The Miami Dolphins’ latest blueprint for success has called upon the NFL draft to serve as a cornerstone for the team’s roster-building effort. With a major surplus in assets over the last two seasons, Miami has been able to quickly refill the talent level on their roster with young standouts, many of which will have the chance to become difference-makers for the Dolphins. But in recent memory, which draft pick for the Dolphins has been the biggest boom and provided the best bang for their buck?
Pro Football Focus put together a list of each NFL franchise’s best value pick since the year 2006 — a span of 15 years. And for Miami, the best value to be found is in a current player who is hoping to strike a new deal: cornerback Xavien Howard.
“While he may not be the best corner in the NFL, Howard has quite easily been the best ball-hawking cornerback in the NFL over the past three years. He’s tallied 17 picks in his past two healthy seasons — not bad for a second-rounder.” — PFF
There’s little arguing Howard’s credentials as a draft steal for Miami. Others that likely received consideration would have included former safety Reshad Jones, who was a 5th-round pick and played nearly a decade in Miami. If the exercise would have been to identify the best value addition and bargain regardless, then former Dolphins pass-rusher Cameron Wake would have been the slam dunk candidate: Wake came to Miami from Canada as a free agent and carved out a fringe Hall of Fame worthy career: his 100.5 career sacks are top-35 all-time.
But Howard’s status as the No. 38 overall pick in 2016 is pretty hard to overlook; particularly with how many high-impact plays he’s made over the past three seasons when on the field and healthy.