Looking Back at a Doomed Draft and Doomed Picks in Light of McMillan Retirement

The former Miami Dolphins second-round pick announced his retirement on Instagram

Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb (24) gets tackled by Miami Dolphins defensive tackles Christian Wilkins (94) and Davon Godchaux (56) along with middle linebacker Raekwon McMillan (52) during the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. | USA TODAY Sports

Raekwon McMillan will go down as one of those regrettable draft picks that didn't pan out for the Miami Dolphiins, but who knows what kind of NFL career he might have had if not for a series of injuries that began right from the start.

The Dolphins' 2017 second-round pick announced his retirement on Instagram after sitting out the 2025 season.

McMillan ended up playing only two seasons for the Dolphins, not including his rookie year when he sustained a torn ACL on his very first play as an NFL player, covering a punt after Miami went three-and-out against the Atlanta Falcons in their 2017 preseason opener.

He was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020 in exchange for running back/wide receiver Lynn Bowden Jr. in a deal that also involved a swap of draft picks.

McMillan did start 28 games in his two seasons with Miami, including all 16 in 2018 when he finished with 105 tackles, but never made much of an impact.

His back luck followed him in his later stops with the Raiders and the New England Patriots, as he missed the entire 2021 season with another torn ACL and the 2023 season with a torn Achilles.

McMillan ended the 2024 season on the Tennessee Titans practice squad after earlier being released by the Patriots and never signed with a team last year after being an unrestricted free agent.

THE FORGETTABLE DRAFT CLASS

McMillan was part of a 2017 draft class that has to rank among the worst in Dolphins history — and easily the worst of Chris Grier's time as GM.

That draft was lowlighted by the selection of pass rusher Charles Harris in the first round (eight spots before the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted T.J. Watt) and also included failed third-round pick Cordrea Tankersley.

The only saving grace of that draft was fifth-round pick Davon Godchaux, who is headed for his 10th NFL season and his second with the New Orleans Saints in 2026.

The other members of that 2017 draft class were guard Isaac Asiata, defensive tackle Vincent Taylor and wide receiver Isaiah Ford.

OTHER DOOMED DOLPHINS PICKS

McMillan unfortunately wasn't the first Dolphins high draft pick to battle serious injuries from the start and never was able to make a major impact.

The most dramatic example was 1997 first-round pick Yatil Green, a wide receiver from the University of Miami.

Green spent his first two seasons with the Dolphins on injured reserve after sustaining a torn ACL in training camp in both 1997 and 1998. He ended up playing only one season with Miami before his NFL career ended.

Another earlier example was 1992 second-round pick Eddie Blake, an offensive lineman at Auburn who Don Shula envisioned as a nose tackle in the NFL. He didn't play as a rookie after a series of injuries that began with him dropping a weight on his foot before the draft and then after the Dolphins put him back on the offensive line, he was inactive for everygame in 1993 after spraining a knee in training camp.

He wound up never playing a down in the NFL.