The Miami Dolphins only had four picks in a second consecutive draft. The 2023 installment reminded folks about the organization’s wrongdoing to again own so few — and not have a selection at the top.
Television coverage of the draft and local headlines this past week rehashed why there were just 31 picks in the first round and why the Dolphins were without one. Miami was stripped of its first-round pick, along with a 2024 third-rounder, due to tampering violations when the franchise pursued quarterback Tom Brady and coach Sean Payton.
Dolphins’ decision-makers, though, made sure to put the punitive penalty, especially compared to past incidents of tampering across the league, behind them as soon as it came down from the league roughly nine months ago in early August.
“For us, it was business as usual,” Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said Saturday night. “You’re always going to have to deal with adversity in life, and when that happened, we just kind of moved on and go and adjust and just kind of be ready to react.
“Once decisions were made, we just kind of moved on and said ‘OK,’ and looked at the roster and picks and free agency and kind of attacked it from there.”
Added coach Mike McDaniel: “Honestly, since the pick was gone, I literally have not thought twice about it, just because it’s gone. So let’s worry about the stuff that we can actually control, like the draft picks we had.”
Following the forfeiture of the first-rounder, which would’ve been the 21st pick as it turned out, the Dolphins made later moves to send another first-round selection they had from the San Francisco 49ers and shipped it to the Denver Broncos for pass rusher Bradley Chubb. A third-round pick Miami had from the New England Patriots was sent to the Los Angeles Rams in the trade for elite cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
Starting its draft class Friday night, the Dolphins made the surprise move of going cornerback first with South Carolina’s Cam Smith in the second round. They followed that up by giving McDaniel the fastest running back in the draft, Texas A&M’s Devon Achane. The thought of his 4.32-second 40-yard-dash speed in McDaniel’s offense drew an exaggerated fist pump from the Dolphins coach when the cameras were on him in Miami’s draft room late Friday.
On Saturday, the Dolphins sat out the fourth and fifth rounds to take project tight end Elijah Higgins, whom the team is converting from playing as a big slot receiver at Stanford, in the sixth round and Michigan tackle Ryan Hayes in the seventh. They reached agreements with at least 19 undrafted rookies between Saturday night and Sunday morning — prime among them, USC defensive tackle Brandon Pili, who got $100,000 guaranteed, according to agent David Canter.
Grier and McDaniel answered a few other roster questions following the draft. With Smith, a cornerback, the first draft selection, they did not entertain the idea of a switch to safety for Ramsey, although he has proven versatile in the secondary nonetheless in Los Angeles under a similar defensive scheme that new coordinator Vic Fangio will incorporate in Miami.
“No. Only because he’s really good at corner, and so I try not to mess really good up,” McDaniel said. “I would say I think he’s a good corner. What about you?”
“He’s not bad,” Grier replied with a chuckle.
With a running back taken in the third round, McDaniel indicated the selection doesn’t necessarily take the Dolphins out of the picture for another veteran running back.
“Generally, nothing is off the table,” said McDaniel, whose team has been linked to interest in Minnesota Vikings star rusher Dalvin Cook. “But we’re really happy with the offseason we’ve had, the players that we were able to keep on this roster, the new ones that we’ve added, that we added in the draft and that we’re going to in free agency. There will always be stuff that we’ll investigate because that’s our job. So, yes.”
On potential Miami interest in former Titans tackle Taylor Lewan, Grier said: “When he was released, we reached out to his agent just to find out what was going on or what it was, and that’s the only conversation we’ve ever had. Whenever he got cut a month or so ago, that’s the only time I’ve ever talked to him. … That’s the only discussion we’ve had about him.”
With quarterback the fifth-year option Tua Tagovailoa’s contract already settled, the Dolphins still have two 2020 first-rounders to decide on, right tackle Austin Jackson and cornerback Noah Igbinoghene. With a Tuesday deadline for such a decision, Grier said those talks will take place after the draft. Neither option seems likely to get exercised.
Grier and McDaniel have built a strong working relationship over their roughly 15 months working together since McDaniel was hired.
“He’s very patient and tolerable of my personality. I’ve learned that,” McDaniel said. “Four picks, the interesting thing about that is you’re very aware that you have a small opportunity to make your team better.”
Said Grier: “The human communication part of it between the coaching staff, the scouts has been really good. I think, if you asked everyone in the building, a lot of work goes into drafts. As you know, it’s never a one-man show or a two-man. It’s a lot of people helping a lot of information done.”
The Dolphins still haven’t escaped the cloud of the tampering violations just by getting through this year’s draft. The team is also down next year’s third-rounder as part of the penalty.
Grier said Friday night the Dolphins’ 2024 draft capital is important to the organization.
“Mike hasn’t had a first-round pick selection yet,” Grier quipped, teasing the coach after his second draft with the franchise. In 2022, Dolphins first- and second-round picks were used in the trade for electric wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
“But I’ll be ready Year 3,” McDaniel reassured.
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