The Dolphins' All-Time Draft Steal Offense

Breaking down by position the best value picks in Miami Dolphins history

With four of their six selections in the 2024 NFL draft scheduled for the fifth round or later, the Miami Dolphins will be looking for some steals this weekend.

The question is whether they can come up with gems like recent Hall of Fame inductee Zach Thomas in the fifth round like they did in 1996.

We hereby present our All-Dolphins Draft Steal Team, with the selections based on production versus draft slot. We start with the offense.

DOLPHINS ALL-TIME DRAFT STEAL OFFENSE

QUARTERBACK

First team: Dan Marino, 1983, Round 1

Second team: Don Strock, 1973, Round 5

Breakdown: Yes, Marino was a first-round pick, but he also was the next-to-last pick in the round, he was a slam-dunk Hall of Fame selection and the Dolphins also never landed a starter beyond the first round except for David Woodley, who's the quarterback Marino replaced in 1983. Strock was a great backup for more than a decade.

RUNNING BACK

First team: Jim Kiick, 1968, Round 5; Mercury Morris, 1969, Round 3

Second team: De'Von Achane, 2023, Round 3; Jay Ajayi, 2015, Round 5

Breakdown: The Dolphins Super Bowl backfield of the 1970s was built entirely through the draft, and while Larry Csonka may have been the best of the bunch, he also was the biggest slam dunk as the eighth overall pick in 1968. Yes, it's awfully early to call Achane a steal, but it's also difficult to temper the enthusiasm after what he did as a rookie last season.

WIDE RECEIVER

First team: Mark Clayton, 1983, Round 8; Anthony Carter, 1983, Round 12

Second team: Jarvis Landry, 2014, Round 2; Nat Moore, 1974, Round 3

Breakdown: Clayton put up big numbers for the Dolphins as an eighth-round pick out of Louisville, and Landry and Moore also were highly productive receivers. Carter is included here based on the value of getting him in the 12th round as a USFL star, though one certainly could complain about the Dolphins kind of giving him away when he came to the NFL in 1985 and they traded him to Minnesota for linebacker Robin Sendlein and a second-round pick.

TIGHT END

First team: Charles Clay, 2011, Round 6

Second team: Randy McMichael, 2002, Round 4

Breakdown: The Dolphins really haven't had a ton of success drafting tight ends through the years, but Clay became a solid contributor on offense after arriving as a multi-position players from Tulsa. McMichael was among the team's receiving leaders until he left for St. Louis as a free agent, though a case could have been for current Dolphins tight end Durham Smythe, also a fourth-round pick.

TACKLE

First team: Eric Laakso, 1978, Round 4; Jeff Dellenbach, 1985, Round 4

Second team: Mark Dennis, 1987, Round 8; Todd Wade, 2000, Round 2

Breakdown: The best Dolphins tackles either have come through early picks (Richmond Webb, Jake Long, Jon Giesler) or free agency (Terron Armstead). While "steal" might be a stretch for both Laakso and Dellenbach, they both started a lot of games for Miami and provided great value where they were drafted.

GUARD

First team: Ed Newman, 1973, Round 6; Harry Galbreath, 1988, Round 8

Second team: Chris Gray, 1993, Round 5; Keith Sims, 1990, Round 2

Breakdown: Newman wrapped his Dolphins career by making the Pro Bowl each of his final four seasons before he eventually became a judge in South Florida. Galbreath also was a longtime starter. Sims provided the back end of a great 1-2 offensive line punch at the top of the 1990 draft with Richmond Webb and became a three-time Pro Bowl selection for the Dolphins.

CENTER

First team: Dwight Stephenson, 1980, Round 2

Second team: Jeff Uhlenhake, 1989, Round 5

Breakdown: Even though he was drafted relatively early for a center, Stephenson became arguably the best center in NFL history and one of the best players in franchise history regardless of position.