The Miami Dolphins had just about $55M in cap space heading into the off-season and they wanted to bring on veteran players that could help acclimate the rookies that they would eventually draft. The biggest position of need for the Dolphins was the strong safety position after they saw a dramatic decline in Jason McCourty’s ratings, they decided not to offer him a new contract. The Dolphins ended up signing seven free agents in the off-season. Most of the players were offered one or two year deals due to their age. The Miami Dolphins signed defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, strong safety Kareem Jackson, tight end Eric Ebron, linebacker K.J Wright, left tackle Duane Brown, punter H. Niswander, and linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton. It is expected that all of the veteran players will play in the pre-season, but depending on the positions that the Dolphins address in the draft, it is possible that they will ask some of the veterans to fill in as a starter.
The Miami Dolphins made a trade just before the draft with the New York Jets to move back from pick 13 and acquire more draft picks. They moved back 11 spots to pick 24 and were able to garner a second round pick and a third round pick. The Dolphins heavily scouted 25 players in the draft and they were very sure that one or more of those players would fall into the second round. The Dolphins draft class addressed a lot of needs for the team but it wasn’t the most impressive on paper.
1.24 Christian Harris, MLB, Alabama
The Miami Dolphins had five players on their draft board that they hoped would fall to this selection when they traded back for it with the New York Jets. The Dolphins had WRs Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, SS Jordan Battle, CB Kaiir Elam, and MLB Christian Harris on their board as potential players to take. Ultimately, they wanted to take SS Jordan Battle because he would have filled their biggest hole on defense, but Christian Harris is no slouch. The Dolphins have already asked Harris to play outside linebacker for them and he will be a primary pass rusher in their base packages. He is also expected to play sub linebacker in their nickel packages.
2. 5 Bubba Bolden, SS, Miami
Bubba Bolden was always in play in the second round for the Dolphins, but they were hoping that he would be granted with an upgraded development trait and that just didn’t happen. The Dolphins had expected Bubba Bolden to fill their empty strong safety position, but his lack of hitpower and top tier speed is a disappointment. He wasn’t very impressive in the preseason but he does have the ‘big hitter’ trait and that will make him a valuable asset on special teams. The Dolphins were hoping for more out of Bolden, but they are more likely to see higher production out of their third round selection.
3.26 Juanyeh Thomas, FS, Georgia Tech
The Miami Dolphins were very high on Juanyeh Thomas, but they drafted him higher than they wanted to. They were hoping that he was going to fall to the fourth round, but after how disappointed they were in their second round pick, they wanted to go out and get their future starter at the safety position. Thomas is a player with more upside than actually being a player who is ready to start now. His biggest ability is that he can play in the sub linebacker position for the Dolphins. Coach Fallen has committed to building Thomas throughout the season and he is hoping that Thomas will prove himself worthy of being drafted so high.
4.4 Myjai Sanders, LE, Cincinnati
In the fourth round, the Miami Dolphins were looking for players that could potentially have major upside while also filling the roster up. Sanders is going to backup defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah this season and it’s not likely that he’ll have much playing time. Sanders has the speed the Dolphins like in their defensive end, but unless there is an injury, it is not expected that Sanders will find the field this season.
5.17 Emory Jones, QB, Florida
At the time of the draft, the Dolphins had only one quarterback on the roster. They have committed to Tua, but they knew they needed to draft a backup. In their backup, they wanted to draft a player who could mimic Tua’s throwing style. Emory Jones is 6’2” 217 pounds, he has a similar build to Tua, but Jones has a faster release and is right handed. Emory Jones was given star development which has prompted Coach Fallen to field offers for Tua. It’s not expected that Tua will get traded, but if given the opportunity to start, Emory Jones has the upside you want in a young quarterback.
6.17 Tariq Casto-Fields, CB, Memphis
This was another shot in the dark selection that was based on 40 times. Tariq Castro-Fields has 92 speed which is very appealing at the corner position, but he is not expected to start for the Dolphins this season. The Dolphins have four other corners ahead of him on the roster, but Castro-Fields does have the ability to come in and play if one of the corners ahead of him gets hurt.
7.10 Dylan Parham, LG, Memphis
At this point in the draft, the Miami Dolphins realized that they needed another guard and Dylan Parham was still waiting to be drafted. Parham had the highest amount of bench press reps among those left in the draft. Parham was impressive in the preseason, but the Dolphins would have to have a lot of casualties on their offensive line in order for him to start this season.
The Miami Dolphins are expected to release their depth chart later on this week with who will be starting in their week 1 game against the Tennessee Titans. Most of the positions are the same as last season, but it is still anyone’s guess who will be starting alongside safety Jevon Holland. The Miami Dolphins have SS Kareem Jackson, SS Bubba Bolden, and SS Juanyeh Thomas to choose from.
