Back in early March, I had my first Miami Dolphins 2023 Mock Draft. If you forgot who, you can CLICK HERE to see who I had Miami selecting.

In that Draft Miami had two selections in Rd 3, but with the Jalen Ramsey trade, Miami is now down to just one pick in Rd 3 and four picks overall. So this mock draft is a little different.

Now with the first and second wave of NFL Free Agency behind us, we have a better idea of what this Miami Dolphins team will look like in 2023. We know what holes need to be filled and will most likely look to be filled in this year’s upcoming draft. So, without any further ado, here is my 2nd Mock Draft.

 

Round 2, Pick #51

Steve Avila, C/G TCU

To me, this is the type of guy Mike McDaniel and Chris Grier will fall in love with. Does it answer Miami’s question at right tackle no? But I do not see anyone on the board at pick #51 who will answer that question honestly, so it truly is BPA (Best Player Available) here for the Dolphins, and Avila will also plug a hole on another offensive line spot; left guard. Avila is a big boy, north of 330 lbs, but he is light on his feet and can move, making him a good fit for Miami’s scheme. And if you’re asking why McDaniel and Grier will fall in love with Avila, it is because of his position flexibility. He can play Center, Left Guard, and Right Guard, and he even has some experience at right tackle, although that isn’t a position he translates well to in the NFL. As a redshirt freshman, he played in 11 games. As a sophomore, he started nine games, six at center, two at right tackle, and one at right guard.  In 2021 he was 2nd team All-Big 12 playing Center, starting 11 games in that position. Then in 2022, he started 15 games at left guard, earning All-Big 12 honors and was 2nd team Associated Press All-American. In 2022 he didn’t allow a sack in 515 pass-blocking attempts.

With this addition, I think you let Avila and Liam Eichenberg fight it out in camp for the starting left guard spot. I fully expect Avila to win the position battle easily. And, as well as Dan Feeney, you now have someone else on your roster who can be a backup center should Connor Williams go down. Plus, if Miami does not extend Connor Williams’s contract, you have your center of the future on your roster ready to step into that role a year from now. You can’t ask for anything more for a pick in the ’50s on Day Two. This would be a home run pick for the Dolphins. And I know…I know; what is Miami going to do at Right Tackle? Chris Grier and Mike McDaniel have faith in Austin Jackson (we don’t, they do…we have to live in reality), so we have to assume he is who they go with. And maybe they re-sign Brandon Shell for depth or go out and get George Fant or one of the veterans like that to compete with Austin Jackson. Is it what I would have done to address right tackle this offseason? NO. But we have to live in reality, and this is the approach they took, and I don’t see an answer there in Rounds 2 or 3 for them to seriously come in and push Austin Jackson in 2023. So, they will look to beef up the offensive line another way, address left guard and Avila is the pick for me in this mock.

Previous Pick in Mock Draft 1.0: Jaelyn Duncan, OT Maryland 

 

Round 3, Pick #84

Tucker Kraft, TE South Dakota St

We know the Dolphins need to address the tight end position in the worst way. Durham Smythe just got a contract extension, but he is “just a guy,” and the extension was for very little money. Thankfully for Miami, this is a very deep tight-end class; some feel the best tight-end draft class in the last ten years. In Mike McDaniel’s offense, they need the tight end to essentially be a 6th offensive lineman. If he can run routes and be a threat in the passing game, just a bonus. Kraft is a willing blocker and has a thick frame. His athleticism allows him to be a guy who can block on the move, so he checks a lot of boxes of what Miami wants in a tight end. As a receiver, many feel his production came from being “schemed” open in college, but again, what he can do as a receiver is secondary to what Miami is looking for. Make no mistake; Kraft has some ability as a receiver, but I feel he is a better blocker than a pass catcher at this point in time. But there is a lot of room for growth as a pass catcher.

You throw Kraft in a Tight End room with Durham Smythe and Eric Saubert, and that is a more than capable tight end room for the Dolphins heading into 2023 and, overall, a group that is a better fit for the offense Miami is currently running.

Previous Pick in Mock Draft 1.0: Garrett Williams, CB Syracuse

 

Round 6, Pick #197

Jake Moody, K Michigan

That’s right, Miami is going with a kicker here, and there is good reason to, as this pick is more to do with Jason Sanders than anything. In 2020, Sanders was a first-team All-Pro kicker, but since then, his game has fallen off a cliff. In 2021 he was only 74.2% on his field goals, and in 2022 that number crept up to 81.3%. He missed three extra points, and his touchback percentage dropped to under 70% as well in 2022. He missed one field goal under 30 years (which is unacceptable by NFL standards for a kicker), and he was only 2 for 6 on field goals over 50 yards this past season (the same number he was in 2021, meaning he is 4 for his last 12 on field goals over 50 yards). This isn’t good enough for a team that has eyes on winning the Super Bowl in 2023. So, Jake Moody is the pick here, and there is a lot to like about Moody. He is a 5-year starter for Michigan but has been the full-time kicker for the last two seasons.  Moody won the 2021 Lou Groza Award while making 23 of 25 field goals in that season, and then led all of college football with 29 made field goals this past year. Moody also came up big in big spots, and he connected on one of the most impressive field goals in college football history, a 59-yarder in the college football playoffs semifinals against TCU. His FG % was 92% and 82.9% in the last two seasons. With field goals under 50 yards, he is damn near automatic. In field goals over 50 yards, he is on par with other NFL kickers in his percentages. Miami would have to eat some dead cap money by letting Sanders go. Still, nothing that is insane, and they can do it as a Post June 1st cut to save some cap space this year, but Jason Sanders was a liability last season, and to get a guy who is just flat-out better in Rd 6 of the draft makes too much sense for a team in “WIN NOW” mode.

Previous Pick in Mock Draft 1.0: Deneric Prince, RB Tulsa

 

Round 7, Pick # 238

Dee Winters, LB TCU

The Dolphins continue to rebuild their linebacker room here with the addition of Dee Winters. Being such a late pick in the draft, most likely a practice squad guy this season that you can hope develops into a contributor in 2024 and beyond. Winters has some versatility and can play inside or outside linebacker, which is a plus heading into the NFL. He can blitz a little, drop in coverage a little, and do everything well but nothing great. Someone you hope Vic Fangio can develop and find a role for in years to come. With Jerome Baker and David Long as guys, you can count on, Andrew Van Ginkel is back, but only on a one-year deal, Malik Reed is a nice addition, but again on a one-year deal, Channing Tindall showed nothing as a 3rd round pick last season, and the Dolphins have an opportunity in their linebacker room for a draft pick to come in and steal a roster spot. Can Winters beat out Duke Riley or Cameron Goode? Maybe, maybe not, but it’s not an impossible task. Winters is a solid tackler with good instincts and experience at multiple LB positions; for a pick in Rd 7, not a bad selection at all.

Previous Pick in Mock Draft 1.0: Charlie Thomas, LB Georgia Tech