Best players of each Miami Dolphins draft class

For all his effort Jimmy Johnson could never get the same success in his drafts with Miami that he did while with the Cowboys. His trade formula simply couldn’t get him the players he needed to make a serious run at a championship. Adding to his inability to draft top game changing players with consistency, Johnson was now coaching in an era of free agency and salary caps.

Defensive tackle Daryl Gardner was Johnson’s first pick as the Dolphins head coach. Drafting him 20th overall in the first round. Gardner would play six of his eight seasons in Miami but was never the force Johnson believed he could be.

Second round pick Dorian Brew lasted only a season and third round pick Karim Abdul-Jabbar would last only three and half. Full back Stanley Pritchet lasted four years as a utility players who played FB, RB, and WR.  In round 6 the Dolphins drafted Shawn Wooden who would spend his first four years in Miami then one in Chicago and then his final three with the Dolphins again. He was a value for his special teams and depth in the secondary.

While Johnson didn’t hit on most of his first draft picks he nailed his 5th rounder. Selecting an undersized product out of Texas Tech, Johnson found the Dolphins their middle linebacker for 12 years. Zach Thomas.

Who was the best?

Zach Thomas