The Dolphins Make Me Cry.com - Forums

Offensive or Defensive Linemen Drafted in First or Second Round:
2000: 2nd Rounder Todd Wade (OL)
2004: 1st Rounder Vernon Carey (OL)
2005: 2nd Rounder Matt Roth (DL)
2007: 2nd Rounder Samson Satele (OL)
2008: 1st Rounder Jake Long (OL), 2nd Rounder Philip Merling (DL)
2010: 1st Rounder Jared Odrick (DL)
2011: 1st Rounder Mike Pouncey (OL)
2012:  2nd Rounder Jonathan Martin (OL)
2013: 1st Rounder Dion Jordan (DL)
2014: 1st Rounder Ja'Wuan James (OL)
2015: 2nd Rounder Jordan Philips (DL)
2016:  1st Rounder Laremy Tunsil (OL)
2019: 1st Rounder Christian Wilkins (DL)
2020:  1st Rounder Austin Jackson (OL), 2nd Rounder Robert Hunt (OL), 2nd Rounder Raekwon Davis (DL)

Wide Receivers Drafted in the First or Second Round since 2000:
2001: 2nd Rounder Chris Chambers
2007: 1st Rounder Ted Ginn Jr
2014: 2nd Rounder Jarvis Landry
2015: 1st Rounder DeVante Parker

Miami has not spent anything more than a 7th round pick on a wide receiver in the last four drafts. They've also only spent a total of six first or second round picks on wide receivers in the last thirty drafts

Quarterbacks Drafted in First, Second, or Third Rounds since 1983:
1983: 1st Rounder Dan Marino
2004: 2nd Rounder (traded) AJ Feely
2006: 2nd Rounder (traded) Dante Culpepper
2007: 2nd Rounder John Beck
2008: 2nd Rounder Chad Henne
2009: 2nd Rounder Pat White
2012: 1st Rounder Ryan Tannehill
2020: 1st Rounder Tua Tagovailoa

So while drafting was unbelievably non-existent during Dan Marino's reign, Miami spent second round draft choices on quarterbacks five out of six years in the first decade of the millennium. This went a long way towards the team's collapse afterwards

Running Backs taken in 1st or 2nd round since 1990:
1998: 1st Rounder John Avery
1999: 2nd Rounder JJ Johnson
2002: 1st Rounder (trade) Ricky Williams
2003: 1st Rounder (trade) Ricky Williams
2005: 1st Rounder Ronnie Brown
2011: 2nd Rounder Daniel Thomas

Miami spent first round picks three out of four years between 2002 and 2005 seeking to address this need. This, coupled with the quarterback misses set up the run from 2006 onward. Since Ronnie Brown, the Dolphins have only spent one high pick on running back in the last eleven years

I'm not entirely sure what you are trying to say here. Would Miami have done better had they drafted better? Sure, but that's self-evident and true of every team.

The Wide Receiver drafting, sure, I can get behind that. Seems low, although it is notable that of the 6 high picks in 30 years, 2 were in the last 5 (double the 30-year rate), so arguably this has been addressed.

As for addressing the O and D lines? Are you saying that's too many or too few picks? Our O-line has been terrible for much of the past 20 years covered by your list, so it seems sensible to spend draft picks on it.

Regarding the RB picks... again, are you saying that's too many or not enough? The RW trade was expensive, but he was a hell of a player. Can't really fault the other recent 1st round pick - Ronnie Brown. He averaged between 4.2 and 5.1 yards per attempt in his first 5 years with the Dolphins. Made the Pro Bowl, made First Team All Pro. Not a Hall of Fame caliber back, no, but not exactly a pick I would disparage. On the other hand, I wouldn't want to spend high picks TOO often on the RB position, considering the value to be found deeper in the draft.

Quarterbacks... Again, no idea if you are saying this is too many or too few. 7 high picks in the last 17 drafts. Hard to fault the team for trying to address the single most important position with a high draft pick - and keep doing it until that a franchise quarterback is found.

You forgot Josh Rosen traded for 2nd round pick.

Yeah, Rosen was a bust. At least the second rounder was the #62 pick. Still...

Yeah he was, but I'd still make that trade 10/10 times.

Seems like a lifetime ago when running backs were taken in the first round. These days, a RB in the Top 10 is controversial and almost always shitted on.

I will be the first to eat spicy foods to shit all over it.

RBs early are dumb.

1) They are largely a product of their O-line.  At the VERY LEAST, even the best RBs are completely dependent on and completely ineffectual without a good line.
2) It is an easy position to throw together.  While not ideal, bad RBs can still have good play when there's a hole to run through.  You can also stop-gap the problem with running back by committee.
3) Even when they're great, they don't have long careers.
4) They aren't involved enough.  A WR who isn't thrown to can still stretch the field, cause LBs or safeties to cheat, etc.  A QB or lineman or defensive player is directly involved in every single play.  A RB largely only affects play when he's touching the ball, which is gonna be like 15-20 times a game....there are cases if you're elite that you might demand a stacked line, but I'd say that's rare.

Basically this came up with a friend of mine in talking about the upcoming Dolphins drafts. What really struck me looking back at Miami's drafts was certain overdrafting between 2001 and 2009.

Offensive Line: 2 first rounders, 2 second rounders, and I believe one or two additional second round picks trades by Wannstedt to get third round picks to draft other linemen
Quarterback: Over a six year span between 2004 and 2009, five out of six second round picks spent on QBs
Running Back: Between 2002 and 2005, three 1st rounders on running back

All of those failures set us back tremendously.

Meanwhile for the longest time we've seemed content - in a league increasingly that is passing oriented - to draft wide receivers in the latter rounds, if at all. I just don't want to see the Dolphins come out of this draft with Rounds 1-3 going: OL, DL, OL, LB, S

Indeed.

The two best RBs in the league this year (Derrick Henry and Dalvin Cook) were both 2nd round picks.

Also agree, so we should take Harris or Etienne in the 2nd, I'm pretty confident one will be available

Not just that but while there usually is 1 or 2 RBs who are above the rest, the guys from 3-15 are almost interchangeable and don't have consistent stats from year to year.