Would Dolphins Really Make a Move for Jahmyr Gibbs?
One of the most heated Miami Dolphins draft debates centers on whether the team should use one of its early picks to add another tailback.
Whether that be by trading for a Pro Bowl talent like Tennessee’s Derrick Henry or Minnesota’s Dalvin Cook, trading up into the first round to select one of the premium backs in this draft class, or simply using one of the two second-day selections (pick No. 51 and No. 84) to add a runner, the topic has all of South Florida buzzing.
But it’s not just us. Apparently the scouting community is gossiping about what Miami should do with its backfield, and one of the most respected NFL writers has a theory.
According to ProFootballTalk’s Peter King, the Dolphins have their eyes on Alabama tailback Jahmyr Gibbs, who is projected as a top 50 selection, and a possible first-rounder.
“The Dolphins don’t pick till 51st overall, but if there was some way to climb into the 20s to nab explosive back Jahmyr Gibbs, coach Mike McDaniel would love to do it,” King wrote in his weekly Monday morning column.
GIBBS AND THE ALVIN KAMARA COMPARISONS
In 12 games for the Crimson Tide last season, Gibbs carried the ball 151 times for 926 yards (6.1 yards per carry) and scored seven touchdowns on the ground. He also caught 44 passes for an additional 444 yards and three scores.
He's consistently compared to New Orleans tailback Alvin Kamara because he's a threat to score every time he touches the football.
While Gibbs, who ran a 4.36 40-yard dash, which ranked second among all running backs, fits the mold of a tailback who would excel in a wide zone scheme, there are some concerns about what King is theorizing, proposing, teasing.
First off, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier has a long standinghistory, and possible opinion, that early draft picks shouldn’t be used on tailbacks.
Miami has had chance after chance to upgrade that position in early rounds of the seven drafts Grier has run for Miami, and he’s passed on numerous Pro Bowl talents and 1,000-yard rushers in the first two rounds.
The earliest Grier has selected a tailback is 73rd overall when he took Kenyan Drake in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft. The Dolphins typically draft tailbacks in the later rounds.
THE DALVIN COOK AND DERRICK HENRY ANGLE
Also, why trade away a future first-round pick for Gibbs, an unproven college standout — who is a pass-catching weapon but a liability as a blocker — when Miami could get an elite, but more expensive talent like Henry or Cook for a second-round pick, if not a third-round selection?
Of course, Henry and Cook likely would demand a contract restructuring, but when has that ever scared off owner Steve Ross from greenlighting a deal that would improve his team?
The Dolphins re-signed Raheem Mostert (2 years, $5.6 million) and Jeff Wilson (2 years, $6 million) this offseason to serve as the team’s front-line backs, and also re-signed Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed to smaller, more team-friendly deals.
It's not like tailback is a glaring need. But if Miami wanted to juice up last year’s sixth-ranked offense, improving the rushing attack, which finished second-to-last in attempts last season, would be the easy route to go.
So why might King be hearing Gibbs’ name associated with the Dolphins?
This time of season, the hours before the draft, is about gathering information, and sometimes teams have to give a little to get some.
But that doesn’t mean the executives, coaches and scouts hitting the draft gossip circuit are always honest.
My theory is that Gibbs is an easy name to throw out there to throw people off their scent, and hiding Miami’s true agenda.
It would be dangerous to tell the world your team has their sights set on Georgia tight end Darnell Washington, Iowa tight end Sam LaPorta, Michigan defensive lineman Mazi Smith or North Dakota State offensive tackle Cody Mauch because then most teams would conclude Miami is targeting that player, and either might look to leapfrog them or play keepaway.
Using Gibbs' name could keep things safe, and sexy, especially if a team is flirting with the idea of doing business with Miami, potentially allowing the Dolphins to trade up into the first round.
This also could be an agent trying to grease the wheels, boosting Gibbs’ draft stock, potentially ensuring that he gets into the first round. Or at least goes before pick No. 51, which is Miami’s first of four current selections in the 2023 NFL draft.
McDaniel’s history of tailbacks added during his time as an NFL run game coordinator doesn’t feature any of the teams he’s been with selecting a tailback early.
It also doesn’t jibe with his Denver roots considering the organization that’s responsible for McDaniel being an NFL coach had built successful run games with late-round and undrafted tailbacks (Terrell Davis being a prime example).
The Gibbs-to-Miami gossip also might encourage the Vikings and Titans to soften their demands regarding Henry and Cook, about whom the Dolphins have had trade conversations about going all the way back to March.
No matter what happens later this week, this Gibbs-target-by-Miami rumor King is floating keeps things interesting.
