Dolphins select Oregon safety Jevon Holland, Notre Dame OL Liam Eichenberg, Boston College TE Hunter Long on Day 2 of NFL draft

Some may feel the Miami Dolphins missed out on a top running back for the second straight NFL draft. But Dolphins general manager Chris Grier and coach Brian Flores may not share those sentiments after the first two days of the 2021 NFL draft.

First let’s focus on the positives:

The Dolphins took the first safety off the board in Oregon’s Jevon Holland with the No. 36 pick on Friday. Holland’s nine interceptions in 2018 and 2019 were the third-most by any player in college football during that span.

The Dolphins traded up to No. 42 to select Notre Dame left tackle Liam Eichenberg, who could compete at right tackle after playing 33 consecutive games in college without surrendering a sack.

Miami also drafted Boston College’s Hunter Long, who led all tight ends in receptions last season, with the No. 81 pick in the third round, poaching a player from Flores’ alma mater.

The picks, along with landing the draft’s best slot receiver in Alabama’s Jaylen Waddle and best edge rusher in Miami Hurricanes standout Jaelan Phillips, leave the Dolphins feeling accomplished heading into the draft’s final day on Saturday — even though running back was not addressed.

“The players we got, we’re excited we have, and we have good runners on the roster. We feel good about our guys,” Grier said late Friday night.

“We’ve upgraded our roster and we feel good as we are as a team right now. And as we’ve always said, we’ll keep looking for upgrades at every position before the season as we’ve always done.”

The Dolphins entered and left Day 2 with running back as their most glaring hole, although they insist the talent they have at the position — Myles Gaskin, Salvon Ahmed, Malcolm Brown, Jordan Scarlett and Patrick Laird — may be enough for the 2021 season.

The Dolphins suffered a bad case of déjà vu when the Denver Broncos swooped in and traded with the Atlanta Falcons to take North Carolina running back Javonte Williams at No. 35 — one selection before them.

Williams was considered the best running back available after Alabama’s Najee Harris and Clemson’s Travis Etienne were taken No. 24 and 25 in the first round Thursday.

Unfortunately for Miami, the situation was reminiscent of missing out on Baltimore Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins, who was taken one pick ahead of Miami’s No. 56 pick in the second round last year. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, De’Andre Swift, Jonathan Taylor, Cam Akers and A.J. Dillion were also taken in the first two rounds of the 2020 draft.

“When you draft on needs at times, you reach for stuff and start trying to appease what some people may think about it,” Grier said. “At the end of the day, you set your board [with] the best players available and you want to make sure you’re adding good players to your roster.

“We’d love to draft every position, every player, every year if you could, but for us, the players we added were at the right spots for us and we feel good about it.”

As for the players Miami did add, the Dolphins praised Holland, Einchenberg and Long for their college careers and NFL potential.

Holland, a COVID-19 opt-out last season, can play safety and nickel cornerback much to the satisfaction of Flores, who values versatility.

“Whatever the coaches want me to play, I’ll fill that job for them. Really, I say it a lot, but I’m here to help the team win in any shape or form,” said Holland, who emulates his game after Kansas City Chiefs standout safety Tyrann Mathieu.

Eichenberg, who started 38 straight games during his Notre Dame career, worked with Dolphins offensive line coach Lemuel Jeanpierre during his pro day at Notre Dame, which he believes led to Miami drafting him.

The Dolphins sent their No. 50 pick and their third-round pick in 2022 to the New York Giants to draft him at No. 42.

“I think I made a great impression, and he made a great impression on me,” Eichenberg said of Jeanpierre. “I’m fortunate I’m going to be coached by him.”

Long, who played at Flores’ alma mater, led the country with 57 catches on 88 targets as a tight end, producing 685 receiving yards with five touchdowns last season.

He’s not flashy but is a solid pass catcher and route runner with the ability to block as Mike Gesicki and Durham Smythe enter the final year of their rookie deals.

“I was excited to have an Eagle,” said Flores, who played linebacker at Boston College. “Hunter’s tough and smart. We had him at the Senior Bowl. The entire coaching staff had some time to spend with him.”

The Dolphins have a fifth-round pick and two seventh-round picks to make on the draft’s final day. The Dolphins could look to add a center, linebacker, defensive tackle, another wide receiver or even a running back to the roster.

But after two days, the Dolphins have no qualms about their running back depth.

“We have good players at the running back position. We’re looking to upgrade at every position,” Grier said. “The guys we picked, we’re very happy to get.”