The Miami Dolphins completed the 2017 NFL Draft with seven rookies selected over the three-day process. Miami was deliberate with their selections this year, attacking the draft with their needs in mind but selecting the best player they saw on the board. In the end, the Dolphins systematically checked off their needs, while positioning the team to be better in 2017, and, maybe more importantly, in 2018 and beyond.
The Dolphins’ 2017 draft class consists of Missouri defensive end Charles Harris (first round), Ohio State linebacker Raekwon McMillan (second round), Clemson cornerback Cordrea Tankersley (third round), Utah guard Isaac Asiata (fifth round), LSU defensive tackle Davon Godchaux (fifth round), Oklahoma State defensive tackle Vincent Taylor (sixth round), and Virginia Tech wide receiver Isaiah Ford (seventh round). Which pick was the best? Honestly, we will not know for several years - but that does not stop fans from discussing it and analysts weighing in on it.
ESPN’s Todd McShay did just that on Sunday when he released his “Best pick for all 32 teams” article. For the Dolphins, he looked straight at the first-round pick of Harris:
Harris came off the board right around where we had him ranked (No. 18). There was a lot of pre-draft chatter about him going higher (between 10-20), and the Dolphins did well to stand pat and let Harris drop to them instead of trading up. This was a position Miami needed to address with Cameron Wake now 35 years old. I don't know if Harris is going to be an immediate starter, but he has a lot of tools to be molded. It will be good for his development to be around a guy like Wake, who keeps himself in great shape. Isaac Asiata was also a good value for the Dolphins in the fifth round.
Harris was a player the team has said they knew they wanted over the past couple of months, and that they did not visit with him in the pre-draft process in order to make sure other teams could not link the Dolphins to Harris. As McShay says, Miami did well to wait for the board to come to them and to take Harris when he was available. It was a great pick for the Dolphins, and one that should pay dividends this year and in the next several years.
Asiata is another really good option, and one McShay recognizes. A player expected to be a third- or fourth-round pick, the Dolphins adding a potential immediate starter in the fifth round could be seen as a steal.
Another player who could be looked at as the best pick for Miami is Tankersley. Selected probably about where he was projected - maybe a little later according to some draft boards - Tankersley gives Miami a big-bodied, press corner capable of playing man-to-man, which fits exactly what they will want to do. He will probably not be asked to be a starter right away, working behind Byron Maxwell and Xavien Howard, and he has to work to cut down on his penalties, but Tankersley will provide the Dolphins with another young, talented cornerback this season as a depth option and a potential starter down the line.
Miami’s picks as a whole should position the Dolphins well for the future. They did not seem to reach for any of the players they selected, and they did not “waste” a pick on a player who does not fit the scheme. It was a highly effective - if unspectacular - draft for the team.
Poll
Who was the best draft pick for the Miami Dolphins in 2017?
This poll is closed
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28%
Charles Harris, DE, Missouri
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22%
Raekwon McMillan, LB, Ohio State
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7%
Cordrea Tankersley, CB, Clemson
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35%
Isaac Asiata, G, Utah
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1%
Davon Godchaux, DT, LSU
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1%
Vincent Taylor, DT, Oklahoma State
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2%
Isaiah Ford, WR, Virginia Tech