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ESPN's John Clayton has posted his winners and losers list for the 2013 NFL Draft. He included the Miami Dolphins on his list, but were they winners or losers?
The Dolphins came away from the draft with nine new players: defensive end Dion Jordan, cornerback Jamar Taylor, offensive lineman Dallas Thomas, cornerback Will Davis, linebacker Jelani Jenkins, tight end Dion Sims, running back Mike Gillislee, kicker Caleb Sturgis, and defensive back Don Jones. The Dolphins started the three day selection process with 11 picks, giving them plenty of ammunition to move around the draft boards and attack their selections much like they attacked free agency last month.
But, how did Clayton see the Dolphins' draft?
He has them ranked as the third winner, behind the San Diego Chargers and the San Francisco 49ers. About the Dolphins, Clayton writes:
Jeff Ireland won the offseason by outspending everyone in free agency. A case could be made that he tried to outdraft the other 32 teams. Instead of sitting passively at the No. 12 pick, he moved into the top three to get one of the best pass-rushers in the draft, Dion Jordan of Oregon. Ireland drafted at the key positions -- pass-rusher, cornerback and tackle. Jamar Taylor and Will Davis can play behind veterans as rookies and can be groomed to be potential starters at cornerback. Tackle remains a big question mark after Jake Long's departure, but at least the Dolphins drafted one -- Dallas Thomas -- in the third round. The Dolphins finished with nine draft choices, including multiple picks in rounds three, four and five. They will have a rookie pool estimated to be around $9.15 million. It's been a great offseason for the Dolphins. Now Joe Philbin has to put everything together to try to win.
Just because we can, the losers list include the New York Jets. Always fun to see them listed there.