Dolphins-Centric Round 1 Recap

The Miami Dolphins sat out the first round of the 2023 NFL draft, as expected, despite the late speculation they might want to trade up to select Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs.

While that always should have been seen as a highly remote possibility, given the Dolphins' recent history of avoiding running backs in early rounds, the fact that Gibbs surprisingly was taken 12th overall stopped that idea pretty quickly in the proceeding Thursday night.

So after the round ended, the Dolphins officially went without a first-round pick for the second consecutive year and the 11th time in franchise history — 1970, 1971, 1973, 1978, 1986, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2022, 2023.

THE PICKS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN

The Dolphins, of course, at one point had two first-round picks this year, but one was taken away as part of the sanctions for the the league finding the organization guilty of tampering with Tom Brady and Sean Payton, and the other was sent to the Denver Broncos as part of the trade that brought Bradley Chubb to Miami.

The forfeited pick became the 21st overall after the Dolphins' 9-8 finish and playoff appearance in 2022, and the player who became the actual 21st pick in the 2023 draft Thursday night was TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnson, selected by the Los Angeles Chargers.

As for the other pick, which the Dolphins had acquired from the 49ers as part of the trade involving the third and 12th overall picks in 2021, it ended up going to the New Orleans Saints — ironically, enough, as part of the compensation for the Broncos hiring Payton as their new head coach while he was still under contract with the Saints.

With the pick, the Saints selected Clemson defensive tackle Bryan Bresee.

Had the Dolphins still had pick number 21, they would have had their choice of any tight end in the draft or perhaps might have been interested in defensive tackle Mazi Smith, who went later to the Dallas Cowboys.

ONLY ONE TAKER FOR TIGHT ENDS

It's no great secret that tight end was among the biggest needs for the Dolphins heading into this draft — it could be debated whether the offensive line or tight end was right at the top — and it certainly was good news to see only one player at the position taken in the first round.

This was considered the best tight end class in many years and it's entirely possible the depth at the position contributed to that because teams felt confident they could get a quality prospect outside of Round 1.

With the Dolphins have the 20th pick of the second round (51st overall), they likely will be able to select one of the top tight end prospects if they choose barring a run at the position in the first half of Round 2.

For those keeping score, the top tight prospects still available include Georgia's Darnell Washington, Oregon State's Luke Musgrave, Iowa's Sam LaPorta and Notre Dame's Michael Mayer.

BILLS GET HELP FOR JOSH ALLEN

The one tight end who did get taken in Round 1 was Utah's Dalton Kincaid and he went to the four-time AFC East defending champion Buffalo Bills after they traded up to get him.

Heading into the draft, the thought was that Buffalo wanted to get a wide receiver to complement Stefon Diggs, but Kincaid was the next-best thing because of his highly regarded receiving skills.

What his arrival will mean is the likelihood of heavy two-tight-end usage with Pro Bowl selection Dawson Knox already on the roster.

If we're being honest, though, the passing game wasn't where the Buffalo offense needed the most help. What the Bills really need is a more reliable running game so they're not so dependent on Josh Allen.

PATS HELP THEMSELVES WHILE HURTING THE JETS

If there was an award to be given out for best job of getting great value and hurting a division opponent at the same time, it has to go to the New England Patriots.

Bill Belichick has taken a lot of flak in recent years for his drafting efforts, but what he did Thursday night — helping out his defense and hurting the Jets at the same time — was pretty slick.

To recap, New England traded down from the 14th overall pick to the 17th spot with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who then selected Georgia tackle Broderick Jones, a player who really, really could have helped the New York Jets address their biggest need in the aftermath of the Aaron Rodgers trade.

Instead, the Jets turned to edge defender Will McDonald, who might be a good prospect in his own right but isn't likely to have as big of an impact for the team in 2023.

As for the Patriots, they took advantage of the slide of highly touted Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez to nab him at number 17 and bring so much-needed size — along with a very good playmaker — to their secondary.

QUICK HITTERS

-- The Dolphins will get an up-close look at the first overall pick, QB Bryce Young, in the 2023 regular season because the Carolina Panthers are scheduled to play at Hard Rock Stadium.

-- One of the surprising slides was that of Joey Porter Jr., the son of former Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter, who was widely expected to be among the first cornerbacks selected. We'd look for Porter Jr. to go very early in Round 2.

-- Any list of the big winners of Round 1 would have to include the Philadelphia Eagles after they landed two more Georgia defensive stars — it's like they're collecting them — with Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith. It's not like the Dolphins game at Philadelphia was going to be easy regardless, but it sure as hell didn't get any easier after Thursday night.