The Miami Dolphins must have a tough conversation about this month’s 2021 NFL draft. All the decisions you make about players to invest in are challenging. There are a lot of dynamics at play for each selection that cause wrinkle effects to the rest of your list; so no decision should be made lightly.
But the Dolphins have an even more enviable decision with the No. 18 overall team at the end of the month: Do you draft a high-value position as a runner and run the risk of missing a runner that could greatly increase your running game? Or write the corridor to meet the need and hope at its best to find someone who can push you?
Miami won’t have to wait too long for their next scheduled selection at No. 36 overall, but there’s a reasonable chance the team’s preferred goal in either spot isn’t there the next time they get to at the tail. If the Dolphins are committed to improving the pace of the pass, it would probably be prudent to stay at number 18 and make the choice, whether it’s Kwity Paye, Jaelan Phillips or Azeez Ojulari. The demand for step runners will appear pretty quickly in this project and the Dolphins currently have the proverbial high ground against a possible race.
But if Miami wants to draft a setback, exploring a negotiating situation may be the best letter for Miami. The review of the Dolphins’ list is well advanced, and while the team is unlikely to be able to meet a new additional rookie category of 12 players this season, Miami currently lacks the selection of the third. day. The Dolphins, who have four picks in the top 50 and five in the top 100, only have three picks in the rest: one in the fifth round and two in the seventh. A change from 18 would be a prime opportunity for the Dolphins to make additional selections to get more bat swings in this year’s draft class.
And, best of all, if you change from the age of 18 and still make sure you get on the court, the Dolphins will presumably have finished their draft positioning twice in the first round, as the Dolphins presumably returned to quote the draft order after you have changed from general selection number 3 to make sure they would be able to get the same player they coveted in number 3 general.
Sure the same players would be drafted at No. 3 and No. 18 overall, but getting both in the later time slots and adding more selections is a hell of a lot to open up an NFL draft. We’ll see if Chris Grier and the Dolphins are looking forward to this approach here in the coming weeks.