Examining the Checkered Dolphins History With Miami Draft Picks

When the University of Miami held its annual Pro Day for its draft prospects Monday, the Miami Dolphins' new GM and head coach were in attendance, which should have been a given all along.

It's not just that the UM practice facility is within driving distance from the Baptist Health Training Complex, the biggest factor might have been the large number of high-end prospects the Hurricanes produced on their way to the 2025 BCS title game.

UM is loaded with good draft prospects, with three of them tabbed as likely first-round picks: tackle Francis Mauigoa, defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. and defensive end Akheem Mesidor.

Beyond those three is another group with a shot of being Day 2 picks that includes CB Keionte Scott, G Anez Cooper, S Jakobe Thomas, QB Carson Beck and T Markel Bell, followed by yet more intriguing prospects like WR C.J. Daniels and LB Wesley Bissainthe.

Among the zillion (give or take a few) mock drafts that have been produced so far, the Dolphins have been linked often to Bain or Mauigoa with the 11th overall pick, assuming either will be available at that spot.

While there are concerns about the length of Bain's arms, which might make some teams hesitate to take him based on NFL precedent, he's undeniably a force on the defensive line. And Mauigoa is among the cleanest prospects in the draft in terms of having no discernible hole in his game.

From this vantage point, the Dolphins could do worse than taking Mauigoa at number 11, with the idea of starting him off at guard as a rookie before moving him to right tackle to take over for Austin Jackson, who more likely than not is heading into his final season with the team.

The last time the Dolphins selected a player from the University of Miami was in 2021 and it was in the first round, as they picked Jaelan Phillips with the 18th overall selection.

THE DOLPHINS' HISTORY WITH UM PLAYERS

Phillips was the 18th UM player the Dolphins drafted, not surprisingly the most for any school. Tennessee is second with 16 Dolphins draftees, the last one being running back Jaylen Wright in 2024.

Those 18 UM draftees for the Dolphins includes four in Round 1, two in Round 2, one in Round 3, and one in Round 4, with five in the 10th round or later back when the draft could go up to as many as 17 rounds — it went to 12 rounds in 1977, eight rounds in 1993, and has been at seven rounds since 1994.

What is glaringly missing from the last of Dolphins UM draft picks are Pro Bowl selections. Yep, zero Pro Bowls with the Dolphins for any of the UM players they drafted.

Running back Lamar Miller and defensive end Olivier Vernon each did make the Pro Bowl once in their career, but did so with the Houston Texans and New York Giants, respectively.

Of the four first-round picks, offensive lineman Vernon Carey is the one who had the longest tenure and he was a solid starter for seven of his eight seasons, but no Pro Bowl.

Phillips had his moments in Miami, but unfortunately will be remembered more for the heartbreaking injuries he sustained, the torn Achilles in 2023 followed by the torn ACL in 2024.

This also was the theme for 1997 first-round pick Yatil Green, who sustained a torn ACL in each of his first two training camp and was done after playing eight games in 1999.

And then there was the strange saga of 1991 first-round pick Randal Hill, who missed most of camp in a contract dispute and was traded by the Dolphins after the 1991 opener to the Phoenix Cardinals (before they were the Arizona Cardinals) for a 1992 first-round pick that turned into cornerback Troy Vincent.

Hill would return to the Dolphins as a free agent and played two seasons (1995-96) with the team, though he never became a front-line player in the NFL.

The Dolphins' lack of success with UM draft picks in the past have no bearing on what would happen if they were to select, say, Mauigoa or Bain in the first round this year, but it is worth mentioning.

DOLPHINS DRAFT PICKS FROM UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI

1966 — LB Ed Weisacosky, Round 6
1967 — DB Tom Beier, Round 10
1968 — TE Jim Cox, Round 2
1968 — T Joe Mirto, Round 10
1968 — LB Ken Corbin, Round 15
1973 — WR Tom Smith, Round 7
1982 — DT Bob Nelson, Round 5
1982 — WR Mike Rodrigue, Round 12
1984 — LB Jay Brophy, Round 2
1988 — RB Melvin Bratton, Round 6
1990 — DB Bobby Harden, Round 12
1991 — WR Randal Hill, Round 1
1991 — CB Roland Smith, Round 8
1997 — WR Yatil Green, Round 1
2004 — G/T Vernon Carey, Round 1
2012 — DE Olivier Vernon, Round 3
2012 — RB Lamar Miller, Round 4
2021 — LB Jaelan Phillips, Round 1