Diving Into Instant Dolphins Draft Grades Then And Now

So the instant grades for the 2025 NFL draft have been tabulated, and the Miami Dolphins came in near the bottom of the league based on a roundup of grades handed out by national analysts.

The Dolphins were tied for 30th in the rankings compiled annually by German sportswriter René Bugner (@RNBWCV), their worst showing since Bugner started doing this in 2017 — even worse than 2022 and 2023 when the Dolphins had only four picks each time.

But how have those instant grades panned out before, how accurately have they assessed the quality of previous Dolphins draft classes?

HOW THE DOLPHINS HAVE FARED IN INSTANT GRADES

This draft marked the fourth time in the past four years the Dolphins were 23rd or lower in the NFL based on the cumulative GPA of those immediate rankings.

The Dolphins were in the top 10 twice, not coincidentally the two years they had multiple first-round picks, 2020 and 2021.

Over the past nine years, the Dolphins have ranked an average of about 19th in the NFL in those immediate draft rankings.

As we know, though, draft grades are a lot more fair and accurate done three years after the fact, so how did those instant grades compare to what would be handed out three years later?

A 3.13 GPA is somewhere between a B (3.0) and a B-minus (3.3), and that 2017 draft class probably wouldn't deserve much better than a D in retrospect.

THE 2017 DOLPHINS DRAFT THEN AND NOW

We'll start off with a good one to illustrate how dangerous it is to put too much stock in instant grades, understanding there's a major fan appetite for it and therefore the media is too happy to oblige.

The Dolphins' 2017 class of Charles Harris, Raekwon McMillan, Cordrea Tankersley, Isaac Asiata, Davon Godchaux, Vincent Taylor and Isaiah Ford ranked a modest 15th in the NFL in average instant ranking, but the overall grade was a 3.13, which is somewhere between a B and B+.

Eight years later, that draft class ranks as one of the worst in franchise history, with Godchaux, the fifth-round DT from LSU, the only one pick that can be considered a hit.

The grade for that class now would look more like a D than a B.

THE 2018 DOLPHINS DRAFT THEN AND NOW

The 2018 draft was highlighted by the first-round selection of DB Minkah Fitzpatrick, followed by Mike Gesicki and Jerome Baker in Rounds 2 and 3.

The instant grades for that draft gave the Dolphins a 2.92 GPA (almost a B), and it ranked right in the middle of the NFL at 16th.

In terms of players selected, a B is the lowest we'd go for this group now considering Fitzpatrick is an All-Pro safety — him winding up in Pittsburgh because of a clash with former coach Brian Flores doesn't change the fact it was a great pick — and Gesicki and Baker have been multi-year starters.

The draft also brought Durham Smythe, who's been a starting tight end as a fourth-round pick, and seventh-round pick Jason Sanders, who was the best kicker in the NFL in 2020 and has been good more often than not for Miami.

THE 2019 DOLPHINS DRAFT THEN AND NOW

The instant grade for the 2019 draft — which brought Christian Wilkins, Michael Deiter, Andrew Van Ginkel, Isaiah Prince, Chandler Cox and Myles Gaskin — averaged out to the same 2.92 as 2018 and also was 16th in the NFL.

While he's never made the Pro Bowl, Wilkins has been a good-to-very-good defensive tackle, while Van Ginkel has proven a steal as a fifth-round selection and Gaskin led Miami in rushing twice as a seventh-round pick.

The rest of the class didn't make a major impact, so maybe a C+ would be a fair grade now.

THE 2020 DOLPHINS DRAFT THEN AND NOW

The 2020 draft, which was perhaps the most significant step in the Dolphins' massive rebuilding project, earned a cumulative 3.25 GPA for instant grades after the selections of Tua Tagovailoa, Austin Jackson and Noah Igbinoghene in the first round, and those of Robert Hunt and Raekwon Davis in the second round.

This is a very difficult draft to evaluate because the Dolphins had so much draft capital, both quantity and quality, with those five picks in the first two rounds and 11 overall.

This could have been a transformative draft, but five years later it can't be viewed as a home run but also can't be viewed as a failure because there's been good and bad.

And that starts with the very first pick, the always-polarizing Tua, whose selection even now can be debated. On the one hand, Tua has been very good statistically after a shaky start, he's led the league in significant passing categories and he was a Pro Bowl starter.

On the other hand, Tua has failed to deliver against playoff opponents — and it wasn't just last season — and his two highly successful seasons fizzled, first because of his concussion issues in 2022 and then because of performance in 2023. And while the finger absolutely shouldn't be pointed at Tua for what happened to the offense down the stretch in 20923, the reality is he didn't do his part to help the Dolphins rise above their challenges. Put another way, Tua hasn't been the problem, but he also hasn't been part of the solution.

And that Pro Bowl invitation that Tua got after the 2023 season is the only one for any of those 2020 draft picks, which is somewhat disappointing again considering the team had five picks in the first two rounds.

Hunt was a good to very good starter for four years, but Jackson didn't become a quality starter until his fourth season, Davis didn't make much of an impact, and Igbinoghene was a bust.

That's quite frankly not a great return for five premium picks.

So it's difficult to give this draft a great grade five years later, and it's up to Tua to take that final step as a quarterback to bring it up considering only he, Jackson and long-snapper Blake Ferguson remain.

Fro now, though, it can't get anything better than a C.

THE 2021 DOLPHINS DRAFT THEN AND NOW

After having five picks in the first two rounds in 2020, the Dolphins had four in this draft and hit with Jaylen Waddle, Jaelan Phillips and Jevon Holland — but only to a certain extent because, while all four players are good players, there has been no Pro Bowl and Phillips has battled injuries.

The Dolphins got very little out of the other four selections that year, starting with Liam Eichenberg, who has started 52 games but has been way too up-and-down for a second-round pick for whom the Dolphins surrendered a future third-round selection to trade up to select.

The immediate cumulative grade for that 2021 Dolphins draft was 3.64 and ranked fifth in the NFL that year. Four years later, it probably would get a C+, B- at best.

THE 2022 DOLPHINS DRAFT THEN AND NOW

It also was going to be difficult for the Dolphins to get much impact from this class considering they had only four picks, the results of the Tyreek Hill trade, the Eichenberg trade-up, the trade-up for Jaylen Waddle in 2021 and the forfeiting of a first-round pick because of the NFL sanctions.

But, man, did not the Dolphins not maximize those picks.

The four players selected were Channing Tindall, Erik Ezukanma, Cameron Goode and Skylar Thompson, though it should be mentioned that Goode and Thompson came in the seventh round.

That class earned a 2.22 cumulative grade that ranked 29th in the NFL, and it's difficult to go higher than that C- grade with Tindall having failed to develop as the top pick in the third round.

THE EARLY OUTLOOK FOR THE 2023 AND 2024 DRAFTS

We refuse to assign any grades until three years have passed because those could change drastically depending on how second-round picks Cam Smith and Patrick Paul perform in 2025 and beyond.

The Dolphins clearly hit with RB De'Von Achane in Round 3 in 2023, but he's the only one of the four members of that class to have made an impact.

The 2024 class got off to a promising start thanks to the very good second half for first-round pick Chop Robinson and sixth-round pick Malik Washington's contributions as a rookie sixth-round selection.