Dolphins Running Back Draft History: The Hits, Misses and Trends

The Miami Dolphins have selected 84 running backs in their history, including six in the first round

Miami Dolphins running back Jaylen Wright (25) runs with the football against New York Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood (44) during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium last season. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

As we head into the homestretch to the 2025 NFL draft, it's a good time to revisit the Miami Dolphins draft history at every position.

In this draft series, we'll break down each position with number of picks since the start of the "common draft" in 1967, first-round selections, hits and misses, and any trends that might apply.

We continue with the running back position:

DOLPHINS RUNNING BACK DRAFT HISTORY

Number of picks: 84

Number of first-round picks: 6 (Larry Csonka, 1968; David Overstreet, 1981; Lorenzo Hampton, 1985; Sammie Smith, 1989; John Avery, 1998; Ronnie Brown, 2005)

The last five picks: Jaylen Wright (Round 4, 2024), De'Von Achane (Round 3, 2023), Gerrid Doaks (Round 7, 2021), Myles Gaskin (Round 7, 2019), Kalen Ballage (Round 4, 2018)

Hits: Csonka, Jim Kiick (Round 5, 1968), Mercury Morris (Round 3, 1969), Tony Nathan (Round 3, 1979), Troy Stradford (Round 4, 1987), Lamar Miller (Round 4, 2012), Jay Ajayi (Round 5, 2016), Myles Gaskin (Round 7, 2019), De'Von Achane (Round 3, 2023)

Misses: Steve Winfrey (Round 2, 1975), Sammie Smith, Avery, J.J. Johnson (Round 2, 1999), Daniel Thomas (Round 2, 2011), Kalen Ballage

Trends: The Dolphins had not selected a running back in the first three rounds since 2016 before they took (and hit on) De'Von Achane last year. The Dolphins were ahead of the devaluation trend at the position, though, having not selected a running back in either of the first two rounds since 2011 when they took Daniel Thomas from Kansas State. Take this for what it's worth, but the Dolphins have never drafted a running back in the first four rounds three consecutive years.

HOW THE DOLPHINS HAVE DONE DRAFTING RUNNING BACKS

Reflecting the overall success of the franchise, the Dolphins set the bar for finding running backs in the draft in their early days by nabbing Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick and Mercury Morris in consecutive drafts in the late 1960s.

While the Dolphins failed to have that kind of success after that, they did appear to hit big two years ago with Achane, who set an NFL record as a rookie for highest average per gain among backs with at least 100 rushing attempts, though the jury is still out on Wright.

Between that, though, the Dolphins usually got their biggest contributions at running backs from free agents or players acquired in trades, though Lamar Miller did have some good seasons after arriving as a fourth-round pick in 2012.

But after Csonka, Kiick and Morris combined for 10 Pro Bowl invitations, the Dolphins have gotten only three Pro Bowl seasons from a running back they drafted: one each for Andra Franklin, Ronnie Brown and Jay Ajayi.

The Dolphins also have gotten minimal impact from their first-round picks at the position, with a few of them being out and out busts. Brown did have a solid career for the Dolphins, but he also was the second overall pick and therefore fairly could have been expected to produce even more — and the fact the Dolphins picked him when they could have had Aaron Rodgers doesn't help, either.

Other first-round running backs just didn't pan out, while Overstreet tragically never got the chance to blossom in the NFL after a short sting in the Canadian Football League because he died in a car accident following his first season with the Dolphins.