The Miami Dolphins had major needs heading into the offseason. The Dolphins 2016 Draft addressed some of those needs magnificently, but others were neglected.
Miami finished last season on a positive note, beating its AFC East rival, the New England Patriots. All told, though, it was another lost season for the Dolphins, who finished with a record of 6-10, last place in the division.
Since then, the Dolphins have let one of their most promising defensive players go while adding some questionable, aging talent to the same side of the ball. The Dolphins 2016 Draft did address the offensive side of the ball as well. It remains to be seen how effective all the moves will be this upcoming season.
Speaking of moves, these were the players selected during the three-day draft in Chicago.
Dolphins 2016 Draft
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[mks_accordion_item title=”Round 1, 13th overall: Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss”]
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[mks_accordion_item title=”Round 2, 38th overall: Xavien Howard, CB, Baylor”]
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[mks_accordion_item title=”Round 3, 73rd overall: Kenyan Drake, RB, Alabama”]
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[mks_accordion_item title=”Round 3, 86th overall: Leonte Carroo, WR, Rutgers”]
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[mks_accordion_item title=”Round 6, 186th overall: Jakeem Grant, WR, Texas Tech”]
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[mks_accordion_item title=”Round 6, 204th overall: Jordan Lucas, S, Penn State”]
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[mks_accordion_item title=”Round 7, 223rd overall: Brandon Doughty, QB, Western Kentucky”]
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[mks_accordion_item title=”Round 7, 231st overall: Thomas Duarte, WR, UCLA”]
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The sure-thing stud: Laremy Tunsil, OT
The Dolphins 2016 Draft got kick-started by unusual means. Tunsil was a top-three talent whose stock fell precipitously on draft day, due to his Twitter and Instagram accounts getting hacked. The hack attack revealed an old video of the young man smoking marijuana out of a gas mask bong and old text messages in which he allegedly said he took money at school to pay for rent.
Tunsil’s unfortunate turn of events was Miami’s gain, though. A team that desperately needed a blind-side protector for quarterback Ryan Tannehill, the Dolphins landed the best of the bunch.
Coming out of Ole Miss, Tunsil was viewed as one of the few can’t-miss prospects in the draft. Athletically and physically gifted, he moves his 6-foot-5, 310-pound frame better than many smaller athletes. The only thing he needs a lot of improvement on going forward is raw power. This isn’t something he’ll have trouble developing, however, once he gets in with the team’s strength and conditioning coach, Darren Krein.
Tunsil will slide into the starting left tackle spot from the get-go. He’s an instant upgrade. He’s also a guy who could be an All-Pro in no time flat.
The sleeper: Jakeem Grant, WR
Pure speed. That’s what Grant brings to the table. He’s a guy who could be what the Los Angeles Rams thought they had in Tavon Austin, who was a No. 8 overall pick in 2013.
During his pro day at Texas Tech, Grant blew scouts away running his 40-yard dash in what some had hand-timed as low as 4.10 seconds. His “official” time is 4.38 seconds, which is still blazing fast.
The best part about Grant’s game, though, is that he isn’t just a straight-line speed guy. During his tenure at Texas Tech he was a dangerous player after the catch. He caught 254 passes for 3,286 yards and 27 touchdowns in four seasons for the Red Raiders. His senior campaign was outstanding, as he hauled in 90 passes for 1,268 yards with 10 touchdowns.
As a final added benefit, Grant ran four kickoffs back for touchdowns. It’s his versatility and can’t-catch-me wheels that will keep him on the roster and turn him into a fan favorite in Miami.
The project: Brandon Doughty, QB
With Tannehill and backup Matt Moore firmly entrenched as the two locks at the quarterback position heading into the 2016 NFL season, Doughty could find himself on the practice squad this upcoming season.
Or, if the Dolphins are smart, they’ll just carry three quarterbacks. If they dangle Doughty before he does land on the practice squad, it’s likely a quarterback-needy squad would snap him up quick.
A three-year starter for Western Kentucky, he was prolific in his final two seasons. Doughty passed for 9,885 yards with 97 touchdowns and just 19 interceptions during that stretch, which just so happened to coincide with the university’s move from the Sun Belt to Conference USA.
The transition from Western Kentucky to the NFL won’t be easy, but it’s certainly not impossible. Plenty of small-school quarterbacks have found success in the NFL. For Doughty, he’s in a great spot with rookie head coach Adam Gase as his mentor, with zero pressure to play.