What Should The Miami Dolphins Do During The First Round of The Draft?
Dec. 23, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Paul Soliai (96) during a game against the Buffalo Bills at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
The NFL Draft is fast approaching the Miami Dolphins‘ organization and the rest of the National Football League. Miami, who finished last season with a record of 7-9, will possess the 12th overall selection in the first round on April 25th.
The Dolphins have many needs to fill including corner, offensive tackle, offensive guard, defensive end, safety, running back and wide receiver. These needs give Miami a lot of versatility given the fact that General Manager Jeff Ireland and his team possess an incredible 11 picks during the 7-round draft.
Given Miami’s position at the 12 spot, the team will likely be out of contention for one of the draft’s top 3 offensive tackles – Lane Johnson of Oklahoma, Eric Fisher of Central Michigan and Luke Joeckel of Texas A&M. The Phins will also likely lose out on the draft’s top corner prospect, Alabama‘s Dee Milliner and the draft’s top two dynamic pass rushers – Ezekiel Ansah of Brigham Young and Dion Jordan of Oregon.
The Dolphins have many options ahead of them. While Jeff Ireland is loaded with picks this season he has never really been one to throw his draft choices around. But, if Ireland did want one of the top-tier tackles or the draft’s best corner, he would most likely have to trade up.
The team also has the option to reach for one of the second-tier corners – Xavier Rhodes of Florida State and Desmond Trufant of Washington. Both are physical at the line and have top end speed.
Or could the ‘Phins make a surprise pick in landing a tight end (Eifert)? Or a wide receiver (Austin, Patterson, Allen)? Pass rusher (Werner, Moore, Carradine, Mingo)? Guard (Cooper, Warmack)? How about a shocker drafting a safety (Vaccaro, Cyprien, Elam)? Or a linebacker (Te’o, Brown, Ogletree)?
Given these circumstances, what exactly should Miami do?
I want to hear your opinion. I want to hear from you, the fans! Please leave me a comment below and tell me your name, what you think the team should do during the first round of the draft, and why! Be specific.
The top five options will be posted on Thursday, April 11th. I will also let you know what I believe the team should do and why!
Thank you for your insight! And go ‘Phins!