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The Miami Dolphins tricked us. This team has been on a mission to upgrade their rushing attack ever since the season ended. That included free agent signings to both the running back position and along the offensive line plus half of Miami’s first four selections in this year’s NFL Draft going to power players up front as well. But despite the signing of RB Jordan Howard, the Dolphins’ homework on the early backs of the 2020 NFL Draft seemed to indicate that Miami would be hot and heavy after the position.
D’Andre Swift was a popular choice for Miami by national pundits all throughout the spring. Ohio State’s JK Dobbins was a constant in talks of prospects tied to Miami.
But the chips were down last night for the Dolphins and Miami said “thanks, but no thanks” to investing an early pick on the running back position. The Dolphins passed on Swift at 30 (he was picked at 35 by Detroit) and both Dobbins (drafted at 55 by Baltimore) and Jonathan Taylor (drafted by Indianapolis in the early 40s after a trade) in the second round. The Dolphins opted to stick at No. 56 and draft defensive lineman Raekwon Davis from Alabama.
Will the team come to regret that move? Perhaps. It is hard to say definitively if Dobbins would have gotten the call had he made it past Baltimore. But never the less, he didn’t.
There are two sources of optimism for fans who wanted Miami to draft one of the top backs in this year’s NFL Draft. First and foremost, the Dolphins are staying true to their new identity as a front office — they covet volume. All the talk of the Dolphins trading up for Tua or an offensive tackle yielded no results, either. Instead? Miami’s only trade through two days was to move down.
And second, the Dolphins appear to be aware of positional value trends and are committed to getting premiere positions early on in this year’s draft. Yes, running backs touch the football often — but their skill set and low shelf life typically makes them a rapidly depreciating asset. Miami staying away early indicates what we already knew, this team is building for the long haul more so than the here and now. Fortunately this roster appears aligned to win more in the here and now, too.
But Miami’s roster building is taking a very deliberate, patient approach. Let’s see where Day 3 takes us.