The NFL Draft has come and gone, and many fans already seem unhappy with what the Miami Dolphins have done. When you take a step back and look back to last season, you have to remember the injury concerns that our team faced, aside from the quarterback position. I think it’s time that we, as fans, take a step back and trust that Stephen Ross, Chris Grier, and Mike McDaniel are doing what will give the team the best chance to win. 

 

To begin, let’s address the draft and how the Dolphins used their four picks. With their first pick in the second round, they selected cornerback Cam Smith from South Carolina. While most were confused by the pick, considering that we had just added Jalen Ramsey via trade, it was a pick that was desperately needed. As you may remember, the Dolphins were decimated in the secondary last season, losing Trill Williams in training camp, then Brandon Jones, then Nik Needham, Howard had lingering groin injuries, and we were playing with backups that did the best they could. The Dolphins likely do not want to face those issues again and selected Cam Smith to help with depth and prepare for the future as Howard and Ramsey are closer to the ends of their careers than they are at the beginning. 

With the second pick, which came in the third round, McDaniel continued to feed his obsession with speed by selecting running back Devon Achane from Texas A&M. Achane was the fastest running back at the combine, posting a 4.32 40-yard dash time, which is right on par with Hill, Waddle, and Mostert, this also fits the top prerequisite to be a Miami Dolphin. Running back was another position that faltered towards the end when Raheem Mostert broke his thumb before the playoff game against the Buffalo Bills, leaving Jeff Wilson and Salvon Ahmed to carry the load, resulting in 42 total rushing yards. McDaniel acquires a Swiss Army knife with Achane as he can run, catch passes out of the backfield, and will be able to help in the return game; if there’s one coach in the league who can get the most out of a 4.32 running back, it’s Mike McDaniel. 

 

With the last two picks in the sixth and seventh rounds, the Dolphins addressed two more positions of need, with converted tight end Elijah Higgins from Stanford and offensive tackle Ryan Hayes from Michigan. These two picks will add competition to positions that are up for grabs, and that’s all you can hope for from late-round picks and anything else that would be considered a home run. The Dolphins have also added 21 undrafted free agents for their rookie minicamp, which is likely to result in some hidden gems, just like Kader Kohou was last season. 

 

I think drafting for need is how you end up with players that don’t pan out, as you’ve seen with picks like Austin Jackson, Noah Igbinoghene, and Liam Eichenberg. There are still a lot of veteran free-agent options to shore up positions like the offensive and defensive lines. Alas, fans will always be fans and ridicule every minute detail of their favorite team, but I think Dolphins fans need to step back and realize that the roster we currently have is better than any roster we’ve had in a long time. Our Super Bowl window is very much open, and with coaches like McDaniel and Vic Fangio leading the charge, fans can sleep easy and just breathe a little until the season gets underway.