ESPN Ranks Dolphins 3rd among NFL teams with under-25 talent

It has been a long, treacherous road to get to where the Dolphins’ organization currently stands. Several failed regimes, poor draft picks and terrible free agent signings, have led to a decade of mediocrity. Despite all of this, Miami is now in good standing with their roster, and currently have one of the youngest teams in the NFL. It is now up to Adam Gase and his coaching staff to get the most out of these players, and continue to build upon the young talent currently in place.

Earlier today, ESPN ranked the under-25 talent for all 32 NFL teams. Miami wasn’t ranked No.1, but they weren’t far behind. The Dolphins were ranked third in the league, behind two AFC South teams; the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans. The author had a lot to say about the Dolphins young talent, praising the team’s selection of Laremy Tunsil in the 2016 draft. Furthermore, they go on to speak highly of the Dolphins’ receiving core, which is littered with young playmakers. Jay Ajayi and Kenyan Drake round at ESPN’s list, and appear to be the future at running back behind the Dolphins’ rebuilt offensive line.

Below is what ESPN had to say about the Dolphins under-25 talent, which ranked 3rd among all 32 NFL teams.

Miami shares some traits with our top two teams, but one big difference is the lack of a blue-chip talent on defense. Rookie cornerback Xavien Howard should start this year, but he isn't exactly Deion Sanders. Miami has spent first-round picks on offensive players each of the past three years. The offensive line now features four first-rounders, so the results better improve under new coach Adam Gase with that much talent.

Laremy Tunsil could be the biggest steal of the year after he fell to Miami with the 13th pick in the draft. A lot of experts had Tunsil as the best player in the entire 2016 class, but an old video of him smoking from a bong while wearing a gas mask surfaced just before the draft and caused him to slip. He'll start at left guard in Miami, and maybe the off-field troubles prove to be relevant in this case, but it's probably just as likely that the Dolphins got a great player.

Miami's top four wideouts are all U25 talent. In Gase's system, DeVante Parker should play a similar role to Demaryius Thomas and Alshon Jeffery. Kenny Stills is a more traditional speed/deep threat, leaving Jarvis Landry in the slot, a la Wes Welker or Eddie Royal. Third-round rookie Leonte Carroo should also contribute, but getting Parker heavily involved is really the goal here.

The addition of running back Arian Foster likely takes some carries from Jay Ajayi, who was hoping to shine following Lamar Miller's departure. He still can, but our projections are tempered with the Foster signing.