Miami Dolphins: Best and worst 3rd round picks since 2000

The Miami Dolphins should have found starting quality players in the third round of the last 20 draft but found more busts than successes.

In 20 drafts the Miami Dolphins failures to find sustainable talent in the 3rd round has left the team depleted of depth and starting talent. What should be developmental players with high potential, Miami has failed far more than they have succeded.

The Best

2001 – Travis Minor

Minor put together six consistent and solid seasons with the Dolphins as a change of pace running back. He finished his Dolphins career with 1,133 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. Not great but his time in Miami wasn’t a bad one. He played two more seasons with the Rams before leaving the league in 2009.

2005 – Channing Crowder

There are a lot of adjectives to describe Channing Crowder’s time with the Dolphins and amusing was one of them. Crowder was a solid linebacker for his entire six seasons with the Dolphins. He had a vibrant personality on and off the field and was well liked by the coaches and his teammates. On the field, Crowder played physical. He combined for 469 tackles. Injuries plagued Crowder over his career especially at the end forcing him to retire from the NFL.

2008 – Kendall Langford

Langford was supposed to be a 3rd round steal for the Dolphins and for the most part, played well just never great. He spent four seasons with Miami starting 54 of a possible 64 games. He finished his career in 2017 with the Texans after two seasons with the Colts and three with the Rams prior to that.

2010 – John Jerry

Jerry could have been a very good guard for the Dolphins. He was just starting to get consistent when the Jonathan Martin fiasco happened. Jerry would leave Miami after that season in part due to his involvement in the case. He spent four seasons with the Dolphins who opted not to extend him. He would play four more seasons with the NY Giants. starting all but 8 games due to injury.

2012 – Olivier Vernon

Olivie Vernon should have been the long-term solution at defensive end and would have been a steal in the third round but his first three seasons were average at best. He turned up his play in year four, a contract year, and parlayed that season into a huge free agent contract with the Giants. The Dolphins opted to not retain him after his contract demands didn’t fit with what Miami was looking for. In 2018 he made his first Pro Bowl with New York.

2016 – Kenyan Drake

It is hard to say where Drake will rank on this list when his contract is up. He was in the Adam Gase doghouse late in 2018 but when he is on his game he is hard to stop. He is the catalyst to the “Miami Miracle” and remains a fan favorite but there are questions about his long-term future beyond 2019 as the Dolphins have a history of turnover at the position with incoming mid-round runners.

2018 – Jerome Baker

Jerome Baker’s first season with the Dolphins was a success but can he maintain that under Brian Flores? For now, Baker is a very good addition to the Dolphins roster.

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The Bad

There is not a lot to say about the worst players taken in the third round because many didn’t last all that long or never really got on the field. Here is a look at the names that became wasted picks in round three.

2000 – Ben Kelly – DB: Lasted only two seasons in the NFL

2003 – Wade Smith – OT: Lasted only two seasons in Miami

2003 – Taylor Whitley – G: Lasted one season in Miami and two total in the NFL

2006 – Derek Hagan – WR: 2 and one half seasons in Miami with one start

2007 – Lorenzo Booker – RB: One season in Miami

2009 – Patrick Turner – WR: One season in Miami

2012 – Michael Egnew – TE: Two seasons in Miami with five starts and 69 yards receiving

2013 – Will Davis – DB: Two seasons in Miami

2013 – Dallas Thomas – G: Three seasons and one game with Miami

2014 – Billy Turner – T: Two full seasons and five games with Miami

2016 – Leonte Carroo – WR: Two seasons with Miami with two starts and two TD’s

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