Former Miami Dolphins draft picks who need to retire
By Brian Miller
From 2008 to 2012, no other former Miami Dolphins draft pick is still in the league.
In 2012, the Dolphins drafted nine players. Three of those nine are still in the league starting with first-round pick Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill isn’t going anywhere in the near future but the other two players could be heading out of the league soon.
In round three, Olivier Vernon was taken and he played well enough to get a huge free agent contract from the Giants. Vernon’s career in New York was better than average but many Giants fans would say he didn’t live up to the contract.
His last two seasons have been with the Browns. Those were in 2019 and 2020. Last year, he did not play. Currently, a free agent, Vernon probably has one or two years left in his career if that. No more than a depth player at this point, Vernon is likely to land with someone during training camp now that he is fully healthy but if he can’t make a roster this year, his career in the NFL will likely be over.
In his final season, Vernon started 13 of 14 games with 36 combined tackles. Statistically, Vernon was still playing at a solid level in 2020 so it would be surprising if he didn’t get another shot at this season. Still, his time in the NFL is coming to an end and retirement is not far off.