Why the Dolphins have a great chance to land a Pro Bowler (or better) at pick No. 6
Broad and Walnut in Philadelphia’s Center City is the site of the city’s original Ritz-Carlton.
You wouldn’t know it today — the building is best known these days as the ex-home to a popular Wawa, which closed during the pandemic — but the property is part of NFL history. Eighty-five years ago in February, the league held its first draft there.
There were no crowds booing the commissioner, no teary-eyed moms in the green room, no Mel Kiper Jr. or Todd McShay grading the picks as they came in. It was a humble start, with just nine teams making nine picks each. Scouting was all but nonexistent.
The first overall pick — a Heisman Trophy-winning halfback named Jay Berwanger — never played a single down.
So when the Chicago Bears’ turn came up at pick No. 6, the odds of them taking a bust were enormous.
George Halas ultimately decided on offensive tackle Joe Stydahar, a little-known coal miner’s son from West Virginia.
Wise choice.
Stydahar went on to make five all-pro teams, appear in four all-star games and win four NFL championships. His career — interrupted by World War II, in which Stydahar served as a gunnery officer — was Hall of Fame worthy. And in 1967, he got the call to Canton, Ohio.
Why is any of this relevant to readers of a South Florida publication in 2021?
Because the Miami Dolphins will in four weeks try to replicate the success Halas and many others since have found by picking No. 6.
When they executed trades with 49ers and Eagles to move from third to sixth, general manager Chris Grier and coach Brian Flores did so believing they can land a star in that spot.
They have good reason for confidence. History is on their side — even if the Dolphins have never picked sixth.
Stydahar is one of 11 inductees into the Hall of Fame who went sixth overall. Yes, more than one in eight players taken in that spot are Hall of Famers, and that figure would be even more impressive if it didn’t include those still in the league or not yet eligible.
Stydahar was the first of three in a row. Quarterback Sammy Baugh was the sixth pick in 1937. Center Alex Wojciechowicz was the No. 6 selection the year after. Both have busts carved from bronze.
Y.A. Tittle? He was a No. 6 pick (in 1948). Same goes for Jim Brown (1957), Carl Eller (1964), Floyd Little (1967), John Riggins (1971), James Lofton (1978), Tim Brown (1988) and Walter Jones (1997).
And it’s probably only a matter of time until two more sixth overall picks — Torry Holt (1999) and Richard Seymour (2001) — get in, too. Both have gotten serious consideration since becoming eligible for induction, but have yet to secure the necessary votes.
Will Ja’Marr Chase, Kyle Pitts or DeVonta Smith — the three players most likely selected by Grier and Flores at No. 6 — have a Hall of Fame career?
That’s asking a lot, even given the history.
But if the Dolphins pick isn’t, at the very least, a Pro Bowler, it will be a massive disappointment.
Of the last 20 players taken sixth, all but two have been non-quarterbacks. Of those 18, seven have been named to All-Pro teams and 12 have made a Pro Bowl.
Some of the NFL’s best current players were sixth picks: Safety Jamal Adams. Defensive lineman Leonard Williams. Guard Quenton Nelson.
And in 2020, quarterback Justin Herbert, who set NFL rookie record in completions (396), 300-yard games (eight) and passing touchdowns (31).
Even more encouraging for Miami: only four of the past 20 No. 6 picks — Barkevious Mingo, Morris Claiborne, Vernon Gholston and Johnathan Sullivan — were true busts.
In short, the Dolphins will almost certainly get a good player with their first pick.
And perhaps they will pull a Halas and draft an all-timer.
