Best players of each Miami Dolphins draft class

In 1973 the Dolphins had 20 draft picks. Of those 20, 12 made it to an NFL roster. The Dolphins first pick came in round two where they took TE Chuck Bradley and then in round three selected tackle Leon Gray.

Out of 20 draft picks only four players made the Dolphins roster. 4th round WR Bo Rather appeared for part of the 73 season his only season in Miami. 7th round RB Thomas Smith also played one season in Miami.

Despite the monumental disproportion of players not making the roster the Dolphins found two gems in the draft that would impact the team for more than a decade.

One pick was selected in round five and the other in round six. Determining which of those two deserves to be the best is very hard.

Don Strock spent 14 season with the Dolphins in his 15 year career. He backed up Bob Griese, David Woodley, and Dan Marino. In the 163 games he appeared in he started only 20 yet his value to the team was from what he provided on the sidelines.

Strock was the bridge for each generation of quarterback and the portal between Don Shula’s way of doing things to the incoming next quarterback. Reliable and efficient, Strock could come in at a moments notice and lead the team to victory.

Strock would have been an easy decision if not for Ed Newman taken a round later.

Newman spent 12 years with the Dolphins starting 113 of the 117 games he played in. He made the Pro-Bowl each of his last four seasons in the NFL. He was as reliable a offensvie guard as Miami has ever had.

Who was the best?

Don Strock

Given his longevity as a back-up but still bringing expertise to the team and his impact on the field while being off of it is hard to overlook.