The NFL Combine is set to wrap up on Sunday when the offensive linemen and running backs take the field for workouts. As this process nears its conclusion, the true start of the 2023 NFL season is essentially under ten days away.
Free agency and trading periods open up in mid-March, and madness will soon ensue. Free agents will re-sign, some will go to new teams and perhaps trades will occur – all leading to April’s NFL draft.
When looking at the draft pick arsenal, the Miami Dolphins’ war chest is not as full as in years past. Even last year’s draft saw limited selections with just four.
In 2021, the Dolphins made a normal class amount of seven selections, with a top-heavy core of Jaylen Waddle, Jaelan Phillips and Jevon Holland. Last year’s rookie foursome, really didn’t make a collective impact. Although Skylar Thompson saw multiple starts, including a playoff game, third-round linebacker Channing Tindall and fourth-round wide receiver Erik Ezukanma barely saw the field, and seventh-round pick Cameron Goode is on a futures deal.
So while general manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel are gathering their notes together from the past week in Indianapolis, it’s a good time to look at what they are working with in terms of immediate and near-future draft capital.
During April’s draft, Miami will, of course, be without a first-round pick for the second straight year. Miami once possessed a pair of them for 2023, but one was traded to the Denver Broncos in exchange for Bradley Chubb, and the other was taken away from the league for tampering.
They’ll start their selection process at the moment with pick No. 51 in the second round and follow up with a pair of third-rounders, Nos. 77 and 84. The Dolphins then have a long gap, since they sent their 2023 fourth-round pick along with last year’s first in the Tyreek Hill acquisition.
This upcoming draft’s fifth-round pick was turned into Jeff Wilson Jr. and is now owned by the San Fransisco 49ers. That additional third-round pick, No. 77 to be exact, came from New England as part of the DeVante Parker deal from 2022.
Miami also has a sixth-rounder (No. 178) which was compensation from Chicago in 2021’s trade for Jakeem Grant to the Bears. The Dolphins close their draft in the seventh at No. 240.
It will be interesting to see if Grier will utilize current players to attempt to slide back into certain rounds, and/or move up on the board. Of course, he could decide to move down and recoup later picks should he look to turn one of those top three picks into deals that could get Miami back into rounds four and/or five this year.
Looking at the current roster, there could be several players that are candidates for Grier to look to move, cut some salary and, perhaps, obtain picks that were vacated, for whatever reason.
Here’s a further look at the next two seasons of those draft picks as we stand now.
2024 Miami Dolphins Draft selections:
- First round
- Second round
- Fifth round
- Sixth round
- Seventh round
They’re without a third, as it was the other pick lost in tampering, and their fourth-rounder went to Denver in that Chubb deal.
In 2025, Miami is back to having a standard draft with all of their owned picks and even heavy one fifth-rounder, which was sent as a sweetener along with Chubb from the Broncos.
2025 Miami Dolphins Draft selections:
- First round
- Second round
- Third round
- Fourth Round
- Fifth Round
- Fifth round (via DEN)
- Sixth round
- Seventh round
There’ll be plenty of options and variables upcoming for Grier, McDaniel and the Dolphins, and as this front office has shown, they are not afraid to make a deal. The NFL draft is from April 27 through 29 and will take place in Kansas City, Missouri.
