It’s that time of year again; spring is in the air, the first wave of NFL free agency is over, the NFL Combine has come and gone, and Pro Days are in full swing. However, this year has a different feeling for the Miami Dolphins. After an incredible start to the offseason, we find ourselves in an unfamiliar position – no high draft picks, in fact, no draft picks in the first 100 selections. You may want to know who the Dolphins should target, have no fear; I have put together a list of a few sleeper picks at different areas of need for the Dolphins.

For the purpose of this article, a sleeper pick will be anyone who is selected outside of the top 100 picks but has a chance to contribute right away. I have identified the areas of need as Running Back, Linebacker, and Offensive Line. Having Running Back on the list may come as a surprise given the additions of Raheem Mostert and Chase Edmonds; however, with Mostert’s injury history and Edmonds’s lack of starting experience, it seems as though McDaniel and company will be looking for a long term answer at the position.

Running Back:

Pierre Strong Jr – South Dakota St (5-11 202lbs)

Strong has the ideal build and skill set for the McDaniel offense. He is a very powerful runner mixed with a 4.37 40-yard dash, which could make him an absolute nightmare at the next level. Strong was very productive during his time at South Dakota St producing three seasons of over 1000 yards.

 

Brian Robinson Jr – Alabama (6-1 226lbs)

Robinson is a hard-nose bruiser, something that many Dolphins fans (this writer included) have been waiting to see in the Dolphins offense for quite some time. Robinson has been buried on the impressive Alabama depth chart but finally got his chance to start this past season. He delivered to the tune of 1343 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns while adding 296 receiving yards with another two touchdowns.

[pickup_prop id=”17039″]

Linebacker:

Quay Walker – Georgia (6-4 240lbs)

Walker falling out of the top 100 is a bit of wishful thinking on my part, but it may not be as crazy as it sounds. This draft is deep at linebacker, and his name is buried behind a tremendous amount of talent coming out of Georgia. Walker is an athlete; he has excellent strength and size for the position with elite straight-line speed. If Walker is available with the Dolphins 3rd round pick, expect Grier and company to sprint the card to the podium.

Troy Anderson – Montana State (6-3 242lbs)

Anderson is a name that is rising fast and could find his way into the top 100 sooner rather than later, but for our sake, we will hope that the depth of the linebacker class will allow him to slip to us. Anderson is a good athlete who holds multiple high school state titles for track. He projects to be a good short to intermediate coverage player, which fits exactly what the Dolphins need.

 

Offensive Line:

Cole Strange – Chattanooga (6-5 307lbs)

Strange began to open some eyes with his impressive combine performance, 31 reps on the bench, and 5.03 40-yard dash. Strange spent time at both LT and LG in college but is believed to be best suited for G or C in the NFL. Strange could provide the competition we have heard about for Dieter.

 

Alec Lindstrom – Boston College (6-3 294)

Lindstrom can play G or C at the next level and almost certainly fits into any team’s plans for center, given his very high football IQ. His college Offensive Line Coach Matt Applebaum was recently hired to the same position with the Dolphins, so the fit would make sense. The elephant in the room is Lindstrom’s size; being a lineman in the NFL under 300lbs is no easy task; we will have to wait and see if a coaching staff will let him play at his current weight or work to add weight on.

 

With the NFL Draft only a few weeks away, the Dolphins will have to work on a strategy to make the most out of the picks that they have left in the 2022 draft. When you are picking this late in the draft, it is anything but a perfect science; if the Dolphins come away with one player that can make an impact on the 2022 season, I would consider that a success, and hopefully, it will be one of the guys I have listed above. Please let me know what you think. Do you agree or disagree? Who did I miss? Feel free to tweet me @TruckStickTua