Goodnews: Dolphins made three best selections in the 2024 NFL Draft
A few wise selections were made by the Dolphins in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Busy draft weekends are something that the Miami Dolphins are not used to. In total, Miami had selected eight players throughout the course of the preceding two rounds. In 2022 and 2023, they had no first-round selections at all. But this year, that was different. In exchange for Jalen Ramsey, Miami lost their third-round pick, but the Dolphins still had seven picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. Out of all the moves they made during the weekend, a couple of them really stuck out.
Drafting Chop Robinson
The Dolphins placed a high priority on strengthening their pass rush in the draft. Their main talent in that area, Jaelen Phillips, was having a great start to the 2023 campaign. In his first eight games of the season, he recorded 6.5 sacks. Sadly, he lost the remainder of the season after rupturing his Achilles tendon against the New York Jets on Black Friday. It’s currently unknown if he will start the upcoming season.
Luckily for Miami, Chop Robinson of Penn State was available to assist them in the first round on that front. Many may find Robinson’s stats underwhelming. In his three seasons at Happy Valley, he only totaled 35 tackles and six sacks. Due to his injury, he was only able to appear in one game in 2022. However, Robinson might have just been incredibly unlucky. That would seem to be implied by his advanced numbers.
In the run-and-pass game, Robinson offered a great deal of support that his raw tackle and sack stats don’t capture. He participated in the first round for a reason. At the NFL Combine, he tested off the charts and is an extremely talented player. Well done, Dolphins, for seeing past his drab counting stats. He will be very beneficial as Phillips recovers.
Drafting Patrick Paul
The Dolphins’ biggest area of development, aside from pass rush, might have been blocking pass rushes. When they chose Patrick Paul of Houston in the second round, they acted in that manner. Paul had the highest pass block grade of any offensive tackle in this year’s class, scoring 91.5.
For the Dolphins, this could not be a better acquisition. According to ESPN.com, they had the 31st-best pass block win percentage in the NFL a year prior. Terron Armstead’s absence was a crucial factor in that. Due to persistent injuries, Armstead was in and out of Miami’s lineup throughout the previous campaign. When he was on the field, their offensive line was lethal, but during the seven games he was forced to sit, everything went wild.
With Paul behind Armstead, the Dolphins won’t be caught off guard like that ever again. Additionally, it wouldn’t be absurd for him to start ahead of Austin Jackson on the right side of the line. He was a wise choice to join Miami.
Drafting Malik Washington
Aside from the areas previously mentioned, the Dolphins are a strong team with few flaws. It would be a third receiver if they had another one. Although Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle combined for 2,813 yards last season, Miami hardly had any other receiving contributions. Durham Smythe, a tight end, was their third-leading receiver with just 366 yards.
Malik Washington of Virginia might be able to fill in as their third receiver. Through his first four seasons at Northwestern, Washington’s collegiate career was calm; however, at Virginia, things took a significant turn for the better. He caught 110 passes for 1,426 yards and nine touchdowns there. In any part of the field, he is capable of playing out of the slot.
Tahj Washington, a deep threat speedster from USC, was also selected by the Dolphins in the draft. But Malik Washington is capable of taking the reins and leading Miami as a slot receiver. He is a name to keep in mind.
