Miami Dolphins: Was The Draft Enough?

Having 4 picks in this year’s NFL Draft was a challenge for the Miami Dolphins. While the team looked to improve, there were still plenty of holes to fill. After the draft, they hit the ground running signing a few UDFA who can compete in camp, but was this year’s draft class enough to fill gaps on the roster?

With their first pick in the second round, the Dolphins selected Cam Smith – CB South Carolina. On social media, fans expressed frustration with the pick as the Dolphins already have dual threats at corner with Xavien Howard and Jalen Ramsey. Both are very talented and will be tough matchups for opposing WRs, but outside of those two, the Dolphins were extra thin due to injuries last season. If Ramsay and Howard are healthy it would seem like an embarrassment of riches to go after Cam Smith, but in the AFC there are plenty of teams with more than 1-2 weapons that need coverage on the field. Factor in fatigue throughout the season and the potential for injuries, the pick wasn’t a stretch by any standards.

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Unless of course, you’re one of the people hoping the Dolphins would select a tight end or offensive lineman early, then that’s a different story. While they addressed those positions with the Elijah Higgins pick in the sixth (WR/TE Standford) and Ryan Hayes (OT Michigan) fans were hoping for a bit more and for good reason. Both positions are a red flag for the Dolphins. In his time with the Dolphins, Mike Gesicki was listed as a tight end but played more like a WR. They go out and get Higgins who played WR and will make the adjustment to TE. This experiment didn’t work last year and it appears they’re okay rolling with it again. Here’s hoping for better luck.

As long as we’re clutching our four-leafed clovers and hoping for the best, seventh-round offensive linemen might have the skillset to start, but transitioning to the NFL isn’t that easy. Tua Tagovailoa was never quite the same after the first injury last year and the team suffered for it. So what do they do this offseason? Roll the dice and hope it was just a fluke. Miami is gambling that the players they expect to make a leap will in fact improve. It isn’t exactly guaranteed so they should have had a backup plan. Maybe that would’ve been their target with the forfeited first-round pick, but who knows?

Miami did add a really exciting speedster in Devon Achane but there will be concerns there as well. Not in the player, in the intensity in which they expect this offense to function. If the defense can get back up to the standard it was before last season it will be on the field less. All this speed on offense will be exerting a lot of energy running full speed consistently throughout the season. These guys are professional athletes sure, but fatigue is a real thing, especially in a place as hot as Miami. The Dolphins need to make sure they have durability and endurance to make it down the stretch and into the playoffs.

If the objective is to wear a defense down, then it will work early in the season. The question is how well will it last in the long run?

Four picks might not have been what the Miami Dolphins wanted, but it was all they had. No draft day trades kept them limited for options. Just how much of an impact will these new guys make?