With 14 total picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins cannot commit the same mistakes as prior regimes. Here are five mistakes they must avoid.
If there is one team that has had the spotlight thrust upon them in the 2020 NFL Draft season, it is the Miami Dolphins. After completing a 2019 season filled with speculation of “tanking,” everyone knows the Dolphins have gone all-in on a full scale rebuild. With an upstart regime led by head coach Brian Flores and general manager Chris Grier, the fate of the Dolphins franchise rests heavily on the decisions they make a few weeks from now.
The franchise has traded away multiple star players like Laremy Tunsil, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ryan Tannehill to accumulate enough draft capital to completely uproot the roster for the 2020 season.
With 14 total draft choices, including three in the first round, Miami needs to come away with viable commodities in order to capitalize on a wide-open AFC East window. While they have also stocked up on 2021 picks, this is the draft that will define this regime for the remainder of their tenure.
Grier has made some solid picks in his last four drafts. His success rate in the first three rounds of the draft is slightly above average, as I’d say nearly half of his Day 1 and Day 2 picks have turned into impactful, starting assets. He’s drafted capable players like Tunsil, Fitzpatrick, Xavien Howard, Mike Gesicki, Kenyan Drake and Jerome Baker.
However, he’s also made some errors. His most notable faults come from his 2017 NFL Draft class, where only two of his seven picks have become reliable contributors, albeit they are far from elite talent. Nonetheless, Grier has a pedigree for turning his high draft picks into assets; this draft will be his best opportunity to turn around a franchise that has not won a playoff game since 2000.
Here are five mistakes the Dolphins must avoid in the 2020 NFL Draft.