The tricky part of the NFL Draft for any team is making sure the picks count. Draft picks are in short supply, so teams have to make sure they hit on as many of them as humanly possible. In 2023, no team better exemplifies that than the Miami Dolphins.
The reason why this is the case is because Miami has the fewest picks in the league at only four. The Dolphins forfeited their first-round pick in August after the league found the guilty of tampering, and they've also traded away several of their later picks to acquire proven players. Due to this, the Dolphins will have a much harder time finding quality rookies than other teams.
Barring a trade, Miami will sit out the first round of the draft on April 27. Instead, the Dolphins will join the fun in the second round the next day, first picking at 51st overall.
With most mock drafts only covering the first round, trying to find a consensus on who the Dolphins could pick is fairly difficult. However, we can make reasonable assumptions about where they're going based on the team's needs. Deciding on the exact players is another story, though.
With that said, here are three sneaky options for the Dolphins at 51st overall.
3. Joe Tippmann, C, Wisconsin
Entering the draft, offensive line stands out as Miami's biggest need by far. Per ESPN, the Dolphins were 24th in pass block win rate at 55% and 21st in run block win rate at 71%. The Dolphins have good linemen like Terron Armstead, but a couple of good players don't make for a great line overall. When Tua Tagovailoa suffered potentially career-threatening injuries last season, there is no such thing as too much protection.
As a result, many are predicting that the Dolphins will go offensive line with their first pick in the draft. However, most of those predictions feature them taking a tackle or guard, with few opting for a center. The reason why is pretty simple, as current starting center Connor Williams is one of their better linemen. Still, adding depth to the offensive line is never a bad idea, and the Dolphins could reconfigure the line to fit both Williams and whoever they pick.
As for who they could pick, many would suggest Minnesota's John Michael Schmitz, who many consider the best center in the draft. However, Wisconsin's Joe Tippmann would also be a very strong option. He's more of a pure center than Schmitz, but he's a very good one, earning grades of 85.1 and 78.7 from PFF over the last two years. He has the size down at 6-6 and 313 pounds and has surprising athleticism for a center.
2. Brenton Strange, TE, Penn State
If offensive line is the Dolphins' biggest need, tight end is definitely their second-biggest. Mike Gesicki joined the division-rival Patriots in free agency after staying for the last four seasons, and the remaining tight ends have almost no experience. The Dolphins have one of the league's best receiving duos in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, but adding a quality tight end would help diversify the offense.
As such, tight end is another popular prediction for Miami's first pick. There are several players who could go here, but a more under-the-radar option would be Penn State's Brenton Strange. Strange hasn't seen much hype leading up to the draft, even ranking at 278th on PFF's big board. However, ESPN actually predicted the Dolphins to take him at 51st overall in its latest three-round mock draft.
“I struggled a little bit with this one, Miami's first pick of the draft,” ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. wrote. “Could it go with a running back or will it fill that need on the veteran market? I like Strange's upside as a pass-catcher, and he is more rounded than Mike Gesicki, who left for New England in free agency.”
1. Chandler Zavala, G, NC State
Moving back to the offensive line, NC State's Chandler Zavala would be another under-the-radar pick. The Wolfpack guard hasn't received too much attention leading up to the draft, with the common opinion being that he's a Day 3 pick. Looking closer, though, there's a reasonable argument for him to go much higher.
Part of the reason Zavala has flown under the radar is that he only made five career starts before last season. Once he became a full-time starter, though, he emerged as a very good lineman. Per PFF, Zavala only allowed four pressures on 422 pass-blocking snaps in 12 games last season.
That proficiency in pass protection has to be enticing to the Dolphins, and it could be enough for them to defy draft rankings.
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