The Dolphins will head into the 2023 NFL Draft short on picks, holding only a handful (5) of picks. We’re also over the cap at this very moment, but that will be remedied as we enter the free agency period and draft. Contracts will be restructured to open up cap room to acquire some new players and definitely to re-sign some of our players that were on the 2022 roster. In regards to the players that were here in ’22 that we should re-sign, I’ll list them in order of priority.
- LB Elandon Roberts
- CB Nik Needham
- RB Raheem Mostert
- OT Brandon Shell
OT Austin Jackson has not panned out, but he has one more season to prove he’s an NFL starting OT. Nothing he has done in his career leads me to believe that he should be penciled in at any position along our offensive line. He did play 17 games (started 16) at LG in 2021, but played in only 2 games last season. Despite playing an entire season in ’21, he was underwhelming at best. Injuries cut short his season last year, and although we have a 5th year option for Jackson, at this time I don’t see us using it. Brandon Shell, on the other hand, was a great backup who played in 13 games last season starting 11. His play, mostly at RT was impressive. I think we need to have a reliable option to backup either side, and right now, Shell would be choice over Austin Jackson. It’s also possible that talented OG Robert Hunt makes the move to RT, but I love his play inside, and it’s easier and less expensive to find a reliable OG than it is to find an offensive tackle.
As most of you know, I’m a huge fan of Nik Needham. Provided he’ll be ready to start the 2023 season, I’d re-sign the guy who always stepped up to play wherever and whenever he was asked. A true game, I want that guy on our team. Since we have ZERO running backs on our roster, Raheem Mostert in my opinion is one guy we want back. If we can get 2 guys back, I’d take Jeff Wilson too, but Mostert would be my first choice. That guy is electric, and just explodes through the hole or around the corner. Wilson is more of an inside runner than Mostert and he has some wiggle too, and seems more like a guy who can sustain a few more carries. That being said, neither player has had more than 200 carries in a season, so both players in my opinion are RB by committee guys, so I’d prefer to draft a RB, and wouldn’t mind if it were in the early rounds.
Back to CB, we have Xavien Howard, Kader Kohou, and Trill Williams. Seems clear as day that Byron Jones will not be playing for us and will be a post June 1st cut where he then either retires, or resumes his theatrics elsewhere. TE is another void for us with incumbent Durham Smythe the only reliable TE on the roster. TE Cethan Carter is still on the roster, as is Hunter Long and Tanner Conner. My feeling is we need to address TE either in free agency or the draft, and how we proceed with free agency will dictate what we do in the draft. Whatever doesn’t get filled in Free Agency will then become a priority for the draft. Teams generally don’t like to leave themselves in a position where they have to address any particular position in the draft, and remember, there is free agency that happens after the draft, and there are always players made available after teams fill their roster with freshly drafted players and let some veteran players go.
CB, TE, RB, OL seem to be our top priorities. Yes, I know many of you want more LB’s, specifically inside LB’s, but I’ve addressed this last article. Re-sign Elandon Roberts and we’re good to go. Our defense will be a better unit in the capable hands of Vic Fangio, we don’t need to spend a 2nd RD pick on a LB. Once again, not to be monotonous or redundant, but we can’t say for sure what our draft needs are until we fill the roster in free agency. Nevertheless, let’s look at some prospects at the aforementioned positions that could help us.
Since we don’t pick until #51 in the 2nd RD, these are the players that might be available when we pick
CB Deonte Banks 6’0 197 – Maryland
CB Kelee Ringo 6’2 207 – Georgia
CB Emmanuel Forbes 6’1 166 – Mississippi State
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TE Darnell Washington 6’7 264 – Georgia
TE Tucker Kraft 6’5 254 – South Dakota State
TE Luke Schoonmaker 6’5 251 – Michigan
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RB Jahmyr Gibbs 5’9 199 – Alabama
RB Israel Abanikanda 5’11 216 – Pittsburgh
RB Eric Gray – 5’9 1/2 207 – Oklahoma
I expect to hear a lot of I like this guy or that guy, or that guy won’t be available when we pick etc. All good in the hood, let it fly. These players are not set in stone, just an idea who might help our team and again, might be available when we choose. Obviously I did not pick the top prospects at any spot because they won’t be there, and some of the guys I chose may not end getting to 51 or beyond either. I didn’t watch a lot of the combine, and it was just one particular thing that impressed me. TE Darnell Washington, who is one of the taller TE’s, got down and moved the blocked sled like it was on wheels. Just one drill, but it shows he can bend, and he has the strength and technique to block effectively in the NFL. Most of the other guys who followed were not nearly as accomplished as Washington. Considering the fact that we need a willing (and effective) blocker for our TE, I’d love to snare Washington. He may not be the most accomplished receiver of the group, but if our TE can help our run game, I think his size alone will help him be an effective receiver.
Just in case you guys were unaware, RB Israel Abanikanda attended my High School in Brooklyn NY. Abraham Lincoln High School. Besides that, what a great name, maybe he can do commercials like our former MLB of the “No Name Defense” Nick Buoniconti did. “Hi, I’m Israel Abinakanda” “Who????” I think we’re going to need a CB early on, but that may change after free agency. I’d be happy with any of those 3 guys, but who knows, maybe this is the year where Iggy gets his career on track. He’s in his walk year, considering his 5th year option would be a lofty $11.5M, quite doubtful for sure. He’s a potential roster cut as is, but he’s be relatively cheap at just over $3M. Chris Grier and our scouts have a ton of work to do, our team is on the cusp of truly being a contender. A lot of that rests on the health of our QB1. Tua Tagovailoa. We absolutely need to have him for the entire season and the playoffs. Regardless, we need Grier to fill the rest of the roster, including finding a legitimate backup QB in case what we hope for doesn’t actually happen. Let’s hope Grier gets it right.
GO DOLPHINS!!!!
Finsmob Unleashed 
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