Even with few picks, Dolphins doing due diligence
The Dolphins have a league-low four picks in this week’s NFL Draft, but it has been business as usual for general manager Chris Grier and his scouting department.
New Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was speaking to local reporters for the first time since the career-altering trade that landed him in Miami. He was asked what it said about the franchise that it was willing to give up so much for him — five picks, along with a $120 million extension.
“Just like they said with the Rams — ‘F them picks, man,” Hill joked, quoting Los Angeles general manager Les Snead, who has become the face of the NFL’s new hyperaggressive mind-set with his willingness to offload draft picks.
Despite the Dolphins’ spending spree this offseason, make no mistake: the draft is still the lifeblood of the Dolphins’ roster.
“I still believe in building through the draft,” Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said Wednesday at his predraft news conference. “I think the draft is an important part of building your team and having young assets to work through. We’ve shown that we will always be aggressive if it comes to acquiring a
good player or at least attempting to, and we’ve done that. I would say that for us, the ability to get good players and where we were, for as young as we are on this roster right now, and knowing that we had the two first-round picks in 2023, enabled us to be aggressive and make a move like that.”
This makes it a bit ironic that the year the NFL returns to a normal offseason schedule, with no more coronavirus restrictions allowing for a more robust scouting process, this week’s draft will likely be a quiet one for Grier, who made his mark in scouting before elevating to his current role.
After trading for Hill and trading wide receiver DeVante Parker to the New England Patriots — a swap that sent out the team’s 2022 fifth-rounder and netted a 2023 thirdrounder — the Dolphins are set to enter the draft with a league-low four picks: a third-rounder, fourth-rounder and two seventh-rounders. The lead-up to the draft has still been business as usual for Grier and his scouting department, though.
“For us, it’s been full steam ahead,” Grier said. “The personnel staff has done a tremendous job and the coaching staff — Mike [McDaniel] and the coaching staff — these guys enjoyed getting out and getting to meet players, bringing them in so the private workout stuff has been exciting and I think the coaches really enjoy getting to know these players, too, as well.”
The scouting process for each team starts in the fall. As the NFL kicks off its regular season and Grier is managing the day-to-day roster, the team’s area scouts are littered across the country to evaluate prospects who could enter the draft.
With every major conference back to a full schedule and mostly playing without coronavirus disruptions, it made for a more seamless evaluation period.
As college seasons conclude and players began to declare for the draft, postseason All-Star games — such as the Senior Bowl and NFLPA Collegiate Bowl — become prime opportunities to further investigate potential additions. The annual NFL Scouting Combine — made virtual last year to prevent large gatherings — returned to Indianapolis and the Dolphins were well-represented, from Grier to McDaniel to other members of the coaching staff and front office.
During that weeklong process, the Dolphins met with dozens of prospects. Wide receiver was a popular first-round choice for the Dolphins, who originally had the No. 29 overall pick. But as free agency arrived, the Dolphins quickly made moves to shore up the position. They signed former Dallas Cowboys wideout Cedrick Wilson in the opening days of free agency. Two weeks later, Hill had arrived in Miami. It was a trade Grier said wasn’t indicative of his thoughts of this year’s class of receivers.
“It was the opportunity to acquire Tyreek Hill,” he said. “Just a special talent for what we were looking for.”
Even after gutting their 2022 draft capital to get Hill, Grier was spotted at pro days. The Dolphins hosted their local pro day with players who attended college and high school nearby. And they have been active in bringing prospects for “30” visits, referring to the number of predraft meetings teams can hold at their facility. A small draft class likely means an even larger pool of undrafted rookies to sign, which still requires a thorough evaluation process.
“I think when you have as few picks as we do, you have to be right on them,” Grier said. “I think you’ve got to be very deliberate and measured of what the roster and what that guy’s role on the roster is going to be and how he fits. Obviously, there will be an occasion where if that special guy is there to take that risk on something, you will. But I think when you’re picking third, fourth round and then two in the seventh, you have to make sure what you’re getting, who it is and how he’s going to fit on the team.”
When asked which position groups are strong in the draft, Grier noted the offensive line, where the Dolphins still need depth at center and offensive tackle. It’ll be a lengthy amount of time before the Dolphins get their opportunity to be on the clock and potentially add an impact player. Grier said he will still field phone calls but keeping the team’s 2023 firstrounders is important, making a huge leap into the first or second round unlikely.
As for how they will fill the time waiting for their first pick?
“We were trying to figure out what we were going to do on draft day,” Grier said, “and one of the guys said we’ll just watch Tyreek highlights in the draft room to make us feel good.”