The "Who You Would have Drafted" Thread

[SF Dolphin Fan]

I loved both guys that Pittsburgh took. I think Troy F would have been our pick at 21 had the Steelers not stole him. He would have been a fabulous player for us to get. Our oline is suddenly much better with him but the Steelers screwed us. Maybe we would have drafed Chop anyway, just don't know.

I loved Pittsburgh's draft, but I also view Miami's offensive line as the biggest question mark. I'm not sure Grier sees it that way.

 

[SF Dolphin Fan]

I would have taken Miller even though he's an odd evaluation and fit.
I liked Rice as well...

The team has better information though and there's a reason that Rice fell... I just dont know what it was...

Maybe there were just too many WRs... no clue.

I never get mad about these things tho. I'm just a fan, I dont have their resources or their information.

That's an excellent point. We don't interview these players, or have access to medical reports etc.

 

[SF Dolphin Fan]

21. DE Chop Robinson - Even though he wasnt the BPA he fills a huge need and I think he will be good.

55. This is where I would have traded down. Cooper Beebe was selected at 73, Christian Hayes at 81 and Zak Zinter at 85. I am sure we could have gotten at least one of them and still picked up a 4th round pick so we could have kept our 3rd round pick next year in the Jaylen Wright trade. Beebe and Zinter were both first team All American OG's in 2023.

120. RB Jaylen Wight - I am fine with this pick even though it wasnt a need.

158. DE Mohamed Kamara - I like that we doubled up on the position and he was a steal this late in the draft.

184. WR Malik Washington - I love this pick.

198. C Beaux Limmer - I have my doubts about Brewer. Limmer has good size and performed well at the combine and had the most bench press reps of all O-linemen.

241. S Beau Brade - He went undrafted but was considered to be a 4th round prospect.

LImmer is a good thought. Like your draft.

The more I digest the draft, Paul does make a lot of sense. There are mocks that had him near the first round.

Armstead is a great player, but it's fair to say his body is breaking down. If not for the contract, I think he would have retired. Hopefully, the team gets around eight starts from him, but even that might be optimistic.

In other words, Paul could get more playing time than expected.

 

[Ray R]

I would have taken Miller even though he's an odd evaluation and fit.
I liked Rice as well...

The team has better information though and there's a reason that Rice fell... I just dont know what it was...

Maybe there were just too many WRs... no clue.

I never get mad about these things tho. I'm just a fan, I dont have their resources or their information.

Most of us are in that position, many don't realize it. - LOL

 

[Michael Scott]

Perfectly fine leaving our draft as is with two changes:

2 (55). OG Christian Haynes
6 (198). DT Khristian Boyd

Really good draft though. Even the pick I hated I can’t complain about with all the other selections made and the value we knocked out of the park. Not to mention the we should all trust Butch Barry at this point.

 

[Da 'Fins]

I liked the Yale OT, Kiran Amegdijie. I would have taken one of the trade downs that Grier said he was offered and picked him instead of Paul. I find Paul to be an enigma. Hopefully he develops and this ends up being wrong but that’s what I would have done. Paul has that absurdly impressive wingspan which can cover up mistakes but he sure looks out of position a lot. So to me this reminds me of 2018 when they took Gesicki and his wingspan and measurables over Dallas Goeddert and I had that exact same thought now. One plus is that MM went to Yale so they surely were favorable towards him and they still went with Paul. That’s conviction.

Can’t complain as much in the first because the guy I wanted was Murphy. He was gone. I wanted Murphy plus Kiran A so let’s see how that pans out. But picking an electric edge makes sense. The issue with Chop is he has no moves. To avoid just getting swallowed up by NFL tackles that will be incumbent upon him to improve. Both he and Paul have excellent motors so hopefully they develop. Work ethic bodes well. Regarding Murphy, that’s too bad. I have to say I’m definitely concerned with our DT’s. They don’t seem to be, which is good. They want bodies rotating and then throw high end edges at you.

I agreed with the move to trade back into the fourth by using the 3rd rounder next year. I predicted that would happen. Loved the move. That fourth now is far more more valuable than the third next year when we had fewer draft picks this year and so many next year. Then, they got a top notch value there. It balanced the classes between this year and next. We actually ended up with a full complement of seven picks this year. We would have been light without making the move.

For the people who think we added redundancy, I could write an essay on why that’s wrong. But in short, we need to accentuate our team identity to make sure it’s there for the long haul. Last year when struggled late, we lacked explosive athletes on both sides of the ball. Waddle was out. Hill was playing very hurt. Our two edges were out. We were exposed athletically without them. Our receivers couldn’t separate. Tua wouldn’t even throw to some of them. We needed the two edges, two receivers, and the electric Wright. MM doesn’t want a gassed, pedestrian team at the end of the year. He wants waves of athletes that keep coming. That’s our identity. When it was muted, we struggled. MM is playing chess.

I also liked Amegadjie. For me, in the second I’d either have gone with Amegadjie, Suamateia, or Haynes. Grier/MM (presumably) wanted an OT for the future. The first two above could well serve as OTs in years to come but also have potential to start as an OG this year and shift out to OT next year. You kill two birds with one stone. A future OT when Armstead retires, and shore up the OG spot this year.

Haynes would have been a straight up, plug and play starter at OG. They’d have to get their OT next year.

They chose to go with a raw, high ceiling player but who has a ton of question marks. And he won’t contribute this year. Hard to say if he will be ready next year.

But for me, the window for Miami contending for a SB is clearly this year or next given the ages of Hill, Ramsey, Chubb, etc. to me, you go all in and try to win it all. That was precipitated by Grier’s own decision to trade away draft choices for veterans in huge contracts that can’t be maintained forever. And won’t be at peak much longer.

That’s why I found the Paul pick to be working at cross purposes with the route Grier had chosen of “win now.” To say nothing of questionable value at the spot he picked.

You can’t go “half measures” on this and that’s what I felt Grier was doing with the Paul selection.

Really have no complaints about the rest of the draft. Although I wish we could have jumped up to get Fautanu before the Steelers. He’d have been ideal.

 

[Da 'Fins]

Don’t get the complaints about this thread. I’ve been on tons of boards that do a redraft to see what k on me would have done differently. It’s purely for entertainment purposes. That’s all any of this is anyway except for those who work in the NFL.

 

[VAFinsfan72]

LImmer is a good thought. Like your draft.

The more I digest the draft, Paul does make a lot of sense. There are mocks that had him near the first round.

Armstead is a great player, but it's fair to say his body is breaking down. If not for the contract, I think he would have retired. Hopefully, the team gets around eight starts from him, but even that might be optimistic.

In other words, Paul could get more playing time than expected.

The Paul pick will depend on how well he plays. I can see the vision of making the pick but he has to play well for it to matter.

This will most likely be Armstead's last season with the Dolphins and maybe Lamm's too. If Paul can step in and be our starting LT next year then it will prove to be a good selection.

 

[Mr Fan]

Hard to believe the NFL draft is in the books. So, who would you have drafted? Put on your GM caps and lets discuss. One stipulation, from my standpoint, the 2025 draft is said to be deep on the defensive side. So, I went heavy offense.

1. Thomas, WR LSU
For me, I've already stated that I discounted Chop Robinson due to lack of size. That was definitely a swing for the fences pick. I did the same here, but on offense, and went with a big receiver, whose explosive numbers are really off the charts. I also considered Barton, Dejean and Newton. Thomas is the type of receiver Miami doesn't have and would likely be a great complement for Hill and Waddle.

2. Beebe, OG
A plug and play starter at LG. Love his ability to move people in the run game. I viewed guard as Miami's biggest weakness going into the draft.

4. TJ Tampa (the trade up)
First, I love the Wright pick but really wasn't considering running back. Prior to the pick, I stated in a thread that I'd trade up for Franklin or Tampa. Tampa's size and physicality impressed me and felt he'd fit Weaver's defense. I think he went a round later.

5. Foster, OT
My concentration is obviously the offensive line. I think he could be a steal and the LT of the future.

5. Joe Milton, QB
He went a round later to NE. My vision for him would be to serve as the short-yardage (push play) quarterback. Intriguing physical tools, who could challenge Thompson or White for a backup role.

6. Malik Washington, WR
Made the same pick as Grier here. I was excited to see him on the board. Tough, catches everything, good at breaking tackles (YAC).

6. Christian Mahogany, OG
Went a few picks later to Detroit. Not sure why he dropped so low after being considered a 3rd rounder in most mocks. Could compete for RG. I basically took the Pittsburgh Steelers approach on the offensive line!

7. Brevyn Spann-Ford, TE
A 6-6 tight end, known mostly for blocking, who could be a redzone threat. Went undrafted.

The only change I would make in our draft be our 1st round pick Chop.

I would have selected Barton because he is a legitimate tackle, guard or center. He would have been very useful this year in a plug and play at any position along the line. He will be a special player at center/guard and can play tackle when called upon effectively (ala Logan Mankins).

I would have absolutely taken Paul in the second round, I hope we get at least 6-8 games of Armstead before Paul has to get in due to yet another Armstead injury.

 

[DolfanISS]

Ask me in 3 years, isn’t that how you play this game?

 

[Kebo]

Don’t get the complaints about this thread. I’ve been on tons of boards that do a redraft to see what k on me would have done differently. It’s purely for entertainment purposes. That’s all any of this is anyway except for those who work in the NFL.

Most fans just hate any negative critique of the players, coaches, or administrators. I will always give my honest opinions. Sometimes they are positive. Sometimes they are negative. Sometimes they are accurate. Sometimes they are wrong. I would rather express my true thoughts than look at everything through Aqua colored sunglasses. Plus, if you can’t handle criticism of the organization then just block me.

 

[brumdog44]

As long as we are going in hindsight, I'll let you know after the season who I would have drafted.

 

[Supervox]

How do you know the team didn't think about it?

Given the fact that the Welsh media were all over every little thing happening with L R-Z and reported nothing about the Dolphins, McD or Grier, yet were seemingly instantly aware of the interest from Reid and the Chiefs and others, I'm fairly certain - for whatever reason - he wasn't on their radar

 

[Mello Yello]

Right, and fans seem to get stuck on sacks. Pressures cause the quarterback to get rid of the ball early etc. A lot of big defensive plays come off pressures.

Josh Allen, in particular, will take chances with pressure in his face.

Can't win big in this league without a pass rush and that's one area where Miami got some depth and possibly better. I do think the Dolphins will miss the inside pressure Wilkins provided.

Edge pressure alone causes a QB to step up and often results in a QB finding a better rhythm if the interior DL can't simultaneously collapse the pocket--and to that point we don't have amazingly powerful DTs now that Wilkins is gone.

That's what troubles me about Chop. He's good as part of a group (note how many of his highlights involve other teammates simultaneously getting to the QB). I worry that in the NFL his lack of tackling ability will mean he's merely a "close but no cigar" guy who really doesn't generate much independent impact the way we saw prior studs like Wake, Phillips and Chubb all do.

Chop's lack of size/strength leads him to rely on wild speed and that leads to a lot of missed tackles. He's also washed around in the run for the same reasons. Then you add that he's not well developed and I don't see this pick having an easy future. This is a small guy who needs to diversify his game and get stronger. We're going to ultimately put too much on Chop unless magic happens IMHO, especially if we throw him in early.

This is not a Bradley Chubb or Cam Wake who can anchor IMHO. This is a guy who (I fear) lacks the overall size/strength to be a true fixture. The lack of sacks at Penn State comes along with an overall lack of tackles which to me is a lot more troubling.

I get that sacks need context (which can come from pressure rate) but it's hard not to worry about a guy who averages 1 tackle per game, LOL. The vast majority of the time unproductive players do not get to the NFL and suddenly see a sharp uptick in impact. The "coach 'em up" dream all fans have is a rarely observed phenomena.


Great job on the initial post, btw. I loved your alternative picks. I think this team is at a fork in the road and without real answers we're likely to slowly regress. I worry that this draft will confirm our fears that it's the outside talent we've brought in that's propping up an otherwise unspectacular roster who's only bright spots have been a few R1 picks and some mid-round RB talent.

 

[SF Dolphin Fan]

Edge pressure alone causes a QB to step up and often results in a QB finding a better rhythm if the interior DL can't simultaneously collapse the pocket--and to that point we don't have amazingly powerful DTs now that Wilkins is gone.

That's what troubles me about Chop. He's good as part of a group (note how many of his highlights involve other teammates simultaneously getting to the QB). I worry that in the NFL his lack of tackling ability will mean he's merely a "close but no cigar" guy who really doesn't generate much independent impact the way we saw prior studs like Wake, Phillips and Chubb all do.

Chop's lack of size/strength leads him to rely on wild speed and that leads to a lot of missed tackles. He's also washed around in the run for the same reasons. Then you add that he's not well developed and I don't see this pick having an easy future. This is a small guy who needs to diversify his game and get stronger. We're going to ultimately put too much on Chop unless magic happens IMHO, especially if we throw him in early.

This is not a Bradley Chubb or Cam Wake who can anchor IMHO. This is a guy who (I fear) lacks the overall size/strength to be a true fixture. The lack of sacks at Penn State comes along with an overall lack of tackles which to me is a lot more troubling.

I get that sacks need context (which can come from pressure rate) but it's hard not to worry about a guy who averages 1 tackle per game, LOL. The vast majority of the time unproductive players do not get to the NFL and suddenly see a sharp uptick in impact. The "coach 'em up" dream all fans have is a rarely observed phenomena.


Great job on the initial post, btw. I loved your alternative picks. I think this team is at a fork in the road and without real answers we're likely to slowly regress. I worry that this draft will confirm our fears that it's the outside talent we've brought in that's propping up an otherwise unspectacular roster who's only bright spots have been a few R1 picks and some mid-round RB talent.

That was my concern with Chop Robinson as well. Didn't hate the pick but, to your point, he's currently a pass rush specialist. With Chubb and Phillips that could work well, but can Robinson develop into a complete player?

The work ethic is there so maybe??

At 21, Miami had mostly "flawed " options. I liked Barton but his best position is guard, which I'd high for 21.

Newton is small and just OK in the run game. Thomas has everything physically, plus production, but needs to learn more of a route tree.

Guyton is a work in progress.

Mitchell and Arnold could have been great choices as well. Even maybe Worthy.