With the Miami Dolphins season officially over, the team is officially looking forward to improving the roster in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The Dolphins will not only need to improve their roster, but now they will also need to hire a new head coach. On the league’s first day following the last week of the season, a day known as “Black Monday,” the Dolphins shocked everyone by firing head coach Brian Flores after back-to-back 9+ win seasons.
Miami Dolphins may not be the top spot for coaching candidates
The Miami Dolphins have a head coaching vacancy but that doesn't mean they are a top spot on the minds of head coaching candidates.
The team will likely look to add an offensive minded head coach to help develop Tua Tagovailoa and build off the 8 wins in 9 games. The team currently has eight picks in the draft to go along with the second highest project cap space, according to Spotrac.
The Dolphins have clear holes that the team must address, mainly at offensive line and running back. The team should be able to land players at those position in the draft, but if history holds true under Chris Grier, they’ll either pass on a sure thing for a project, or ignore the position until the late rounds.
If Miami wants to make the jump now, the team will need to hit on their draft picks. Grier will need to prove that Stephen Ross kept him on board for good reason.
*Note: Mock draft was created using NFLMOCKDRAFTDATABASE’s mock draft simulator.
Even with a head coaching change imminent for the Miami Dolphins, it’s clear that the team needs to fix their offensive line and badly.
This class does feature some high-level offensive lineman talent. Among them are Alabama offensive tackle and projected top-three pick Evan Neal, NC State offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu, Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum, Mississippi State offensive tackle Charles Cross, and Texas A&M interior offensive lineman Kenyon Green. Miami would be fortunate to land any of the three.
Here the Dolphins are able to land Cross, one of the top three offensive tackles in this class. To say Miami needs an upgrade at either tackle spot is an understatement.
The team had one of the league’s worst-ranked offensive lines and is in dire need of protection for Tagovailoa and run game blocking. At 6-foot-5, 310 pounds, Cross is a massive player who only allowed 2 sacks in 919 snaps while being named to the All-SEC team the last two seasons.
Miami needs to get sure things from their offensive lineman, if they choose to draft them, and not players with possible high potential. Cross proved he can deal with the best after playing at a high level in the SEC.
Behind the offensive line, the Dolphins’ biggest need is at running back. The team cycled a group of Myles Gaskin, Malcolm Brown, Salvon Ahmed, Phillip Lindsey, and Duke Johnson.
This group combined for two 100-yard games this season, both coming by Johnson late in the season.
This has been a common issue during the Grier/Flores era and it is passing up on talented young running backs for who knows what reason. The list includes Jonathan Taylor, Najee Harris, Antonio Gibson, and many more over a three-year period.
Now the Dolphins will need to get an impact running back this offseason no matter what. Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker is that impact running back.
We have continued to see young running backs becoming the main focal points of offenses and being able to become workhorses for their teams, to then take a major leap in their second seasons. Walker would take on a major role off the rip for the Dolphins if they decide to take him.
After transferring from Wake Forrest to Michigan State, Walker had 263 carries for 1,636 yards and 18 rushing scores. It will be interesting to see if teams view him as a one-year wonder or a player that can continue his rise.
Walker should be one of the first backs off the board and Miami must make him a priority.
Alec Pierce was a major piece of the Cincinnati Bearcats great season that led to them becoming the first Group of 5 team to make the College Football Playoffs. Not only was Pierce one of projected first-round pick quarterback Desmond Ridder, but he also comes in at 6-foot-3.
In 2021, Pierce led the Bearcats in receptions with 52, receiving yards with 884, and receiving touchdowns with 8. He was the main target of Ridder’s deep balls as he averaged 17 yards per reception.
The Dolphins attempted to make things work with Will Fuller, the former Pro-Bowler, after signing him to a one-year deal away from the Houston Texans. Not bringing back Fuller would save the team cap in order to go after big-time offensive lineman.
Pierce may not be at the same level as Fuller, but he would be a cheaper and younger option without the injury history. Fuller was only available for two games for the Dolphins on the season due to both suspension and injuries.
Pierce should be around in the third round come draft time, and it is a position the Dolphins need to improve. Unless the team falls in love with another wideout, Pierce could bring a solid ceiling to a stagnant Dolphins offense.
The Miami Dolphins have three good safeties, but is it possible one of them could be on the way out?
Rookie Jevon Holland and second-year safety Brandon Jones impressed during the 2021 season and fans should be excited for this safety tandem heading into the future. But their growth could mean the end of Eric Rowe’s time with the Miami Dolphins.
If the Dolphins do choose to move on from Rowe, they would need to bring in another safety. Local prospect Bubba Bolden from the Miami Hurricanes would be a solid option.
The former USC Trojan transferred to Miami and had an up and down career there due to injuries. When he did play he was an impact player and a leader for the team.
In three years with the Hurricanes, Bolden was a tackling machine with 127 tackles. With a 6-foot-3 frame, Bolden is a bigger player than Rowe who also plays well in the box.
Bolden could fit in well with Jones and Holland as each would be able to rotate around the field. The Dolphins’ versatility on the back end is one of the team’s best abilities and should continue to take full advantage of their talented young safeties.
The Dolphins run game was so bad that it wouldn’t be the worst thing moving on from what’s currently on the roster and drafting two new backs. With Walker already off the board for the team, the team could benefit from adding Georgia running back James Cook.
During the College Football Playoffs, Cook made big play after big play to help the Bulldogs eventually win the National Championship for the first time since 1980. He was able to do it through both the ground and the air as a receiver.
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Cook and Walker would give the team two young and dynamic running backs that would immediately improve the run game.
If anyone has issues with this, they could look at the San Francisco 49ers draft class. While having Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. on the roster the 49ers still drafted two running backs in the draft. Ohio State’s Trey Sermon was drafted in the third, while Louisiana running back Elijah Mitchell was taken in the sixth.
Mitchell ended up becoming the starter and lead back for the team, but they relied on all their backs throughout the season.
Cook has the traits to become an elite back in this league, pairing him with Walker could give the team a backfield they haven’t had since Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams.
As of right now the Miami Dolphins only have Jaelan Phillips as the only impact rusher on the roster with Emmanuel Ogbah scheduled to hit free agency. The team will, and should, do whatever they need to do to bring him back.
Even if they do, the team will need to improve the depth at the EDGE position. Behind Ogbah and Phillips, no player on the Dolphins had more than 5.5 sacks. However the team did have 48 sacks with 14 players contributing at least half a sack on the season.
Assuming the team brings back Ogabh and continues his pairing with Phillips, the team will still need to bring in solid rotational pieces. Minnesota EDGE Boye Mafe could offer possible upside.
Mafe’s senior season was easily his best as he had a career-high in tackles (34) and sacks (7) for the Golden Gophers. At 6-foot-4, 265 pounds, Mafe has a solid frame and speed to bring some potential in becoming a solid rotational EDGE for the Dolphins.
Miami likely won’t land an immediate superstar at the position with all the needs they have on offense, but if the team can continue to get multiple players to contribute sacks, they can get by without an elite EDGE. However, the team does hope Phillips can become that elite three-down pass rusher.
The Miami Dolphins have not done a great job as of late of turning late-round prospects into viable starters for their rosters. In fact, only long snapper Blake Ferguson and Andrew Van Ginkel are the only players drafted in round five or later that are consistent starters for the team.
Montana State linebacker Troy Andersen is a player who could fall late that has proven he can be successful on both sides of the ball and could become a star in the NFL. Not only has Andersen been named First Team All-Big Sky a linebacker, but he’s also earned the award at quarterback.
He started his career at both running back and linebacker starting as a true freshman at both positions. He’s currently a fifth-year senior and played mainly linebacker in his fifth year ending the season with 147 tackles 14 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, 1 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, and 2 interceptions.
Andersen offers versatility and athleticism having succeeded at multiple positions in D1 football. His stock should rise as he has proven to have a nose for the football and should have a high upside in coverage.
He’s a freak athlete standing at 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, and would likely start his career on special teams, but could carve a role on any team in the league.
At one time Xavier Thomas was one of the highest-ranked players in the country coming out of high school and seemed to be a three-year guy who would be taken in the first round of the NFL draft. Fast forward to 2022 and Thomas seems to be banking on a major combine or pro day to rise up on draft boards.
Odds are Thomas will likely rise on boards.
He was a productive player during his time at Clemson, being named a Freshman All-American, and a two-time Third-Team All-ACC selection in his career. With 12.5 sacks and 28 tackles for loss in his career at Clemson, he put up solid numbers but not something you’d expect from a top-5 player. Although his best season was his freshman year.
At 6-foot-2, 265 pounds, Thomas is big, strong, and fast which explains why he was so highly touted coming out of high school. His physical profile should raise his stock come draft week.
Landing Thomas in the seventh round could give the Dolphins a guy to develop and attempt to bring out that talent. Thomas could prove to be a low-risk, high-reward player for the Dolphins if they choose to go in that direction.