The NFL Draft can surely break a team's plans as top prospects fall off the board. The Miami Dolphins are no strangers to watching potential draft selections go just before they are on the clock.
It should be different for Chris Grier on Thursday night. This draft, at least in Round 1, should be pretty easy for the longtime general manager. If there is one thing Grier has accomplished this year, it's ensuring the Dolphins have roster holes at several positions.
It's hard to say any draft is a "win-win," but this year, the Dolphins are in a position where no "nightmare scenarios" actually exist.
The top 10 draft picks are not set in stone, but they are mostly going to go as expected. Players like Armand Membou or Will Campbell could fall to 13, and that would be a great thing for Grier, but if they are both gone as expected, the Dolphins have so many other options. It would simply be a matter of changing the name at the top of their wipe-off board.
The Dolphins are in the best position to land a top starting talent in Round 1
If Membou and Campbell are gone, the Dolphins could pivot to Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant, Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks, and Michigan cornerback Will Johnson. If they are also gone, the Dolphins still have Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron to look at.
If he is unavailable, too, they can move to another top defensive line prospect or go so far as to take the best offensive guard in this class, Alabama's Tyler Booker.
If, somehow, Booker is off the board as well, there is Georgia safety Malaki Starks.
The Dolphins will have their choice of at least five ideal players (or more) at No. 13, and the option to trade down should come into play.
This year's draft class is tight at the top with about five blue-chip players, but most experts agree that the talent level evens out from six to 20, which is why the Dolphins can't go wrong. The only "nightmare scenario" that is present in this year's draft is Grier himself. Miami can't afford to draft a Noah Igbinoghene or a Charles Harris. Not with this kind of talent available.