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There's a long way until the draft in May with a lot of things to come in free agency. But, as of now I wanted to rank who I see as the top 10 targets at #8. I'm assuming players like Bosa and Ramsey will be gone.
1. Hargreaves CB --- As of now, Miami's biggest needs are guard and corner. The corner position is kind of like pitching in baseball in that you can never have enough. Hargreaves looks like a shut down corner. The addition of Vance Joseph as DC for the Dolphins could mean that Miami can get a stopgap veteran at corner. If so, that doesn't necessarily eliminate Hargreaves. Not sure if the team keeps Brent Grimes either.
2. Stanley OT --- Notre Dame's left tackle could solve two issues for Miami. In the short-term he could move inside to left guard. In the long-term he could be the Dolphins starting left tackle. Brandon Albert is a really good player when he's on the field, but has been injury prone and is getting up in years. Adam Gase is an offensive coach so you know he'll value a player like Stanley who can protect his quarterback.
3. Ragland MLB -- I keep coming back to Ragland. Ragland would provide a tone setter at middle linebacker that Miami hasn't had in a long time. He's excellent against the run, a leader, and ran Nick Saban's pro style defense at Alabama. He's not someone who can eliminate players like Gronk from an attack, but he's good enough in coverage to be a three down player.
4-5 Smith/Jack OLB/MLB -- Both are athletic playmakers who can match up in the passing game really well. My only reservation is that I see them both as weakside linebackers (pro-bowl potential there) and both are coming off injuries. Both have played in the middle, though.
6. Robinson DT/DE -- The addition of N. Suh was supposed to free the linebacker up to make plays in Miami's defense. The only problem was that the Dolphins didn't get much opposite of Suh at defensive tackle. While this hasn't often been mentioned as a weak spot, I definitely see it that way. Robinson may be the best defensive tackle in a draft that will see quite a few of these guys go early. He is a run stopper, but can push the pocket and is said to be a leader. I think he'd be an excellent complement to Suh. Hopefully Jordan Phillips will continue to develop and be more than a flash player as well, giving Miami a nice rotation at DT.
7-8. Buckner/Lawson DE --- Olivier Vernon should be a priority for Miami to re-sign this offseason. If that doesn't happen, Buckner and Lawson move up near the top of this list.
9. Elliott RB --- Ohio State's star running back can do it all, catch out of the backfield, run with power and speed, and block. I don't think Miami goes round 1 for a running back, although that was rumored last year with Todd Gurley. I don't think Elliott is in Gurley's category as a runner, but he is good. If the Dolphins don't sign Lamar Miller, this could be a wildcard pick.
10. Apple CB -- Another Ohio State player is moving up the charts. I think Apple will end up near the top 10 when all is said and done. He would add much needed size to the Dolphins secondary.
1. Hargreaves CB --- As of now, Miami's biggest needs are guard and corner. The corner position is kind of like pitching in baseball in that you can never have enough. Hargreaves looks like a shut down corner. The addition of Vance Joseph as DC for the Dolphins could mean that Miami can get a stopgap veteran at corner. If so, that doesn't necessarily eliminate Hargreaves. Not sure if the team keeps Brent Grimes either.
2. Stanley OT --- Notre Dame's left tackle could solve two issues for Miami. In the short-term he could move inside to left guard. In the long-term he could be the Dolphins starting left tackle. Brandon Albert is a really good player when he's on the field, but has been injury prone and is getting up in years. Adam Gase is an offensive coach so you know he'll value a player like Stanley who can protect his quarterback.
3. Ragland MLB -- I keep coming back to Ragland. Ragland would provide a tone setter at middle linebacker that Miami hasn't had in a long time. He's excellent against the run, a leader, and ran Nick Saban's pro style defense at Alabama. He's not someone who can eliminate players like Gronk from an attack, but he's good enough in coverage to be a three down player.
4-5 Smith/Jack OLB/MLB -- Both are athletic playmakers who can match up in the passing game really well. My only reservation is that I see them both as weakside linebackers (pro-bowl potential there) and both are coming off injuries. Both have played in the middle, though.
6. Robinson DT/DE -- The addition of N. Suh was supposed to free the linebacker up to make plays in Miami's defense. The only problem was that the Dolphins didn't get much opposite of Suh at defensive tackle. While this hasn't often been mentioned as a weak spot, I definitely see it that way. Robinson may be the best defensive tackle in a draft that will see quite a few of these guys go early. He is a run stopper, but can push the pocket and is said to be a leader. I think he'd be an excellent complement to Suh. Hopefully Jordan Phillips will continue to develop and be more than a flash player as well, giving Miami a nice rotation at DT.
7-8. Buckner/Lawson DE --- Olivier Vernon should be a priority for Miami to re-sign this offseason. If that doesn't happen, Buckner and Lawson move up near the top of this list.
9. Elliott RB --- Ohio State's star running back can do it all, catch out of the backfield, run with power and speed, and block. I don't think Miami goes round 1 for a running back, although that was rumored last year with Todd Gurley. I don't think Elliott is in Gurley's category as a runner, but he is good. If the Dolphins don't sign Lamar Miller, this could be a wildcard pick.
10. Apple CB -- Another Ohio State player is moving up the charts. I think Apple will end up near the top 10 when all is said and done. He would add much needed size to the Dolphins secondary.
