Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Draft is chance to fill weak spots.
Miami will key in on linebacker, defensive tackle, safety and QB
The Miami Dolphins seem likely focus on defensive tackle, linebacker and tight end during this week’s NFL draft.
Backup quarterback, safety, offensive line and running back will also get strong draft consideration with linebacker, defensive tackle, safety and quarterback getting first-round attention.
But whatever happens beginning with Thursday’s 8 p.m. start of the three-day draft you can be sure the Dolphins, who have the 11th pick in the first round, already have their wish list intact.
“On Monday or Tuesday, we’ll kind of know [who we want],” general manager Chris Grier said last week before adding, “but there’s always a wrench that gets thrown in from someone on draft day.”
Two years ago, the draft-day wrench was left tackle Laremy Tunsil unexpectedly dropping to Miami after a video surfaced that showed Tunsil smoking from a bong.
This year, the wrench could be an early run on quarterbacks. Sam Darnold (USC), Josh Allen (Wyoming), Josh Rosen (UCLA) and Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma) could go in the first four picks, or one of the foursome might last through the first 12 picks.
There’s also a chance Miami trades up to secure a quarterback. But it’d be costly.
“You can always make a deal to move up,” Grier said. “It’s just always dependent on how much you want to give up.”
Popular opinion says if Mayfield is there at No. 11, the Dolphins would take him and have Mayfield battle Brock Osweiler and David Fales serve as the backup to starter Ryan Tannehill.
Otherwise Miami has a few options in the first round.
Perhaps linebacker Roquan Smith (Georgia) or linebacker Tremaine Edmunds (Virginia Tech) would be the pick. The Dolphins need another starting linebacker to join projected starters Kiko Alonso and Raekwon McMillan.
Miami also must get a defensive tackle, someone who could come in and start or be a solid contributor right away. The loss of defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh left the Dolphins deficient among returning starter Jordan Phillips and the unproven trio of Davon Godchaux, Vincent Taylor and Gabe Wright.
Perhaps defensive tackle Vita Vea (Washington) is the answer in the first round.
If Miami decides it needs a safety in the first round to play alongside starters Reshad Jones and T.J. McDonald there’s a good chance they’d select Derwin James (Florida State). The issue there is many project James as a strong safety, the position both Jones and McDonald play, and that would still leave a hole at free safety.
The Dolphins need tight end help but that isn’t likely to come in the first round unless they trade down to select Hayden Hurst (South Carolina). But Miami needs another tight end to add to its current collection of A.J. Derby, MarQueis Gray and Thomas Duarte.
Regardless of what Miami does in the first round it almost certainly will get help at defensive tackle, linebacker and tight end in this draft. They’re all positions of need that weren’t addressed during free agency.
Miami’s draft trend in the last two years under coach Adam Gase has been balance. The Dolphins drafted a total of 15 players in the 2016 and ’17 drafts — eight offensive and seven defensive.
The Dolphins need help on both sides of the ball from this draft but whether they select a player at a certain position depends on their draft board and which players are available. That’s where the term “best player available” comes into the equation.
But Grier said don’t take the term literally because it differs from team to team depending on their situation.
“When you build your rosters, when we say best player available, you’re still looking at your roster because we’re building it for the Dolphins,” he said. “We’re not just saying ‘Hey, the NFL says this guy is the best player so we’re going to put him up at No. 1.’ ”
There’s one other thing to keep in mind. The draft isn’t the end of the rosterbuilding process, just as free agency isn’t the start of it.
“Really, the process starts going back to the end of the season, where we evaluate our own and figure out who we can keep and also what our needs are,” vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum said. “Then we start hitting it in free agency.
“Obviously the draft is the next opportunity, but that’ll go on through the summer and into the early fall.”