plantation High standout Ryan Shazier (2013), who suffered a career-ending spinal injury, and former linebacker Jarvis Jones (2014), who was not re-signed in 2016 and retired before the 2017 season, are the only exceptions.

The Dolphins only have three of their own first-round picks still on the roster: wide receiver DeVante Parker (2015), who leads Miami with three touchdowns this season, defensive end Charles Harris (2017) and defensive tackle Christian Wilkins (2019).

Former Dolphins defensive back Minkah Fitzpatric­k (2018) was traded to the Steelers in exchange for Pittsburgh’s first-round pick in 2020 earlier this season. Just like former first-round left tackle Laremy Tunsil (2016) was sent to the Houston Texans in a trade package that helped Miami secure a first-round pick in 2020 and 2021, and a secondroun­d pick in 2021.

The Dolphins parted ways with quarterbac­k Ryan Tannehill (2012) in the offseason, and allowed offensive linemen Mike Pouncey (2011) and Ja’Wuan James (2015) walk in free agency.

Former No. 3 Dion Jordan (2013), who is considered one of the worst high-draft picks in NFL history, was released by the team in 2017.

The Steelers won two of their past three games with their young core before their bye last week, and could begin to hit their stride against the Dolphins.

Longtime veteran Ryan Fitzpatric­k remaining as Miami’s starting quarterbac­k may stunt Josh Rosen’s developmen­t this season. But the Dolphins are seeing contributi­ons from former draft picks like Parker, tight end Mike Gesicki, linebacker Raekwon McMillan, left guard Michael Deiter, and acquisitio­ns like defensive end Taco Charlton, outside linebacker Vince Biegel, running back Mark Walton, and receiver Preston Williams.

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