Post-Draft Dolphins Mailbag

A special post-draft SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag:

From Big Ern McDolphin (@dana_buice):

Walk me off the edge please. I hated the first two picks. Corner is our deepest position! Why? Also, the guy you drafted specializes in man and your DC prefers zone. Name me the last RB under 190 lbs who was a factor. I don’t have a problem with drafting a 10-carry back but draft that guy in the 6th or 7th. The RB position is so devalued the 1st 5 rounds are reserved for 4 guys who have a chance at being 20-carry backs or also have elite return skills. I know I’m an armchair QB. Please give me hope & tell me all the things I overlooked and got wrong.

Hey Dana, I’ll start with Cam Smith, who actually has the skill set to play in any of coverage scheme. And, sure, the Dolphins already had plenty of cornerbacks on the roster, but he still should be able to contribute as a rookie and also keep in mind that Xavien Howard’s contract is such that his future in Miami is uncertain beyond this upcoming season. As for Achane, the thing with him is he’s not a typical running back because if he were, I’d totally agree with you. He’s somebody with stupid speed who’s going to add to the matchup problems the Dolphins already can create with Hill, Waddle and Mostert. Time will tell if they were good picks, but I don’t have a major issue with either and I much prefer this to reaching for a position of need (like OL or TE).

From Ted D’Alessio (@TeddyD13):

Alain, can you do a second-guess special. Looking at the board, who would have been your 4 picks. Thanks for all your Finz coverage.

Hey Ted, first off thanks and then, I love second-guessing. OK, here it goes: Round 2, maybe center John Michael Schmitz should have been the pick because he’s a very clean prospect and the Dolphins then could have moved Connor Williams back to left guard; Round 3, maybe Darnell Washington, but I would have to have been convinced that his knee (had surgery to remove cartilage) wouldn’t be a problem anytime soon. For Round 6, my pick would have been USC guard Andrew Vorhees, who went in the seventh to Baltimore (before the Miami pick). He was considered a Round 2-3 prospect before he tore an ACL in offseason training and will be out in 2023, but that’s great value there. For Round 7, maybe guard Emil Ekiyor Jr. from Alabama would have been intriguing tome.

From Olive Grove Jon (@Owlizee):

Alain. I grade the draft a C- … too harsh? We passed on 2 day 1 starters that could have helped this offense in O’Cyrus Torrence and Darnell Washington; why? For a team in a 2 year window, feels like we drafted for 3 years down the line?

Hey OGJ, the problem with your theory is that you’re assuming Torrence and Washington both are Day 1 starters and I’m not sure it’s quite that simple. And I would expect both of the players the Dolphins selected to make an immediate impact in 2023 … even if they’re not starters. And, finally, the bottom line here is to get the best players possible and we won’t know whether the Dolphins did that for a couple of years.

From KvHak (@kvhak):

Is a TE still needed (rhetorical question)?

Even though, it’s a rhetorical question, I’m going to address this by saying that the Dolphins absolutely have a need for a tight end or two, but it’s more in terms of volume as opposed to getting a starter or impact player. This is not an offense that relies heavily on the tight end and I think the Dolphins are perfectly happy going into the 2023 season with Durham Smythe and Eric Saubert as their top two guys.

From Prince-Bishop Militantly Aardvark (@Militantly!):

Is it harder to assess Grier/McDaniel as a drafting combination when you consider that they've basically had the equivalent of one rather thin draft in the past two years? Mischievous bonus question (a McDaniel, if you will) — who will the Dolphins trade next year's first round pick for, and why?

Hey PBMA, yes, it’s difficult to gauge the draft work of the past two years when the Dolphins have had only eight total picks. Without question. As for your second question, zero clue on which player (way too early) and the reason they’d do it is to put the finishing touches on what they hope will be a Super Bowl roster.

From Dr. Jimmy (@radiohead68):

Fins are in win now mode; 2-year window... and you come away with not 1 starter. Just depth, OL TE was not addressed with starter....

They had four picks … there was also so much they could do. And roster building for 2023 isn’t done yet.

From jorge boyd (@raga1922):

Hi Alain, what do you like about this Dolphins draft and what you don’t like, what would you have done differently?

Hey Jorge, my knee-jerk reaction is that I don’t have any major issue with what the Dolphins did because I’d rather they take a better prospect than force, say, an offensive lineman or a tight end in Round 2 or 3. The pick of Devon Achane, for example, can be viewed as unnecessary because the Dolphins already did have backs on the roster, but his speed adds yet another dimension to the offense. And let’s ask ourselves this: Are we so sure that any O-lineman available in Round 2 or 3 when the Dolphins picked would have been able to come in and unseat Eichenberg or Jackson? If I do have one complaint, it was not using the sixth-round pick on USC guard Andrew Vorhees, who was a second- or third-round talent before he blew out a knee working out. Yes, he won’t contribute at all in 2023, but that’s great value down the line for the Ravens after they took early in Round 7.

From Chad Hickes24 (@ChadHickes1):

Hi Alain, I thoroughly enjoy your candor perspective and work daily. The Fins have invested so much into the speed of their skill positions on both sides of the ball. Do you think that they have neglected the OL and DL? That is where the game is won in the trenches. TY so much!

Hey Chad, it’s very difficult to argue with your point (especially after you complimented me LOL). All seriousness, one could argue the Dolphins have spent an awful lot of resources on their O-line (high draft picks, signing Armstead and Connor Williams) and on defense they have a first-round pick in Christian Wilkins and a second-rounder in Raekwon Davis up front. I will say they have been as maniacal about always stocking the lines like the Eagles, but I’m not 100 percent sure about “neglecting.”

From John Kerns (@yitwail):

Expecting TE & OL picks, I was disappointed, but having watched numerous Achane highlights, I think the pick was brilliant. Hill, Waddle and Achane must be the fastest, most elusive trio ever on an NFL offense. Agreed?

Hey John, yeah, I have to think it would be right at the top, if not the very top. As it was last season, I can’t recall a faster WR tandem than Hill/Waddle, and Achane has that kind of stupid speed. And let’s also not forget Raheem Mostert, who’s pretty fast in his own right.

From spydercane (@sypdercane):

Feels like a win now team that didn’t address needs & passed on talent at need pos. Took handsy CB who roomed w/GM’s son, another WR to TE project, an OT without OT traits? How did this draft help protect Tua?

Hmm, “protect Tua”? Revisit his two major injuries last year and you’ll see both came on plays when he had more than enough time to throw but just held on to the ball too long. The Dolphins already are doing a lot to help their QB, but they can’t make every decision based on the idea of “protecting” him.

From Hebert Gutierrez Morales (via email):

Hi Alain, thank you for all your work (and Omar's) during draft weekend. I have a couple of questions and I hope you can answer them. First one, and the most obvious is, respectfully, are we crazy? I understand Mr. Ross pays Grier, McDaniel and the rest of staff to run the team, including draft selections but, if ALL the experts (national and local) understand the team's priorities as TE, OL and LB, why the team took a CB and RB, positions with no evident holes? I understand the BPA approach but there were very good players available in the position of needs. The second one is, with almost $3 million in cap space, and the rookie deals to be agreed, should Miami wait until June to sign more veteran FA; am I right? Or can they do something else to get some cap space early?

Hey Hebert, sure, the Dolphins could do some things now to create cap space, but I do think whatever additional veteran signings will come after June 1. As for the draft, you’re assuming that the Dolphins automatically agree with the national media about their biggest needs. Also, I’d like to think that they absolutely would have drafted an offensive lineman in Round 2 or 3 if they thought there was a prospect at that position who was better than either Cam Smith or Devon Achane. Personally, I’d rather they draft really good players than reach to address a position perceived as a need. Finally, just because they don’t play OL or TE doesn’t mean Smith and Achane won’t contribute early because I suspect they will.