Miami Dolphins history of drafting in the 18th position

The Miami Dolphins will draft twice in round one this year and while many have focused on the 6th pick, the Dolphins will also pick at 18.

As we discussed yesterday, the Dolphins have made 13 picks inside the top 10 but how many have they made between 17 and 19? We are going to take a quick look.

The Dolphins have never drafted a player at pick 18. This year will be a first for the Dolphins as they will select two players from draft positions they have never selected from. That would change of course if they trade again.

EDITORS NOTE: Somehow I missed Austin Jackson being drafted last year at the 18 spot

In 2014, the Dolphins drafted Ja’Wuan James at pick 19. James was a solid and consistent right tackle but he was dogged by injuries missing considerable time in 2015 and 2017. In 2019 the Dolphins let James leave in free agency. He signed with the Broncos but only played in 3 games the entire season.

In 2020, James opted out of the season due to COVID. It was probably smart on his part to give himself more time to recover.

Jumping back to 2004, the Dolphins made a trade up from 20 to take Vernon Carey at 19. Carey played his entire NFL career with the Dolphins and was a starter for all but 14 games in his career.

James played eight NFL seasons and started every game he played in except in his rookie year where he started only two of 14 games. James didn’t get a lot of the recognition he probably deserved.

Finally, we go back to the draft in 1976 where Miami drafted linebacker Larry Gordon at 17. Gordon played seven seasons with the Dolphins which amounted to his entire NFL career. He started 98 of 100 games he played