Re-drafting the first round for the Miami Dolphins last 10 drafts
By Brian Miller
Hindsight is always 20/20 so why not put it to good use and re-draft the first round for the Miami Dolphins.
Over the last 10 years the Dolphins have made some solid picks in the draft and some they wish they could have back. Today they get to have them back. If we could turn back time and take control over the Dolphins war room for the first round of the draft, this is how we would use that 20/20 vision to re-draft the Dolphins.
2007 – Ted Ginn, Jr.
Re-draft: Darrell Revis
Revis was on his own island for so long you can’t complain that over the last few years he has allowed visitors. Revis was one of the best draft picks in Jets history and had he been drafted by the Dolphins, the team’s defense would have looked a lot different and the New England Patriots Tom Brady may not have has as much success against the Dolphins.
2008 – Jake Long
Re-draft: Matt Ryan
We could go down the list and find a better option but Matt Ryan is still in the league and still producing. Ryan has taken his team to the post-season and to the Super Bowl. He would have changed a lot of things with the Dolphins and possibly the continued coaching search that ensued with Bill Parcells. On the other hand could we just go back and convince Wayne Huizenga not to hire Parcells at all?
2009 – Vontae Davis
Re-draft: Clay Matthews
Even without Darrell Revis (who we re-drafted in 2007) the Miami Dolphins would have been much smarter to draft a linebacker like Matthews who has been outstanding for the Green Bay Packers. Davis wasn’t bad for the Dolphins but the eventual trade shows that Miami did not make the right decision when they drafted him with the 25th pick in round one.
2010 – Jared Odrick
Re-draft: Jason Pierre-Paul
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Miami should never have traded with the San Diego Chargers in a move that dropped them from 12 to 28. JPP was terrific with the Giants and after losing fingers on his hand from a fireworks accident was still able to play at a solid level. While JPP is still in the league, Odrick is not. While the Dolphins should have stayed at 12 they received the 40th pick in that draft as well that used on Koa Misi. Misi was productive but in a re-draft where the Dolphins still trade down, Rob Gronkowski was taken two picks after Misi.
If the Dolphins would have made the trade then Robinson might have been the better draft pick for Miami at 28.
2011 – Mike Pouncey
Re-draft: Cameron Jordan
To be honest Mike Pouncey was a good pick for the Dolphins and you can’t argue with the play he put on the field. Multiple Pro-Bowls that included a stint at guard. Pouncey’s health however was an issue and if we are looking back at his health the Dolphins would have been better off drafting Cameron Jordan who has had a stellar career at defensive end. Imagine he and Cameron Wake on the bookends.
2012 – Ryan Tannehill
Re-draft: Luke Kuechly
Forget about having Matt Ryan on the roster in our re-draft the reality is that while the Dolphins might still be looking for a quarterback they wouldn’t be looking for a linebacker. Kuechly has proven to not only be a stellar linebacker he is a great leader on and off the field and would have made the Dolphins defense a whole lot better. He was taken one pick after the Dolphins selected Tannehill.
2013 – Dion Jordan
Re-draft: Lane Johnson
So much went wrong with this draft selection. Forget the fact that Jordan made no impact with the Dolphins and missed time due to suspensions. The Dolphins needed to fix the offensive line and Johnson would have done that. Many believed that Miami was moving up for Johnson who is having a great career. The Dolphins should have stayed at home and kept their second round picks as well. While they wouldn’t have drafted Johnson at 12 they could have drafted Sheldon Richardson who went one pick later at pick 13.
2014 – Ja’Wuan James
Re-draft: Brandin Cooks
Cooks was taken one pick after the Dolphins selected James. James has not been a bad player for the Dolphins but Miami wouldn’t need him as much in this re-draft. They would need a wide-receiver and Cooks has been good his entire career until last year oddly enough with the Patriots.
2015 – DeVante Parker
Re-draft: Marcus Peters
When the Dolphins drafted Parker there were smiles in the draft room on everyone’s faces but Joe Philbin’s. Maybe that was saying something. Parker has yet to make an impact at wide-receiver but Marcus Peters has been a stud in the secondary with the Chiefs.
2016 – Laremy Tunsil
Re-draft: Laremy Tunsil
The fall of Tunsil was epic and while he hasn’t matured as quickly as the Dolphins would like he has the make-up to be a top left tackle in the NFL. He has a lot of Branden Albert qualities that will help the Dolphins offensive line for a few more years and if he doesn’t ever take the next step, then we can re-draft him then.
2017 – Charles Harris
Re-draft: T.J. Watt
It’s not fair to re-draft a player from a year ago but this is my re-draft and wouldn’t have drafted Harris at 22 overall. Harris had a minor impact on the Dolphins last year and the team hopes he can get better sooner rather than later but Watt had seven sacks as an outside linebacker and fills a major need on the Dolphins defense that still is in question today.
Overall:
Hindsight may be 20/20 but there is no way to change the past so this is all for the fun of it and to explore the what-if’s If you made it this far, congratulations! Now tell us who you would have re-drafted and no you can’t go back 10 and a half years ago and replace me.