Miami Dolphins don’t need CB help but these 5 could be available at 51

The Miami Dolphins made their biggest splash of the off-season when they traded for Jalen Ramsey and that made CB less of a need entering the NFL Draft.

When the NFL Draft starts later this month, the Miami Dolphins will not be looking to add early help at cornerback. They simply don’t need to this year as they are locked down with Xavien Howard and Ramsey with promising young corners in Nik Needham, Kader Kohou, Trill Williams, and a couple of others.

Could there be a “can’t pass-up” draft prospect at 51? What if someone dropped that the Dolphins simply didn’t expect to be on the board, would they make him their selection?

Honestly, there really isn’t a player that could drop to 51 that would have the value for the Dolphins to take that position rather than another one. The top five that could be available at five, are not players that Miami will likely covet to the point of passing on needs.

• Eli Ricks – Alabama

Ricks is a 6’2″ corner that has good speed and vision but last season was his big year in college and that doesn’t give him a big resume. He is likely going to go in the early to mid-second round and whoever drafts him will not be mad that they did. It just won’t be Miami.

• Tyrique Stevenson – University of Miami

Big, fast, physical. Nice attributes to have for a corner. He is 6’0″ and can get to the ball. Stevenson could fall to the mid to late 2nd round or he could find himself getting interest at the end of the first round. Most have him as a second-round prospect but as we know in the NFL Draft, teams will covet players and take them higher than many believed they would go.

• Deonte Banks – Maryland

Another 6′ corner who is projected to go somewhere between the late first and the end of the second. This is a problem for many of this year’s corner class, it is going to come down to what teams want as many of these players are interchangeable and none of them stand out from the others that are vying for the same draft slots. Once a CB run starts, many will come off the board but when will it start?

• Cam Smith – South Carolina

Smith ran a 4.40 and has better coverage skills than some of those listed above. There are several draft experts who believe that Smith will translate well to the NFL and could have a seamless transition but that isn’t always the case and regardless, Smith is still viewed as a mid-second-round pick. He could be a steal late in round two but not enough of one for the Dolphins.

• Cameron Mitchell – Northwestern

In 2022, Mitchell played very well for the Wildcats but again, it was one standout season. He played in only 9 games last year after playing in 12 the previous season. Last year he broke up 7 passes and made 43 tackles. He is expected to be a late 2 or mid-3 draft pick.

For NFL fans, these corners will end up on any number of rosters in the 2nd round or late in the first but the Dolphins simply do not have enough need this year and they don’t have to plan ahead for the 2024 season either. This makes CB so less of a need that Miami’s best course of action would be to stick with undrafted rookies and try and develop them for the future.