Six quarterbacks were among the first 14 offensive players off the board to start the NFL Draft. Edge rusher Chop Robinson of Penn State, one of general manager Chris Grier’s top-graded prospects, was selected by the Miami Dolphins at No. 21 despite a series of detours.
Miami wanted to have more of an impact in the second half of the first round, but Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel were delighted to see the pass rush improve.
At the conclusion of the first round on Thursday night, Grier stated, “We were active on the phones; I’ll just say that.” I’m not sure how close we were, but we were most likely involved throughout the draft’s backside.
Graham Barton, an offensive lineman at Duke who was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 26, was connected to the Dolphins. Tyler Guyton of Oklahoma was selected by the Dallas Cowboys at No. 29. Xavier Legette and Ricky Pearsall, two wide receivers, were the last two players selected in the first round.
Grier stated, “We were active even trying to get back in to get another one here in the late first because there were a couple players at the end we were excited for.”
Before the Dolphins can select with pick No. 55, more than 20 players will be eliminated from consideration, and it’s likely that some of the individuals Grier highlighted late in the first round moved into the second round.
When the second round kicks off at 7 p.m., NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah named some of the finest players still available as Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean, defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Netwon, and interior offensive linemen Jackson Powers-Johnson and Zach Frazier.
In the event that the Dolphins want to select a Day 1 starter on Friday night, they may use the compensatory picks from next year even if they are without picks in the third and fourth rounds. Miami acquired Liam Eichenberg at number 38 in the 2021 draft by trading the Giants a 2022 third-round selection and the No. 50 overall pick.
Grier stated, “You never want to get desperate in doing things and moving around as the board falls and the players.” However, if opportunities present themselves, we’ll seize them and relocate.