Dolphins 2016 draft grade

The Dolphins 2016 draft is in the books. Take a look below as our staff reviews and gives their final grade.

Michael S (@DolphinMick) – Dolphins aced the draft final with the selection of Laremy Tunsil. Tunsil is a big, strong, mauler of an offensive lineman and like the success of Jake Long in Miami a few years ago and Mike Pouncey now, getting another alpha on that o-line will make the Dolphins nasty in the trenches. By far, Tunsil is their best pick since Dan Marino in terms of talent and caliber of player. The Dolphins will figure it out, but after this season, Tunsil will be the starter instead of Branden Albert. The writing is on the wall. Dolphins want to be even younger, create cap room flexibility, and give Ryan Tannehill every opportunity to get the job done in 2016.

Final draft grade – A

Nick (@dolphinator13) – My opinion on this draft is very mixed. When I look at the haul of players Miami drafted, I am fairly happy. Best I have seen here in quite a while. Tunsil was a gift that they smartly unwrapped. Our LT for the next ten years. Howard fits the suit of their new profile at CB. Drake fits the suit of a size & speed combo at RB to provide big plays & bonus ST ability. Carroo looks like Landry, but with more big play ability. Day 3 selections included taking a speedy KR in Grant, another DB in Lucas that fits their profile, a developmental QB in Doughty & a TE in Duarte that I think is a steal.

Where I am unhappy is that they chose to make trades where they gave up far more assets than they should have. Trading a 4 to move up 4 spots in round 2 was just crazy. Then trading 3 picks including a 3 & 4 next year to take Carroo was just a very high price to pay. Finally trading off their 5 for 2 6’s and a 7 was just not prudent when there were good players on the board. To me, the trades spoke a bit of panic moves where I would have preferred they let the draft come to them as they did in round 1. So, while I like a lot of the choices, to me, the over payment for them leads to a deduction in my draft grade. Slightly above average for me. Lets call it a B-. The keys to this draft for me are Howard & Carroo. They need to make us forget the price paid for them. if they do, this draft can grade out much higher.

Final Draft grade – B-

Richard (@richboyhawkins1) – Gase and Grier had a good draft IMO. The pick that sticks out the most is Tunsil, who was the story of the draft. He was projected to be a top-10 pick, but slipped due to a bizarre video going online of him smoking marijuana out of a gas mask. He was supposed to the No. 1 pick but the Titans traded their pick to the Rams. We got an elite talent in Tunsil. If he can manage his off-field troubles, Tunsil should provide a quality presence for the Dolphins on the offensive line. Ryan Tannehill has been one of the most often sacked quarterbacks in the NFL, so to say he needs added protection is an understatement. This is a step in the right direction with the pick of Tunsil. The pick I really like is Caroo because his game is similar to Landry but he’s faster. I’m happy that we got him before the enemy got him. But overall, I give this draft grade a B plus.

Final Draft grade – B+

Jeff (@phinsfanintn) – Going into the draft all we heard was Ezekial Elliot. How much they loved him and wanted him. We heard how trigger happy Mike Tannebaum is and to be on the lookout for a trade up to snag Elliot or even perhaps Jalen Ramsey. But the unthinkable happened, the best player in the draft, Ole Miss offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil, fell to number 13. The Dolphins who had traded their #8 pick to the Eagles for the #13 spot while also getting defensive starters Kiko Alonzo and Byron Maxwell. Most thought this would be a defense heavy draft for the Dolphins. However, Adam Gase clearly had a planned as they wheeled and dealed to select 6 offensive players out of their 8 picks. Tunsil is obviously the prize of the draft. But Gase, who is known for wanting to create matchup problems on offense selected guys that could real problems for other teams to defend against. Kenyan Drake, the running back out of Alabama has been compared to Reggie Bush. Leonte Caroo reminds me of a faster version of Jarvis Landry. Jakeem Grant, the small but speedy receiver is a home run threat any time he touches the ball.

The most important pick could turn out to be corner back Xavien Howard from Baylor. He is a big tall defensive back that this staff covets. His tape is some of the best in the draft. But there are also some lapses there as well. Hopefully Vance Joseph can maximize his talent and get the most out of him.

Final draft grade – A

Kico (@Kicolares) – Not all the needs covered at the 2016 draft.

The first four selections of the 2016 NFL draft are the best in a few years by the Dolphins. Laremy Tunsil (OT) and Leonte Carroo (WR) are a very good example of steals in this draft. Pro Football Focus says Carroo it’s the biggest steal of this draft. Also at the end of the draft the Dolphins select another great player in Brandon Doughty a QB with great arm and better accuracy, he was the NCAA leader in passing yards the last two seasons.
At the beginning of the draft the Dolphins go in what it looks like a great plan, finding the needs to complete the roster: and offensive line player in Tunsil , for most experts the best player in the draft; a defensive back with a big body in Xavier Howard, the prototype of player the new Offensive Coordinator wants; a running back that could be a play maker if stays healthy in Kenyan Drake and a great wide receiver to complete the wide receivers corps in Carroo. But after that, the Dolphins abandon the plan and forget the offensive line needs. The Dolphins needs a guard desperately and forget to use a pick in one at the draft.

Final draft grade – B+
Aldo (@Miasportstake) – The Dolphins made headlines in the first-round of this year’s NFL Draft selecting Laremy Tunsil with the 13th overall pick. Tunsil was widely expected to be the 1st overall selection in earlier mocks, but after QB needy teams in the Rams and Eagles jumped to one and two respectively, Tunsil was expected to fall no further than possibly the top-5. However, after the story that by now the sports world has heard a good couple times, Tunsil fell to thirteen. Personally, I loved the pick and believed it set the tone for the rest of the draft, the Dolphins made it clear they are behind Adam Gase and his vision on offense. In a draft that was supposed to be all about the “defense”, the Dolphins went after their guys and prototypes and I had no issue with that whatsoever. Yes, six out of the eight picks were offensive players, but people forget how bad this offense was last year. A lot of those struggles were because of fit, rather than talent. By selecting prospects such as Kenyan Drake, Leonte Carroo and Jakeem Grant, the Dolphins gave Adam Gase players who fit what he wants to do on offense and depth to work with. On defense, the Dolphins got what they wanted, two defensive-backs. And in Xavien Howard, one who will be expected to be an immediate starter. The other defensive-back selected Jordan Lucas, played corner his first two seasons at Penn State, before switching to strong safety his last season there. With Reshad Jones holding out for a new contract, and the Dolphins being paper-thin at corner-back, that versatility will come in handy. The Dolphins’ pair of seventh-round picks can be considered “projects.” While I loved the idea of selecting another QB, Brandon Doughty might not even make the team. As the Dolphins at times have not carried three QBs on the 53-man roster, Doughty is a Davie, FL native. The other seventh rounder was Thomas Duarte out of UCLA, Duarte is a WR/TE. While he mostly played wide-out in college, his size projects him for a switch to TE in the pros. Below I give my grades for each of the Dolphins’ eight picks.

Laremy Tunsil-A
Xavien Howard-B+
Kenyan Drake-A+
Leonte Carroo-B
Jakeem Grant-B-
Jordan Lucas-B
Brandon Doughty-B+
Thomas Duarte-C

Final draft grade – B+

Overall, our staff gives the Dolphins a B+ on their 2016 draft. Of course none of this matters unless it translates into success on the field. As always, Phins Up!!!