Miami Dolphins

Poor draft strategy at offensive line

The Dolphins' draft track record over the past five years stacks up with any team in the NFL. This one extends back a touch outside of the realm of the past five years, but it’s worth noting the genesis of the issue. When the Dolphins drafted Laremy Tunsil in 2016, they already had Branden Albert starting at left tackle and former first-rounder Ja'Wuan James at right tackle. By the start of the 2020 season, all three of those players were gone and the Dolphins had used only one top-150 pick on an offensive lineman since (Michael Deiter, Pick 78, 2019).

The result was a mad dash to fix the offensive line via the draft that season with first-, second-, and fourth-round picks used to solidify the front. That’s not an advisable strategy by any means given how long the learning curve can take at the position, as the Dolphins figured out the hard way.