An early look at Miami Dolphins’ draft options at positions of need

If the Dolphins re-sign defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah and tight end Mike Gesicki, then their must-have offseason to-do list will include offensive tackle, running back, receiver and inside linebacker (a position where nobody is under contract except Jerome Baker).

You could make the case to include center on that list, too.

But with the San Francisco 49ers advancing to the NFC Championship Game, the Dolphins’ first-round pick (via the 49ers) will be no higher than 29th and would be 32nd if the 49ers win the Super Bowl. Philadelphia owns Miami’s first-round pick at No. 15.

The Dolphins also have their own second-round pick (in the range of 50) and a late third-round pick from the 49ers. But the Dolphins’ third-round pick belongs to the Giants because Miami traded up from 50 to 42 to select Liam Eichenberg last April.

An early look at some NFL Draft options at those five priority positions:

RUNNING BACK

After inexplicably bypassing the position in the past two drafts, could the Dolphins possibly do it again? That would be grounds for re-assigning general manager Chris Grier to sales and marketing.

Whether any of the draft’s backs are worthy of a pick late in the first round is questionable. The top draft analysts for the networks that carry the draft — ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah — don’t have a running back in the first round.

But there are a couple — Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker and perhaps Iowa State’s Breece Hall — who could be off the board before Miami’s second round pick. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has Walker 37th and Hall 62nd and said a late-first round pick could be justified for Walker.

Grier must display as much urgency in acquiring one of the draft’s top backs as he showed in trading up eight spots last April to take Eichenberg.

Hall and Walker might be the best backs in this class, but it’s not clear cut.

“Studying running drafts for the draft; Kenneth Walker reminds me of Damien Harris coming out of Bama,” Jeremiah said. “Strong on contact, excellent feel/vision.”

For perspective, Harris ran for 929 yards and 4.6 yards per carry for the Patriots this season.

Walker, who’s 5-10 and 210 pounds, ran for 1,646 yards on 6.2 per carry for Michigan State and scored 18 touchdowns.

As for Hall (6-1, 220 pounds), he ran for 1,472 yards (5.8 per carry) and 20 touchdowns.

Th draft’s other top backs, per Kiper: Texas A&M’s Isaiah Spiller (1,011 yards this season, 5.6 per carry), Notre Dame’s Kyren Williams (995 yards, 4.9 per carry), FIU’s D’vonte Price (682 yards, 5.3 per carry), and Arizona State’s Rachaad White (1,000, 5.5 per carry).

Georgia’s James Cook and Alabama’s Brian Robinson are third-round picks, Kiper said.

“There’s not an elite guy such as Ezekiel Elliott or Christian McCaffrey who will go in the top 10, which means teams should wait until Round 2 to get better value,” Kiper said. “There could be six backs who get second-round grades from me, however. Breece Hall, Kenneth Walker III and Isaiah Spiller top my rankings.”

INSIDE LINEBACKER

Baker did some of his best work this season when he played on the edge, but he figures to remain primarily inside. Elandon Roberts and Duke Riley are solid players — nothing more — and both are free agents.

So this is clearly the biggest need on defense.

It’s doubtful if the top inside linebacker prospects — Utah’s Devin Lloyd and Georgia’s Nakobe Dean — will be available when Miami picks in the first round. Kiper has Dean going ninth overall and Lloyd 15th.

But Jeremiah has Dean falling to 24th, noting that “Dean is one of my favorite players in the 2022 class. He oozes instincts and playmaking. However, his lack of ideal size (6-0, 225) will probably cause him to drop a little bit.”

Georgia’s Quay Walker is another name to keep in mind. He can play inside and on the edge and projects as an NFL weak-side linebacker.

Jeremiah has him going 29th, in the Dolphins’ range.

“Walker gets lost in the discussion of top defensive prospects because he was surrounded by so many studs on the Georgia D,” Jeremiah said. “If Walker had played on a less-talented college team, we’d be talking about him as a potential top-15 pick. Listed by UGA at 6-4 and 240 pounds, the man can fly!”

Alabama’s Christian Harris (40 tackles, 2.5 sacks) is considered the third- or fourth-best prospect at the position and could be considered late in the first round.

Pro Football Network’s Cam Mellor said of Harris: “At 6’2, 232 pounds, he owns the size you’d expect but backs it up with great speed. Harris certainly has done enough with sharp tackling skills to warrant a high draft pick.”

Potential second-day options include Georgia’s Channing Tindall, LSU’s Damone Clark, Arizona State’s Darien Butler, Wisconsin’s Leo Chanel and Jack Sanborn and Texas’ DeMarvion Overshown.

WIDE RECEIVER

Will Fuller is a free agent and likely won’t be re-signed. DeVante Parker missed seven games but is cheap ($5.6 million salary in 2022, none of it guaranteed).

Receiver is a priority whether Parker is kept or not.

Among receivers, Kiper has Southern Cal’s Drake London going 10th, Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson 13th, Ohio State’s Chris Olave 19th, Alabama’s Jameson Williams 21st and Penn State’s Jahan Dotson 26th.

Any of those would be appealing if they slip to Miami’s spot late in the first round. So would Arkansas’ Treylon Burks 24th.

“Dotson and Burks both do a ton of damage out of the slot,” said Kiper, who projects Miami will take Dotson.

Dotson had 91 receptions (12th in the nation) for 1,182 yards (18th) and 12 touchdowns in 2021.

“The best way to help Tua Tagovailoa is to get him another pass-catcher who can make plays after the catch,” Kiper said. “Dotson is explosive with the ball in his hands and has the versatility to line up all over the field.”

ESPN’s Todd McShay said at 5-11 Dotson “is a bit undersized, but his suddenness, speed and route craftiness make him a dangerous offensive weapon. He is lightning quick in and out of his break.”

The 6-1 Olave caught 65 passes for 936 yards and 13 touchdowns this season, but the 49ers’ postseason success likely puts him out of Miami’s reach.

The 6-3 Burks had 67 catches for 1,123 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.

The lead draft analysts differ in opinion on Burks more than any other highly regarded skill player. Jeremiah has him as the top receiver in the draft and going eighth overall, whereas Kiper doesn’t have him in the first round.

Jeremiah calls him a “taller version” of Tennessee’s A.J. Brown, adding: “He is incredibly strong at the catch point and his blend of speed and strength creates huge plays after the catch.”

“What puts Burks among the best wideouts in this class? His ball skills,” McShay said. “He can pluck on the run with his oversized hands and does an outstanding job with body control to haul in deep passes or off-target throws.”

Jeremiah has Alabama’s Williams sliding to 30th because of a torn ACL sustained in the national championship game. He had 79 catches for 1,572 yards and 15 TDs at Alabama last season after transferring from Ohio State. If he’s there late in the first round, Miami faces an interesting choice.

Potential second-day options include Georgia’s George Pickens, Alabama’s John Metchie III (also recovering from a torn ACL) and Cincinnati’s Alec Pierce, among others.

McShay said: “While the receiver class won’t match the 2021 group, I have six in my top 32 and 15 with Day 1 or Day 2 grades. There isn’t a drop-off, and I like a lot of the late-Round 1 and even Day 2 guys a lot.”

OFFENSIVE TACKLE

Here’s a personal plea for the Dolphins to fix this position in free agency by targeting either New Orleans’ Terron Armstead, New England’s Trent Brown, Kansas City’s Orlando Brown, Indianapolis’ Eric Fisher or Jacksonville’s Cam Robinson.

But if the Dolphins keep Eichenberg at tackle and insist on investing another high pick on a tackle (to potentially replace Jesse Davis), options late in the first round could include Northern Iowa left tackle Trevor Penning and two right tackles: Central Michigan’s Bernhard Raimann and Minnesota’s Daniel Faalele. All could end up as right tackles in the NFL.

Jeremiah has Miami picking Faalele late in the first round; Kiper doesn’t have him in the first round.

“The Dolphins have thrown a lot of resources at the offensive line, but they’ve yet to solve the problem,” Jeremiah said. “Faalele is a true giant of a human being, listed by Minnesota at 6-9 and 380 pounds. I’m shocked by how athletic he plays at that size.”

Kiper has Penning going 25th; Jeremiah has him 14th.

“Penning destroys edge rushers at the FCS level,” Kiper said. “He’s consistently dominant in both the run and pass game. And though he’s not playing against NFL-caliber players every week, I think he has a chance to be an elite guy.”

Raimann is an interesting mid-major conference prospect, a player projected by Jeremiah to go 17th in the first round.

“I’m higher on Raimann than most evaluators, but I believe in his play strength [his hands and core strength jump off the screen] and instincts,” Jeremiah said.

Alabama’s Evan Neal is expected to be a top-five pick, and Kiper pegs North Carolina State’s Ikem Ekwonu and Mississippi State’s Charles Cross as potential top-10 picks.

Potential second-day options include Ohio State’s Nicholas Petit-Frere (McShay has him as the last pick of the first round), Louisiana’s Max Mitchell and Washington State’s Abraham Lucas.

CENTERS

Jeremiah has Iowa’s Tyler Linderbaum as the 25th pick in his initial mock, and he certainly cannot be ruled out with Miami’s late first-round pick.

Kiper said he’s “one of the best center prospects in recent memory. He can do everything, and he excels as a puller to either side. He’s a fantastic run blocker. He doesn’t have many weaknesses.”

Linderbaum allowed just one sack in the 2019 and 2020 seasons combined.

Potential second-day picks include Notre Dame’s Jarrett Patterson, Arizona State’s Dohnovan West and Minnesota’s John Michael Schmitz.

NEWS NOTES

▪ Not much has leaked from the Dolphins regarding their coaching search, and it’s unclear to anybody in the media who’s getting the job.

That said, we hear Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has some solid support inside the Dolphins’ building. He was among seven candidates who interviewed for the team’s head coaching job last week. The Giants also are considering Daboll.

General manager Chris Grier also holds former Dolphins defensive coordinator and ex-Broncos coach Vance Joseph in high regard, according to a source with knowledge of Miami’s search. And former Falcons coach Dan Quinn remains a strong candidate.

▪ The Dolphins signed defensive back D’Angelo Ross to a reserve/futures contract. He started one game and played in three for New England this season and appeared in their wild card loss in Buffalo. He went undrafted out of New Mexico in 2019.