Fun question! And I get your nuance
@allsilverdreams , because you're asking our favorite 1st round pick, not necessarily the best one. I think it would be hard to argue any 1st rounder (after Marino) that was better than Larry Csonka or Bob Griese, after all, those guys were obvious HOF'ers and unbelievable players. IMHO, both the best and my favorite other 1st round pick would be Larry Csonka --- rather obvious.
But, let me throw another one out there. We traded our 1st round pick for a former #1 overall in the draft dynamite All-Pro WR, named Paul Warfield, who was also an HOF'er and very similar in physical talent to Irving Fryar, but with a Jerry Rice work-ethic and approach to the game. Only the older guys will remember him, but if he played today he would be absolutely dominant in this era of passing-friendly rules. Unbelievable player, the best WR the Dolphins have ever had--and that's saying a LOT, because WR has been a showcase position for the Dolphins (Warfield, Duper, Clayton, Fryar, Gadsden, McDuffie, Chambers, etc., etc., etc. ...).
Unfortunately, we drafted the Dad of Joey and Nick Bosa (John Bosa) and their Uncle (Eric Kumerow) both in round 1, and neither panned out. Figures that both Joey Bosa and Nick Bosa would become studs for other teams, despite growing up Dolphins fans ... sigh. Would have liked to see what an uninjured Yatil Green could have done. We've had some good 1st rounders, and I'm sure there's more recent ones that resonate with the younger guys too. Interested in hearing everyone's thoughts.