The Miami Dolphins have an impressive connection with the Louisville program. In fact, some of the team’s greatest players are former Cardinals.
Historically, the University of Louisville may not have a stronger connection with an NFL team than they do with the Miami Dolphins.
Because it is not a powerhouse university, Louisville isn’t exactly well represented across NFL rosters. The crown jewel is of course Lamar Jackson, but the list gets rather thin once you make it past Jaire Alexander, Mekhi Becton, and Sheldon Rankins. During the 2021 season, there were 10 Louisville alum on NFL rosters, on par with schools like UCF and Boise State, and behind Duke, Rutgers, and Houston.
The Cardinals didn’t do much to change that dynamic in 2021, as they only have a couple of prospects who figure to be drafted in the late rounds, if at all. They finished with a 6-7 record last season, and haven’t finished in the Top 25 of the final AP Poll since 2016. A safety by the name of Kenderick Duncan is the most highly touted of the prospects coming out of Louisville this year, and he may not even hear his name called on Draft Night 2022.
But for whatever reason, some of the greatest Miami Dolphins players of all time have come out of Louisville. Arguably the best cornerback, the best wide receiver, and the longest current tenured player on the team were all Cardinals once. We break it down for you here, and show you the three best Miami Dolphins players ever drafted out of the University of Louisville.
DeVante Parker
DeVante Parker has been in the news recently, as the former longest tenured Miami Dolphins player has been traded to the division rival New England Patriots.
Selected with the 14th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, it took Parker a while to grow in to a legit #1 receiver for the Dolphins. Nearly labeled a bust, he has come on in recent years, and has put up good numbers despite his injury issues and Miami’s limited offense. His best season came in 2019, which is the only season of his career in which he played in all 16 games. He put up 1,200+ yards and caught 9 touchdowns that year, numbers that he hasn’t even come close to before or since. The theory has been that if Parker didn’t struggle with nagging injuries, his output would be far more respectable. But perhaps things will be different for him in New England with Mac Jones. Don’t count on it.
Parker earned both first and second team All-AAC honors while at Louisville, catching 33 touchdowns over his four seasons. His collegiate quarterback for his first three years was Teddy Bridgewater, who is now the Dolphins backup.
Sam Madison
Sam Madison is arguably the best cornerback in Miami Dolphins history, and selecting him out of Louisville is one of the best draft decisions the team has ever made.
The Dolphins selected Madison in the second round (44th overall) of the 1997 Draft, and he had as decorated a career as pretty much anyone not named Dan Marino, Jason Taylor, or Zach Thomas. Madison was named to four straight Pro Bowls, was a first team All-Pro twice, a second teamer twice again, and was tied for the league lead in interceptions in 1999.
At Louisville, Madison set the school record for interceptions and passes defended, and was named a second-team All American during his senior season.
The connection continues. Madison has been brought in along with former teammate Patrick Surtain to coach the secondary this coming season in Miami. While he may be a bit too old for most of the younger players to remember his impact on the team, he will certainly be a familiar face on the sidelines to the fans. He and Surtain take over one coaching one of the most talented cornerback duos in today’s NFL, and should have a positive impact on the defense going forward.
Mark Clayton
One half of the fabled “Marks Brothers”, Mark Clayton is arguably the greatest pass catcher in Miami Dolphins history.
He and Mark Duper were drafted in 1982 and 1983 respectively, and spent the formative days of their careers catching balls from Dan Marino. The duo remains the best pass catching attack that the team has ever had, and they both top the list in virtually every statistical category when it comes to Dolphins receivers. They have eerily similar numbers in a handful of categories:
Games:
Duper – 146
Clayton – 142
Catches:
Duper – 511
Clayton – 550
Yards:
Duper – 8,869
Clayton – 8,643
But the category that truly set Clayton apart in the argument for best ever is his touchdown total. He scored 81 touchdowns for the Dolphins, 22 more than his counterpart on the other side of the field. He led the league in that category twice in his career, amassing an impressive 18 during Marino’s record-setting season in 1984.
Clayton was named to five Pro Bowls during his 10-year tenure in Miami, before finishing his career with a single season in Green Bay. He was selected with the 223rd overall pick in 1983, making him one of the best value draft picks in team history.