Is it time for a Dolphins first-round running back?

The Miami Dolphins haven't selected a running back in the first round since the 2005 draft, but that run could end this year with a major need and a few quality options.

The Dolphins have not selected a running back in the first round since the 2005 NFL draft when they took Ronnie Brown second overall.

Is it time to end that streak? Do they even have a choice?

Anybody who watched the Dolphins play in 2019 easily could see this was a team in need of a major upgrade at the position. The Dolphins set a dubious franchise record with 1,156 rushing yards, breaking a mark set in 1988. 

The Dolphins are one of 12 teams to not select a running back in the first round since 2005, along with the New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers.

Kenyan Drake, Kalen Ballage, Mark Walton and rookies Patrick Laird and Myles Gaskin all took turns carrying the ball for the Dolphins in 2019, but it was graybeard quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick who ended up leading the team in rushing — with a mere 243 yards.

Winslow Townson

Sure, the blocking up front was sub-par — and the offensive line is another area the Dolphins will have to address in the draft — but the running backs also played their role in the ground game struggles.

Drake and Walton no longer are on the roster, but two-time 1,000-yard rusher Jordan Howard was signed as a free agent in March. Still, the Dolphins need more.

They need a stud. They need the kind of guy who usually doesn’t last beyond the first round.

Yes, you can get a running back beyond that first round in the new NFL, but the chances just aren’t as good you’ll be able to land an elite talent.

And with three first-round picks, the Dolphins have the luxury of spending a No. 1 pick on one of the elite running back prospects in the 2020 NFL draft. Those three prospects are D’Andre Swift of Georgia, J.K. Dobbins of Ohio State and Jonathan Taylor of Wisconsin.

Who you prefer might be a matter of choice.

Other top running back prospects include Clyde Edwards-Helaire from LSU, Cam Akers from Florida State and Zack Moss from Utah.

Unless the Dolphins package their first-round picks to move up, though, the focus should be on getting one of the previous three guys. It’s been long enough.

Alain Poupart has covered the Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989. You can follow him on Twitter: @apoupartFins.