Miami Dolphins: All or Nothing In This Year's Draft

Chris Grier has been very creative when drafting for the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins don’t have a ton of wiggle room to make mistakes in this year’s draft so either fans have to be content rolling with the same key players as last year, or the team will have to get creative again. There are plenty of avenues to explore, but will the Dolphins make enough moves to improve via the draft or will they rely on their already-signed free agents and hope to get contributors out of the UDFAs?

Four. Yep, that’s it, four picks in the entire draft. With that being said, four isn’t where they have to stay. Grier has already expressed teams looking to trade back and Miami would have to consider moving up, but what will it cost? With the exception of their forfeited 3rd round pick, they have their full selection next year. They easily could move around and find ways to get back into the first round. If they do, it forces them right back into the same scenario next year. They’d be down a pick already and have to give up some to move back into the first round this year.

Doing so would leave them 4-5 picks next year as well. Then if not picks it would have to be players exchanged, but what position do the Dolphins have players to give up? Their only abundance is at WR, and the only name rumored to be on the block is Cedrick Wilson.

More Miami Dolphins: Is Jalen Ramsay Enough To Fix Defense?

From then on out, the Dolphins would have to find value in that pick, then turn around and flip it into a multi-pick trade. No offense to Wilson but he’s not a first-round value. Finding ways to get back in the game early won’t be easy. Yet, that’s okay. Grier has been creative in the past, maybe he can make something work this year as well.

If not, the team has to not only nail the 4 picks they have, they have to hope something trickles down. There have been plenty of times hidden gems have gone undrafted. Kader Kahou comes to mind. Kahou went undrafted in 2022 but still was a major contributor for the Miami Dolphins. Then there’s Trill Williams, who found his way to the Miami Dolphins due to a failed physical with the New Orleans Saints. Technicality aside, he went undrafted and Grier swooped in a week after the Saints cut him. Williams was on an upward trajectory for the Dolphins before getting hurt. If Grier and the Dolphins’ front office can do their homework, there’s no reason they can’t find those types of players for Miami again this offseason.

At the end of the day, the Miami Dolphins are in “win now” mode. They don’t have a lot of options left in free agency and the draft so they’ll need major contributors. There’s no room to gamble on picks. They have to be 100% sure that guy is going to improve that position. Either they come in on day one and be instant starters, or they’re depth. If it’s the latter then Miami has to hope to stay healthy enough to have the same spark they started last season with.

Are the Dolphins comfortable with the moves they made so far? Is Fangio and their signings enough? It might not be a flashy draft for the Miami Dolphins, but they sure might get creative.