For the last 4-5 years, I’ve wanted the Miami Dolphins to draft a center. The Dolphins had an excellent center in Mike Pouncey, but unfortunately, he had a reoccurring hip injury, and the team decided to move on from him after the 2017 season. The Dolphins never replaced him. They tried getting away with average players like Daniel Kilgore and free agents on one-year contracts like Ted Karras last year and this year Matt Skura. Kilgore was just a body and also had durability issues. Karras had a pretty good season but not impressive enough for the Dolphins to give him a second contract. Skura might turn out to be a good player this year, but there’s a reason the Dolphins got him for a one-year deal for almost two million. The Dolphins should invest a draft pick in a center to anchor the offensive line.

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This year’s draft has good depth at the position, and the Dolphins should be in prime position to get one, especially in the second round. Centers typically go in the first round, but there are exceptions like when the Dolphins drafted Pouncey in 2011. The Dolphins didn’t re-sign Karras and weren’t very aggressive in free agency, and settled on a one-year deal with Skura. Head coach Brian Flores coached the Senior Bowl this year and got an up-close look at some of the prospects at the position like Creed Humphrey, Quinn Meinerz, and others. One of the top prospects is Alabama’s Landon Dickerson, but as talented as he is, he has some durability concerns with his knees, so not sure if they should draft him high. There are other prospects in Josh Myers and Trey Hill they could go for in the middle rounds as well.

The Dolphins, in their franchise history, have had great players at center with hall of famers Jim Langer in the 1970s and Dwight Stephenson in the 1980s. They were also stable with Tim Rudy from the mid to late 1990s into the century’s turn. However, since Rudy left, it’s been a revolving door at the center position. They had Seth Mckinney, Samson Satele, Jake Grove, and others. It seems to be a revolving door.

The Dolphins have Michael Dieter cross-training at center, so it’s possible he could compete with Skura, and who knows if that will work. Instead of signing guys to 1-year contracts like Karras and now Skura, the Dolphins should look to invest in a center at some point in this draft. Not necessarily to start, but compete and develop. The Dolphins have been investing in tackles and guards, but not a center. Maybe with the depth at the position in this draft, now will be the time.