If there is one thing that Miami Dolphins fans have learned about new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, it's that he doesn't care one bit about sticking to consensus with his draft picks. As Day 3 of the draft rolls on, the dust has settled a bit on a wild Day 2 for the Dolphins that saw them take some massive reaches.
Things started great from a value perspective, landing one of the best players on the board in Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez at pick 43. Even with Jordyn Brooks still in town, that is an easy pick to get behind. At pick 75, however, things went off the rails a bit.
Sticking with the Red Raiders, Miami went with Rodriguez's teammate in wide receiver Caleb Douglas. There is really no way to justify this pick with who was still on the board, as he was the 219th player on Wide Left's industry consensus board. They followed it up with another huge reach, taking blocking tight end Will Kacmarek out of Ohio State with pick 87. He ended up as the consensus 205th player.
They made up for it a bit with standout Louisville receiver Chris Bell at 94, getting a discount on the consensus 54th overall player, but Dolphins fans should have major questions for Sullivan about his Day 2 haul.
Miami Dolphins fans should be furious at Jon-Eric Sullivan for reaching heavily on Day 2
I am not going to pretend to know even half as much about evaluating talent as Sullivan and his staff do, but picking against the consensus board to the level they have is rarely a strategy that works out well. Douglas especially makes little sense for a team that needs impact receivers right away, as players like Skyler Bell (now a Buffalo Bill) and Elijah Sarratt (now a Raven) were available.
The Kacmarek pick is a little more understandable, as several worse players at tight end were picked before him. He also brings the attitude and blocking ability that Sullivan is clearly looking for.
Ultimately, though, you can't afford to take guys who profile as depth players with niche roles that early without getting serious backlash. Fans won't know how any of these picks turn out for at least a few years, but the optics of Day 2's picks are hard to ignore.
Maybe Rodriguez or Bell are so good that the other picks can be forgiven, even if they turn out the way the consensus board suggests they will. But Sullivan could have fans questioning him quickly if these guys aren't impactful right away.
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