With just four draft selections in the 2023 NFL draft, the Miami Dolphins will have to be sure they’re grabbing players who can make an impact, as they’re not taking as many swings as most teams would.
Luckily, there are players up and down the draft board that could really help fill some of the holes on the roster or allow Miami to prepare for the loss of some guys entering contract years.
NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah recently spoke on a conference call regarding the NFL draft, and he believes that the Dolphins can find plug-and-play players despite not making their first selection until pick No. 51.
“I think absolutely,” Jeremiah said. “I think if you just look at the tight end
position, I think you get a darn good player. So where they’re picking in the
second round, picking 51, I think you could get a tight end that in some years
might have been a first-round pick.
“Sam LaPorta from Iowa I love. I think he has a good chance of being there. I think there’s a very good chance that the top guys are gone. Kincaid is gone.
Mayer is gone. Darnell Washington is potentially there, but I think he is more
than likely gone, even if Musgrave is gone from Oregon State. If you are
picking between Sam LaPorta, Tucker Kraft from South Dakota State or
Schoonmaker from Michigan, I think all of those guys are plug–and–play and
impactful right away.”
As Jeremiah notes, tight end is a position of need for the Dolphins, with only Durham Smythe, Tanner Conner and the newly-signed Eric Saubert filling out the room under positional coach Jon Embree.
Head coach Mike McDaniel has spent time with some tight end prospects this offseason, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see general manager Chris Grier use one of those early selections to address the position.
