The Miami Dolphins put the finishing touches on their 2024 NFL draft class with five picks Saturday after making one each on Thursday and Friday.
Most experts didn’t love or hate the Dolphins’ picks. They received middle-of-the-road reviews from just about every media outlet, ranging from about “B-” to “B+.” It’s not surprising considering patience was a prevalent theme in Miami’s picks, as none of the team’s selections seem likely to start as rookies. It’s hard to pan a team for planning ahead, but not many are going to give a standing ovation either.
Here’s what we at Dolphins Wire thought of each of the seven picks made by the team:
Yes, the Dolphins lost Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips to season-ending injuries, but picking Robinson wasn’t just an injury insurance decision for Miami. Simply put, even if both of those players were 100 percent healthy, NFL teams have to have more than two pass rushers to be effective. A rotation is a must and the Dolphins can’t count on Shaquill Barrett, who had 4.5 sacks last season after tearing his Achilles in 2022, to do it all.
Robinson has the explosiveness to be a terror off the edge for Miami, which would make the Dolphins a much better defense, regardless if he is or isn’t in the starting lineup.
So why the “B” grade? Mostly, the value.
The top three pass rushers of the draft class — Laiatu Latu, Dallas Turner, and Jared Verse — came off the board in the six picks before the Dolphins made their selection. Then they turned away a handful of teams interested in trading up to No. 21.
None of that will matter at all if Robinson proves to be the best pass rusher of the group. But at least for now, it doesn’t quite feel like the Dolphins maximized the situation.
Paul probably won’t see the field as a rookie. Terron Armstead’s lengthy injury history makes it seem almost inevitable that he’ll miss a stretch during the 2024 season. But the Dolphins would probably be more inclined to toss Kendall Lamm on to the field after he performed admirably in relief of Armstead last season.
The redshirt year will probably do Paul well, though.
While he’s a monstrous 6’8, 331 pounds with massive arms and plenty of college experience, Paul is also a bit raw in his technique.
A 2025 third-round pick isn’t cheap, but the Dolphins have extra chips to work with as they’ll get a pair of third-round compensatory selections next year. Cashing in one of those pieces to get a home-run threat like Wright makes sense.
Raheem Mostert turned 32 earlier this month, which is about as old as it gets at the running back position. Make no mistake, Mostert showed zero signs of slowing last season and the Dolphins have reason to be optimistic that he’ll still be a big-play threat in 2024 and potentially beyond.
But finding a dangerously fast running back with many of the same qualities as Mostert was a brilliant move that sets up the Dolphins to have a dynamic duo in the backfield with De’Von Achane for the foreseeable future.
This has been lauded as the Dolphins’ steal of the draft, but I’m not as confident it works out well. It’s a worthwhile risk in the fifth round on a player that many — including Mel Kiper Jr. and Kamara himself — feel deserved to go much earlier.
Still, the list of pass rushers who have overcome the size concerns that Kamara brings to the table is not long. Counterexamples include Haason Reddick, Elvis Dumervil, and James Harrison, but those are rare exceptions.
A comparable player to Kamara in many ways is Yasir Abdullah, a 6’1 pass rusher who racked up 19.5 sacks and 31 tackles for loss in his last two seasons at Louisville. He also fell to the fifth round last year, despite his production, and hardly saw the field as a rookie with the Jaguars.
Kamara could be an exception to the rule and it only cost the Dolphins a fifth-rounder to find out. But the odds say Miami might be better off continuing to develop Cameron Goode to be in the pass rush rotation.
Washington was absolutely stellar at Virginia last season. His 110 receptions led the nation and his 1,426 receiving yards were fourth most. Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze, a pair top 10 picks, were two of the three receivers who managed to record more yards than Washington.
But it’s not just the gaudy numbers that make Washington such a late-round steal for the Dolphins. It’s how he racked them up.
On a Virginia offense that did more wrong than right, Washington made a lot of things happen out of sheer will and toughness. Despite being 5’9, 191 pounds, Washington was credited by PFF with forcing 35 missed tackles and making 11 contested catches.
And he’s not lacking for ability either. His 42.5 vertical jump and 4.47 speed make for the athletic profile of a player who could thrive in the slot.
Finding a strong safety to develop was a must for the Dolphins. The position has been a revolving door in recent seasons with DeShon Elliott taking over in 2023 and 33-year-old Jordan Poyer set to do so on a one-year contract in 2024. Depth behind the starting duo of Poyer and Jevon Holland was essentially non-existent prior to Saturday.
But does McMorris have the athleticism it takes to be an NFL defensive back?
His 31-inch vertical and 112-inch broad jump put him in the fifth and sixth percentile among safety prospects in recent years. McMorris also opted against running a 40-yard dash at both the combine and his pro day.
Those concerns would be alleviated if he was a stellar player on the field, but McMorris was mostly just OK with a habit of missing tackles — PFF credited him with 24 last season, third most in the country.
Late-round flyers are exactly that: flyers. But gambling on athleticism and upside — like the kind in seventh-round safeties Trey Taylor, Sanoussi Kane, and Jaylen Key — would’ve made more sense.
The second Washington of Day 3 for the Dolphins isn’t quite as exciting as the first. While he put up strong numbers at USC with eventual No. 1 pick Caleb Williams tossing the ball his direction, it’s hard to envision much of his receiving traits translating to success in the NFL.
Where this pick could become a win is if Washington proves himself a valuable special teamer as a gunner and/or a returner.