Jon-Eric Sullivan has never run his own NFL Draft war room. That will change on Thursday night when the first round gets underway. Sullivan will rely on his experience with the Green Bay Packers.
The Miami Dolphins haven't had a "home run" draft pick in a long time. Patrick Paul looks as though he will be one, but it's De'Von Achane who stands out the most when looking at the team's current roster.
For Sullivan, another Achane-type player is the hit he needs. Sullivan told the media last week that he worked with someone in Green Bay who used to say, "Be careful about trying to hit the home run and make sure you just hit the double off the wall." Achane is a home run, Paul is a double.
Jon-Eric Sullivan has to avoid the pitfalls former Miami Dolphins GM fell into
With so many needs on the roster, it will be hard for Sullivan to stick to his "BPA" mentality. A player who fits a need is at times far more enticing than the best player at a different position. That led to Chris Grer, Dennis Hickey, Jeff Ireland, and others to leave their boards with the hopes of filling needs.
The Dolphins don't have a lot of options this year. Sullivan had little money to build portions of his roster through free agency. Typically, great teams supplement their roster with free agents, not build the roster. Miami didn't have that luxury, and that makes the draft more important.
The Dolphins GM doesn't have to look very far to see how badly his roster is constructed. His "pillars of the rebuild" are only four players deep: Paul, Achane, Aaron Brewer, and Jordyn Brooks. Three of them are in the final year of their contracts.
Fans are hoping that this new regime will catch another whale. Sullivan and Jeff Hafley talk about developing players they draft, but Miami fans have heard that for decades with nothing to show for it.
Sullivan is under a microscope. Some fans will applaud whichever decision he makes, and others will boo him when he makes the annual "Who the heck is that?" pick. Hopefully, he has learned enough over the years not to make that mistake often. One thing is clear, however, he is the final voice on who they draft.
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