2017 Dolphins Draft – Who’s Left? Where are They Now?

After the 2018 Regular season, it was no secret that the Miami Dolphins were going to turn over their roster, keeping some pieces from previous drafts as building blocks for the future. I look back at the past few years, and you would think that in year 2 of a rebuild, the Dolphins would have more than just a few pieces from their teardown.

I decided to go over the last few drafts, 2017 specifically. What happened? The Miami Dolphins were a 10-6 team, obtaining the AFC’s final playoff spot, heading into the game with backup QB Matt Moore after Ryan Tannehill injured his knee, ending his season. In a game that wasn’t even close, Miami lost their Wild Card matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-12. Even though Miami got manhandled in their first postseason appearance, there was hope at the time. It was a time to build off their postseason appearance. Their first pick was #22 overall in that draft, not the best position to pick, of course. There are always opportunities to hit on picks, however, in different rounds.

So, without looking it up, how many Miami Dolphins from that 2017 Draft class do you think it still on the active roster in 2020?

1 player.

Which player is it? Was it a first-rounder? Second? Third?

Nope, it’s actually a 7th rounder, WR Isaiah Ford.

Let’s remember this, Chris Grier was not the main guy when it came to selecting players that belonged to Mike Tannenbaum. Their front office strategy was a disaster, being up against the cap from 2012-2018 by overpaying QB Ryan Tannehill, Ndamukong Suh, Mike Wallace, Danell Ellerbe, Phillips Wheeler. Coaches who did not know how to utilize players as well as lead. Locker room issues were made public. Remember the bullying scandal between Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin when Joe Philbin was around? Remember how Adam Gase would just trade players who disagreed with anything he said? Jarvis Landry, Jordan Phillips, Jay Ajayi were examples of that.

It was the definition of dysfunction, but one of the most important team building parts is the obvious cap flexibility and draft assets. Miami had an okay amount of assets, but drafting players are like throwing darts; you hit, or you miss. Boy, did they miss a lot in 2017? Their misses in 2017 is why I also like how Miami accumulated the assets they did for the 2020 and 2021 draft because more assets are more opportunities to hit on players(or miss, depending on how you look at it).  There is also more opportunity to have players on the cheap, especially the QB position in which Miami got when they draft Tua Tagovailoa.

So let’s go over the 2017 picks, take a deep breath before you read.

1st round: number 22 overall: DE Charles Harris, Missouri.

Played 3 seasons in Miami, 41 games only starting 7, ouch. When Miami drafted him, I was disappointed because I wanted the Dolphins to go after Alabama LB Reuben Foster; it turns out that he did not work out either because he could not stay out of trouble. Then I thought about it, with an aging Cameron Wake, he could fall under his wing to become that dominant pass rusher the Dolphins would have for many years to come. I could not have been more wrong. Harris had 3.5 sacks in 3 seasons with the Dolphins, 23 QB hits, 61 total tackles, averaging less than 2 a game. Not the production you want out of a first-round pick.

Where is he now? Charles Harris was traded this past offseason for the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a 7th round pick. Harris currently has a career-high in sacks, go figure. However, with 3 QB hits, he is halfway to tieing his careers high in total tackles. Atlanta did not pick up his fifth-year option, so not sure how many teams would be interested in him once he hits the open market, I don’t assume there will be many.

2nd Round: #54 LB Raekwon McMillan, Ohio State

It was unfortunate because McMillan’s rookie year was over before he started as he tore his ACL before the 2017 season. Once the 2018 season started, there was optimism there would be a great LB tandem with the Dolphins drafting another OSU LB in 2018 in Jerome Baker. The dip from 105 tackles to 2018 to 72 is misleading because his snaps went down in 2019. However, McMillan had issues in pass coverage, and the snaps went down under Brian Flores. McMillan was more utilized in running plays in 2019.

Where is he now? Miami traded McMillan this past offseason to the Las Vegas Raiders for a 4th rounder in 2021. It was a trade I was a fan of because you reset the cap and move up in the draft. They later used that pick to trade to RB/WR Lynn Bowden Jr. They use that pick as a cheap option for the RB/WR position.

3rd Round: CB Cordrea Tankersley, Clemson

This one is a bit miss, 11 starts in 17 games, 36 total tackles. He was beaten many times in pass coverage and did not record a single interception in his short stint with Miami. Tankersley did miss the second half of the 2018 season after a season-ending ACL injury.

Where is he now? Tankersley has not played a snap in the NFL since tearing his ACL in 2018. Missed then entire 2019 season before being released in the 2020 offseason. He signed with the Miami Dolphins practice squad on September 16th, but has not been called up to the active roster.

4th round: No pick, Traded to Minnesota in the 2016 draft.

5th Round: DT/NT Davon Godchaux, LSU

Godchaux was a guy who was loved almost immediately by Dolphin fans early. Except for this season, Godchaux has been relatively healthy, only missing one game in his career. Godchaux, in his first two seasons, learned behind DT’s/NT’s like Ndamukong Suh and Jordan Phillips. Once Phillips was traded, Godchaux’s opportunities came more often. Godchaux’s role has always been one of a run stopper as opposed to getting to the QB. With McMillan traded, the questions towards a possible extension went towards Godchaux.

Where is he now? Godchaux suffered a season-ending biceps injury and placed on IR after Miami’s win against the San Francisco 49ers. With Godchaux’s injury, now it is uncertain whether he will be brought back or not. Brian Flores and Chris Grier like him; he has been seen as a leader for this team and is one of the few players who went through the whole roster teardown, so instead of extension, it looks like management will wait until the offseason to discuss whether he will be brought back.

 

6th Round: DT Vincent Taylor Oklahoma State

Taylor ended up spending two seasons with the Dolphins. Taylor was never high on the depth chart for Miami, recording 2 sacks and 45 tackles in 21 games for Miami. With Suh and Phillips mostly in front of him in 2017, Godchaux emerging as a role player in the Dolphins DL, Taylor didn’t have many opportunities as he would have liked.

Where is he now? Taylor was waived right before the 2019 season, spent 2019 with the Buffalo Bills, only playing 3 games; he is currently with the Cleveland Browns; he’s one away from a career-high in TFL’s, so maybe he has found a home in Cleveland.

7th Round: WR Isaiah Ford, Virginia Tech

Ford struggled through the first few years to make the active roster, was flirting between being released, signed back to the practice squad, then coming up for one game in 2018. So there were not any expectations for Ford to be a huge factor in the receiving game.

Where is he now? Ford remains the only draft Miami Dolphins player to remain on the active roster up to this point. After finally getting some playing time in 2019, he got 23 receptions for 244 yards. With the opt-outs of Albert Wilson and Allen Hurns, it’s been an opportunity for Ford to get more snaps with the offense. Although he has yet to score a TD with the team and is not the highest WR in the depth chart, there is still an opportunity to impact. Whether he has a future with the team is TBD.

Now when you look back at this draft, there’s really only one word to describe this draft, yikes! I wanted to break this down because, although there are many head-scratchers, it shows that Miami had come a long way before they decided to tear it down, getting moe draft assets, not overspending on free agents. At this point, with the Dolphins at 3-3, their potential franchise QB Tua Tagovailoa about to make his first start in the NFL this coming Sunday against the Rams, and with 2 first-round picks and 2 second-round picks in 2021, this Dolphins future is more optimistic than ever, as they’ve transformed their organizational philosophy.

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