Draft review: Miami Dolphins

Jaron Foster Posted On July 1, 2016

Editors’ Note: As part of our ongoing post-draft coverage, we’re doing our very best to leave no stone unturned and bringing you draft recaps from each and every NFL franchise. Make sure you’re ready for your dynasty league rookie draft by staying up on all these articles, checking out our rookie SWOT series, rookie draft guide, rookie rankings, rookie draft cheat sheet and mock draft rooms. There are simply no better resources out there for dynasty fantasy football enthusiasts.

Next in our team-by-team draft recaps are the Miami Dolphins. Among the teams that made the most headlines in the draft, Miami stopped the slide on the most talented offensive tackle in the draft and stayed active in the trade market. Several of their draft selections have dynasty implications, so let’s get right to it.

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Selections

Laremy Tunsil, OT Mississippi

Round 1, Pick 13 (13^th overall)

For a team desperate to protect the quarterback after leading the NFL in sacks allowed over the last four seasons, Laremy Tunsil’s loss was their gain. For a franchise that recently jettisoned another controversial offensive lineman, and thus knowing the criticism that would accompany the pick, the Dolphins determined that the value outweighed the risk of selecting Tunsil.

Veteran Branden Albert is a solid left tackle while former first-round pick Ja’Wuan James currently mans the right end of the line. Tunsil could begin his career as a guard or push James inside, but there’s no question that the intention is for him to protect Ryan Tannehill’s blind side for years to come.

Xavien Howard, CB Baylor

Round 2, Pick 7 (38^th overall)

Miami aggressively targeted Howard at the beginning of the second round, trading a fourth-round pick to move up four spots to take the cornerback from Baylor. The physical defensive back should start opposite Byron Maxwell and will be relied upon as the Dolphins face the strong Jets’ wide receiver duo of Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker, as well as the versatile (and sizable) receiver corps of the Patriots.

Kenyan Drake, RB Alabama

Round 3, Pick 10 (73^rd overall)

Health concerns and minimal production from starter Jay Ajayi led to great speculation that the Dolphins would prioritize the running back position in free agency and the draft. However, Miami only drafted Drake to address their need at the position. Despite the presences of Damien Williams and former second-round pick Isaiah Pead, as well the perplexing opportunity that Daniel Thomas has yet again, Drake should quickly ascend to the “backup” role in the backfield.

While Ajayi fell in the 2015 draft due to knee problems, Drake also enters the NFL with a lengthy injury history and is not considered to be a candidate for a three-down workload. Should Ajayi miss time on the field, it is unlikely that Drake’s fantasy production increases significantly. Among DLF rankings Drake is the dynasty RB43 and 131^st player overall in June ADP, and has consistently been drafted in the middle of the second round of rookie drafts since early May. He will have a high floor given the number of snaps he should get, and he could put up some good fantasy statistics with those opportunities, but do not forsee a situation where he becomes the bell cow for the offense.

Leonte Carroo, WR Rutgers

Round 3, Pick 23 (86^th overall)

While it is impossible for an NFL team to have “too many” good offensive skill players, the dynasty community is wondering if it’s possible for fantasy purposes. Already with 2015 first-round pick DeVante Parker and young PPR monster Jarvis Landry vying for premium targets, Miami traded its sixth-round pick in 2016 and its third- and fourth-round picks in 2017 to acquire Carroo.

For an offensive-minded new head coach to invest this draft capital in a player, particularly one squarely on the radar for a mid-1^st round dynasty rookie pick prior to the draft, is a great sign for long-term value. The drop in price due to a perceived “bad situation” means I’m targeting him between now and the beginning of next season, when I expect his value will begin to rise dramatically (particularly if Landry departs upon the expiration of his rookie contract).

Jakeem Grant, WR Texas Tech

Round 6, Pick 11 (186^th overall)

At 5-foot-6 and (maybe) and 165 pounds, Grant was drafted for his Olympic-level speed. With a Texas Tech Pro Day 40-yard dash reportedly clocked as fast as 4.10 seconds (though ranging to the mid-4.3s), Grant’s speed rivals the likes of Chris Johnson (4.24 at the 2008 NFL Combine) and actual Olympian Marquise Goodwin (4.27 at the 2013 Combine). His skill set is limited otherwise, including poor hands, limited route running, a small catch radius and significant durability concerns. He projects as a return specialist and gadget player with few snaps on offense, and can be ignored in all but the deepest of leagues.

Jordan Lucas, DB Penn St

Round 6, Pick 29 (204^th overall)

Lucas was the second defensive back selected by the Dolphins as the team targeted help in the secondary. He is a high-character leader on defense with good size and versatility as he played both safety and cornerback at Penn State, though he is likely to play cornerback with the Dolphins. He’s a rotational player with some special teams value.

Brandon Doughty, QB Western Kentucky

Round 7, Pick 2 (223^rd overall)

With at least 4,800 passing yards and 48 passing touchdowns in each of the last two seasons, Doughty’s college statistics were good even by Madden standards. He was also very accurate with a 71.9 completion percentage. On the downside he lacks many key attributes including athleticism and arm strength, profiling him as an NFL backup at best, and his apparent confidence deficiency would even put that outlook in jeopardy if he can’t turn it around. There are other project quarterbacks to stash before Doughty, even in two quarterback and superflex leagues.

Thomas Duarte, TE UCLA

Round 7, Pick 10 (231^st overall)

Duarte is a unique prospect as many scouts couldn’t decide whether he was a wide receiver or tight end, similar to Devin Funchess (though not as talented). He has good size for a wide receiver (6-foot-2, 231 pounds and 10-inch hands) though small for a tight end, which puts him on the small end of the tight end spectrum. He runs good routes and has playmaking ability, though he will need to work on his blocking to receive significant snaps at tight end. He has the receiving talent to be an interesting stash in dynasty leagues, especially considering that Jordan Cameron’s contract makes him a short-term (or cut) candidate and – with apologies to Jake Stoneburner and MarQueis Gray – Dion Sims is the only other tight end of note on the roster.

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Jaron Foster

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

A data analyst by profession, Jaron has been writing for DLF since 2012. Native New Englanders, Jaron and his wife are introducing their son (2010) and daughter (2014) to the Patriots. You can regularly find him on Twitter and in the DLF Forum at odd hours.