The NFL Draft process is one that yields great rewards if attacked properly. But there’s nothing that can set a team back more than investing into the wrong players in the draft. Staying committed to the promise of players that don’t work out will cost you twofold — you’re not getting adequate production and you’re committed to not bringing in anyone new who can help make that leap in play.
So if you want to be a consistent playoff contender, hitting on your picks is a first-class ticket.
For the Miami Dolphins, general manager Chris Grier is only now firmly putting his thumbprint on the Dolphins’ roster despite being in place since 2016. And while Grier’s maneuvering of the draft via trades and collecting maximum assets is where he’s truly shined since taking over unquestioned control of the roster, his track record as a drafter is respectable. And there’s plenty of upward mobility if his 2020 and 2021 draft classes blossom into booming hits.
NFL.com recently ranked all tenured general managers for their drafting skills — and Grier checked in 16th in the league since 2015.
“Grier has held the GM title since 2016, but Mike Tannenbaum was above him (VP of football operations) until 2019. I decided to evaluate the draft choices since Grier got the GM title, when his tenure started with a bang in a trade down with Philadelphia that wound up with the Dolphins taking Laremy Tunsil at No. 13 overall. (They took All-Pro Xavien Howard in the second round.) The Dolphins’ drafts have been uneven since, but the Tunsil trade in 2019 — the centerpiece of the team’s rebuilding project — continues to reap dividends. Now we just have to see if any of the five first-round picks and four second-rounders between 2020 and ’21 produce any players as good as Tunsil or Minkah Fitzpatrick, who was dealt to Pittsburgh.” – Gregg Rosenthal, NFL.com
Grier was ranked above some significant names, including Baltimore’s Eric DeCosta and New England’s Bill Belichick. Next year’s exercise may see Grier checking in higher if players like Tua Tagovailoa, Austin Jackson and Noah Igbinoghene can take a step forward during the 2021 NFL season.