Playing Miami Dolphins GM compared to Chris Grier
For years Miami Dolphins fans have been saying “I can do a better job in the draft than that guy!” Would they do better than Chris Grier?
I count myself as one of those Miami Dolphins fans and this article is a referendum on whether our readers believe I am…or not. So I am going to take on Chris Grier.
In advance of the people who will say that Chris Grier had limited power until this season, this article assumes that Grier had control over the draft since being appointed GM on January 4th, 2016. It will not cover free agents signed/lost or deals that were restructured as they are viewed as the domain of Mike Tannenbaum. And yes we all know that hindsight is 20/20.
2016 NFL Draft
My Picks (Number in parentheses is the round selection)
(1) Shaq Lawson, DE
(2) MacKenzie Alexander, CB
(3) Kyler Fackrell, LB
(4) Kenyan Drake, RB
(5) Harlan Miller, CB
(6) Scooby Wright, LB
(7a) Landon Turner, G
(7b) Byrce Williams, TE
Grier’s Picks
(1) Laremy Tunsil, T
(2) Xavien Howard, CB
(3a) Kenyan Drake, RB
(3b) Leonte Carroo, WR
(4) No pick due to Howard trade-up
(5) Pick traded for 6a, 6b, and 7a
(6a) Jakeem Grant, WR
(6b) Jordan Lucas, S
(7a) Brandon Doughty, QB
(7b) Thomas Duarte, TE
Synopsis
(1) Tunsil’s “gas mask bong” video scared me off so I took the talented pass rusher instead.
(2) Howard has outperformed Alexander; although Alexander is the victim of a crowded secondary in Minnesota.
(3) Fackrell has steadily gotten better for Green Bay and had 10.5 sacks last season in seven starts. Also, nobody believes that the Carroo trade (2016 4th and 2017 3rd and 4th round picks) was worthwhile.
(4) Drake was probably available here because only one running back was selected between Miami’s picks in rounds three and four so I got good value here.
(5) Miller has only appeared in 9 games in the past three seasons for Minnesota so it seems I got this pick wrong.
(6) In this round, I got seduced by Wright’s sophomore college season and thought he would return to form but he never seemed to recover from the knee injury he suffered during his junior season. He spent time on the Browns and Cardinals for two seasons and is now out of the league.
Meanwhile, Jakeem Grant was a weapon as a punt/kick returner for the Dolphins from his rookie season and flashed ability as a play-making WR from time-to-time over the last two seasons. Jordan Lucas, meanwhile, played a role on special teams with the Dolphins for two seasons before being traded to KC right before the 2018 season.
(7) Both Turner and Williams have bounced around on NFL practice squads since being drafted but have one start and played in a total of 7 games. Grier’s selections of Doughty and Duarte have zero starts and only appeared in one game since entering the league.
Conclusion: As of now, Grier beat me in this draft…by a large margin.
As long as Tunsil stays clean, Grier’s draft has given the Dolphins a starting LT, Pro Bowl CB, and a productive WR/returner.
My draft has yielded little so far, stats-wise, but Lawson might have made the signing of Andre Branch unnecessary. Alexander would have been a starter in Miami. Fackrell’s 10.5 sacks in Green Bay’s 3-4 defense would look good for this season’s hybrid defense.
Watch for draft comparisons in 2016 and 2017 coming this week! We will have a link for you below.