Miami Dolphins GM Chris Grier never drafts running backs. Right?

One of the most common things you hear about Miami Dolphins General Manager Chris Grier is that he is averse to drafting running backs, especially high in the draft. Over the past few drafts, this has been an especially hot topic as the team has “missed out” on backs like Javonte Williams, Najee Harris, and others in the eyes of many fans.

With the arrival of Mike McDaniel and the wide-zone scheme last offseason, fans were sure the team would draft a running back – until they didn’t – all but confirming that Chris Grier doesn’t like to draft running backs.

However, as part of a research project that I’m doing on my own Dolphins website, I started to dig into Chris Grier’s actual draft tendencies and discovered something interesting – that he may not be any more averse to drafting a running back than any other General Manager is.

Let me explain.

Miami Dolphins running back draft history under Chris Grier

Since Chris Grier took over as General Manager in 2016, albeit with Mike Tannenbaum overseeing football operations until the end of the 2018 season, the team has made 51 draft selections across 7 draft classes.

Throughout that span, the team drafted 27 players on the offensive side of the ball with 5 of them classified as running backs (though one was a FB). Here’s the breakdown:

• 2016: Kenyan Drake, round 3, pick 73
  • MIA Career: 4 seasons, 333 carries, 1532 yards, and 9 touchdowns
• 2018: Kalen Ballage, round 4, pick 131
  • MIA Career: 2 seasons, 110 carries, 326 yards, and 4 touchdowns
• 2019: Chandler Cox (FB), round 7, pick 233
  • MIA Career: 2 seasons, no attempts
• 2019: Myles Gaskin, round 7, pick 234
  • MIA Career: 4 seasons, 361 attempts, 1355 yards, and 7 touchdowns
• 2021: Gerrid Doaks, round 7, pick 244
  • MIA Career: Practice squad only, no attempts

How do the Miami Dolphins compare to the rest of the league?

It took me a while to compile the data, using DraftHistory.com to guide me, but I was able to pull together the total number of running backs drafted by every team in the NFL during that same span of 2016-2022. In doing so, I learned a little bit.

• The team that drafted the least number of running backs during that time was the New Orleans Saints.
• The team that drafted the most running backs during that span was the Seattle Seahawks with a total of eight.
• Since Chandler Cox, a fullback, is categorized by DraftHistory.com as a running back he counts towards Miami’s total, as do players like Derek Watt. With Cox included, the Miami Dolphins drafted five total running backs. If you’d prefer to leave him out, the number is four.
• The league average for the number of running backs drafted from 2016-2022 came out to be 4.97 per team.
• If you round that up ever so slightly to 5, the Miami Dolphins are right in line with the league average. Even if you don’t they still are.

While the Miami Dolphins haven’t drafted guys like Derek Henry, Alvin Kamara, Dalvin Cook, Christian McAffrey, or any other big-name backs over the past 7 drafts, that doesn’t make them any less likely to draft a running back.

With a Head Coach that loves to be aggressive, a strong running game could be a difference-maker for the team in 2023 and beyond. Knowing that the team average under Grier lines up with the league average, hopefully, fans can go into this offseason, and the draft, with a little more optimism that the team will find their long-term answer at running back.

With guys like Jeff WIlson, Jr. itching to return, it’s not like running backs don’t want to play here. It’s up to Grier to find them.