NFL Draft 2022: History of 224th pick

With the 2022 NFL Draft beginning in just a couple of days, we pick back up our look at the history of the picks the Miami Dolphins hold in this year’s selection process. Last week, we took a look at the team’s first two scheduled selections, the 102nd overall pick, a third-round selection, and the 125th, a pick in the fourth round. Miami’s next selection is not until the seventh round, so we now will jump to the 224th pick.

Today, we will take a look at the last ten players selected with the 224th pick. We will then look to see if any all-time great players were selected in the position. Finally, if the Dolphins have ever used the 224th overall pick before, we will also take a look at those players. Tomorrow, we will have the same breakdown with Miami’s final pick in the 2022 Draft, the 247th overall selection.

Last 10 Years

The 224th pick in 2021 was a sixth-round selection by the Philadelphia Eagles. They used the pick to add LSU safety JaCoby Stevens. Stevens appeared in two games as a rookie, starting once, and recorded three tackles, but spent most of the year on the practice squad. He signed a futures contract with the Eagles in the offseason to return for the 2022 season.

The 2020 version of the 224th pick started with the Cleveland Browns, but was traded to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for wide receiver Taywan Taylor. The Titans used the selection on Hawaii quarterback Cole McDonald. He was waived during the preseason, getting a tryout with the Carolina Panthers a few days later but no contract was signed. He signed with the Arizona Cardinals on a futures contract in 2021, but was waived before training camp began. He spent the 2021 season on the practice squad for the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts.

The Detroit Lions held the 224th pick in 2019, using the selection on Georgia tight end Isaac Nauta. He started the season on the practice squad before being promoted mid-year to the active roster. In 2020, he again started the year on the practice squad, seeing playing time as an elevated player before being promoted mid-season. He was waived late in the year and joined the Green Bay Packers’ practice squad. He returned to the Packers at the start of the 2021 training camp period, but was placed on injured reserve, then released, in mid-August. Nauta has appeared in 13 games with three receptions for 16 yards.

In 2018, the Chicago Bears used the 224th pick to add Georgia wide receiver Javon Wims. He played three years in Chicago before being waived near the end of the 2021 preseason. He spent that year on the Las Vegas Raiders’ practice squad, then, after signing a futures contract but being released by the Raiders this offseason, he was signed last week by the Cleveland Browns. Wims has appeared in 33 games, starting seven times, with 28 receptions for 266 yards and two touchdowns.

The 224th pick began with the New York Jets in 2017, but was used, along with the 160th overall pick, in a trade-back scenario with the Cleveland Browns. The Jets received the 181st and 188th picks in the trade. Cleveland used the 224th selection to add Arizona State kicker Zane Gonzalez. He unseated Cody Parkey as the kicker for the Browns as a rookie, holding the position into the 2018 season, but was waived after a Week 2 loss in which he missed two field goals and two extra points. He joined the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad late in the year, moving up to their active roster after an injury to Phil Dawson. He returned to the Cardinals for the 2020 season, then was released during the 2021 offseason. He signed with the Lions during training camp in 2021, starting the year on their practice squad. He was signed off the Lions’ practice squad by the Carolina Panthers in mid-September and signed a contract extension with Carolina last month. For his career, Gonzalez has made 80.5 percent of his field goals, with a long of 57 yards, and 94.8 percent of his extra point attempts. He has 400 career points scored.

In 2016, the San Diego Chargers picked Michigan State guard Donavon Clark. He missed his first two seasons, being placed on injured reserve by the Chargers both years. He was waived by the Chargers at the start of the 2018 training camp.

The Chicago Bears traded the 224th pick to the New York Jets in 2015, a trade that sent the 142nd pick and wide receiver Brandon Marshall to the Jets. The Jets then sent the 224th pick to the St. Louis Rams for running back Zac Stacy. The Rams used the 224th pick to add Baylor linebacker Bryce Hager. He appeared in all 16 games each of his first four seasons in the league, starting once. He was limited to just five games in 2019, starting four times, as a shoulder injury landed him on injured reserve. He had a brief training camp stint with the Las Vegas Raiders before signing during the 2020 season with the New York Jets’ practice squad. He worked his way up to the active roster during the year. Hager has appeared in 79 games in his career, including seven starts, and recorded 71 tackles, 4 passes defensed, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and 0.5 sacks.

The 224th pick in 2014 started with the Buffalo Bills, but was sent to the Philadelphia Eagles in a trade that included a conditional future pick from the Bills in exchange for running back Bryce Brown and the 237th pick moving from Philadelphia to Buffalo. With the 224th pick, the Eagles added Wisconsin defensive tackle Beau Allen. In four seasons with the Eagles, Allen missed one game, then signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2018. He signed as a free agent with the New England Patriots in 2020, but spent the year on injured reserve before being released during the 2021 offseason. Allen has played in 90 games, starting 18 of them, with 117 career tackles, two passes defensed, one fumble recovery, and 2.5 sacks.

In 2013, the Dallas Cowboys traded the 224th pick to the Dolphins in exchange for offensive lineman Ryan Cook. The Dolphins then used the 224th pick, along with the 109th and 146th picks, to move up to the Green Bay Packers’ 93rd pick. The Dolphins used the 93rd pick on Utah State cornerback Will Davis. The Packers used the 224th pick on Maryland wide receiver Kevin Dorsey. He missed his rookie season with a toe injury that landed him on injured reserve; his second year started on the practice squad for the Packers before being promoted for three games. He again landed on injured reserve, ending his 2014 season early. He was released by the Packers after the season. He signed with the New England Patriots during the offseason but was released before training camp. He played in three games with one reception for four yards in his career.

The 2012 224th pick started with the New York Jets, but was traded to the Green Bay Packers for guard Caleb Schlauderaff. The Packers then packed the 224th pick with the 197th and 235th selections to move up to the New England Patriots’ 163rd pick. The Patriots used the 224th pick to add Nebraska cornerback Alfonzo Dennard. He started his rookie season dealing with a hamstring injury that caused him to miss most of training camp and the first four games of the year; he moved into the starting lineup as a second-year played, continuing that role through 2014. He was waived by the Patriots during the 2015 offseason and was claimed by the Arizona Cardinals. He was waived by Arizona at the start of training camp. He spent time with the Baltimore Brigade of the Arena Football League in 2017 before signing with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League in the summer of 2017, but was released after a few weeks. Dennard appeared in 29 games in the NFL, starting 20 of them, and recorded 90 career tackles, 17 passes defensed, five interceptions with a touchdown, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.

All-Time Greats

There were no Pro Football Hall of Fame players selected with the 224th pick over the years. Among the best players selected in this spot was Auburn defensive lineman Jay Ratliff, who was selected in 2005 by the Dallas Cowboys. A four-time Pro Bowl, one-time All-Pro selection, Ratliff appeared in 122 games with 12 starts in 11 seasons. He spent the first eight with the Cowboys, then finished his career with three seasons with the Chicago Bears. Primarily working as a nose tackle, Ratliff recorded 285 career tackles, 15 passes defensed, 4 forced fumbles, 13 fumbles recovered, and 35 sacks.

In 2000, the Green Bay Packers added right tackle Mark Tauscher with the 224th pick. He went on to play 11 seasons, appearing 134 games starting 132 of them.

Cornerback Sam Seale was selected 224th overall by the Los Angeles Raiders in 1984. He played 10 years in the league, five with the Raiders, four with the San Diego Chargers, and one with the Los Angeles Rams. He appeared in 121 games with 59 starts, recording 11 interceptions with a touchdown and five fumble recoveries with a touchdown in his career.

Visco Grgich was selected by the Chicago Bears in the 1946 NFL Draft out of Santa Clara. He played from 1946 through 1952 with the San Francisco 49ers, playing guard and tackle on offense and middle guard (defensive/nose tackle) and linebacker on defense. He appeared in 87 games with 50 starts in his career, recording one interception and five fumble recoveries in his career. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1950 and was 1949 and 1951 Second-Team All-Pro selections.

Offensive lineman Weldon Humble was selected by the Chicago Cardinals in 1943. He appeared in 58 career games with 30 starts, playing 1947 through 1950 with the Cleveland Browns and, after service in the Korean War, 1952 with the Dallas Texans. Primarily playing left guard, he also worked on defense, where he recorded five career interceptions. He was selected to the 1950 Pro Bowl.

Dolphins 224th Picks

The Dolphins have never used the 224th overall pick.