The National Football League’s 2022 draft is only a few days away. The Miami Dolphins have been major players in the last few drafts, but this year the Dolphins enter having only four picks in the entire draft and none of them were originally theirs. That’s not to say Chris Grier won’t make a move to gather more picks but as it stands now Phins fans could be bored during this year’s draft.
One thing we can do though, is take a look back at, what I feel, are the Miami Dolphins’ best draft picks in each round. A chance to reminisce you might say.
A few of these are no-brainers while a few certainly could be up for debate.
Round 1 – Dan Marino (Quarterback – 1983) – This is one of those no-brainers. Marino is a Hall of Famer and arguably the greatest passer of the football the NFL has ever seen. The story of Dan Marino is well known. The last of six quarterbacks picked in the first round. A first-round that produced seven Hall of Fame players. There were rumors that spiraled around Marino at the University of Pittsburgh that caused him to slide all the way to #27 overall. Miami was happy to draft Dan and the rest as they say is history. Honorable Mention – Bob Griese (QB – 1967), Larry Csonka (RB – 1968), and Richmond Webb (Tackle – 1990)
Round 2 – Dwight Stephenson (Center – 1980) – Like Marino in round one, Stephenson is a no-brainer. Dwight Stephenson is in the conversation at the greatest center ever to have played the position. Stephenson also has a bust in Canton as his career produced five seasons of All-Pro play. Stephenson’s career was cut somewhat short due to injuries. Stephenson had the honor to play under two of the greatest football coaches in the history of the game having played for Bear Bryant at Alabama and Don Shula in Miami. Honorable Mention – Sam Madison (CB – 1997), Patrick Surtain (CB – 1998) and Xavien Howard (CB – 2016)
Round 3 – Jason Taylor (Defensive End – 1997) – When you are the owner of a yellow jacket given out by the Hall of Fame you tend to land on “greatest of all time lists”. This is the case for Jason Taylor as the Dolphins’ all-time greatest third-round pick. Taylor was a dominant player during his 15-year career. Taylor was a four-time All-Pro and in 2006 took home the league’s Defensive Player of the Year honors. Taylor finished his career with 139.5 sacks and 9 defensive touchdowns. Honorable Mention – Dick Anderson (Safety – 1968), Duriel Harris (Wide Receiver 1976), and Tony Nathan (Running Back – 1979)
Round 4 – Randy McMichael (Tight End – 2002) – The fourth round hasn’t been kind to the Dolphins over the years. While the Phins have found solid contributors, they’ve yet to find that round four-diamond in the rough. McMichael gets the nod here from me here seeing as he’s the Dolphins’ all-time leader in receptions and yards for a tight end (469 rec for 3096 yds). McMichael played his college ball in Georgia. Honorable Mention – Dwight Hollier (Linebacker – 1992), Jeff Dellenbach (Tackle – Wisconsin), and Brian Hartline (Wide Receiver – 2009)
Round 5 – Zach Thomas – (Linebacker – 1996) – Has there ever been a bigger Hall of Fame snub? Thomas was an All-Pro seven times during his playing career (5 first team, 2-second team). Thomas was the anchor in the middle of the Dolphins’ defense from the very first day he set foot in Miami. Thomas had a penchant for being around the football. Not only was Zach a tackling machine averaging well over 100 tackles per season but he also finished his career with 17 interceptions, returning four of them for scores. Thomas carved out what I consider a Hall of Fame career after being told he was too slow, too small, etc. Honorable Mention – Jim Kiick (Running back – 1968), Bryan Cox (Linebacker – 1991), and Reshad Jones (Safety – 2010)
Round 6 – Doug Betters – (Defensive End – 1978) – Betters had a solid career in Miami with one spectacular one. In 1983 Betters was the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year registering 16 sacks and four fumble recoveries. Betters finished his 10-year career in Miami with 64.5 total sacks. Betters was a key part of Miami’s Killer Bees defense during the 1980s. Honorable Mention – Reggie Roby (Punter – 1983), Shawn Wooden (Safety – 1996), and Yeremiah Bell (Safety – 2003)
Round 7 – Jake Scott – (Safety – 1970) – Jake Scott never missed a game in his nine years in the NFL (6 with Miami, 3 with Washington). During that time Scott tallied 49 career interceptions. During his six years in Miami, Scott was an All-Pro four times (2 first team, 2-second team). Scott was named the MVP of Super Bowl VII where he helped the Dolphins complete the only undefeated season in NFL history with two interceptions. Honorable Mention – Uwe Von Schamann (Kicker – 1979), Joe Rose (Tight End – 1980), and Jason Sanders (Kicker – 2018)
Round 8 – Mark Clayton – (Wide Receiver – 1981) – Clayton made up the other half of the “Marks Brothers”. Mark Clayton caught 79 of his 84 career touchdown passes from Dan Marino, making them the most prolific in Dolphins history. Clayton eclipsed the 1000-yard mark five times in his 10-year career. Even though small in stature (5’9” 177 lbs) Clayton was a monster on the field. Honorable Mention – Glenn Blackwood (Safety – 1979), David Woodley (QB – 1980), and Pete Stoyanovich (Kicker – 1989).
Round 9 – Vern Den Herder – (Defensive End – 1971) – Den Herder was drafted in 1971 and played 12 seasons for the Miami Dolphins. Den Herder was a key player on Miami’s two Super Bowl winning defenses. Den Herder finished his career in Miami with 65 career sacks. Not only was Vern Den Herder a very good player for Miami, he was also one of my favorite football cards growing up!
Round 10 – Mark Dennard – (Center – 1978) – As you might imagine the pickings get a little slim when you are talking about round 10 in the draft. The draft doesn’t even go that long anymore. With that being said, Dennard did carve out a seven-year NFL career, five with Miami and two with Philadelphia. Not bad for a 10th-round pick. Honorable Mention – Gary Fencik (Safety – 1976) While never playing for Miami, Fencik did play 12 years for the Bears and was an All-Pro twice.
Round 11 – Jim “Crash” Jensen – (Quarterback – 1981) – Jensen is a favorite among Dolphins fans of my age. Jensen came out of college as a quarterback but made his name in the NFL by doing it all. Jensen played 12 years for the Dolphins. After three years of virtually no playing time, Jensen decided to take the approach of doing anything to get on the field, and that’s what he did. He caught the ball, he ran the ball, and was a very good special teams player. Jensen ended his career with Miami in 1992 with 229 catches for 2171 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Round 12 – J.B. Brown – (Cornerback – 1989) – Brown was a solid contributor for Miami, playing eight of his 12 years for the Dolphins. Brown recorded 16 interceptions during those eight years. Honorable Mention – No real players to speak of here.
Rounds 13 – 17 – Lloyd Mumphord (Cornerback – 1969) – Let’s face it, during the days the draft was more than 12 rounds, not many of those players made an impact. The same holds true for Miami. Mumphord was the only player worth noting. Mumphord played 10 years in the NFL, six in Miami, and four with Baltimore. Mumphord was a productive cornerback tallying 21 career interceptions, 14 of those with Miami.
The Dolphins don’t have a lot of draft capital this year but let’s hope Chris Grier and company maximize what the Dolphins do have.