The 2022 NFL Draft will be held in Las Vegas on April 28-30. What should Miami do with their picks, you ask? Well, that won’t take very long to discuss as the Dolphins only have 4 picks in this year’s draft. They have picks in the 3rd & 4th rounds plus 2 picks in the 7th round.
Their 1st & 2nd round picks along with a 4th rounder were traded to Kansas City in the Tyreek Hill trade.
The Fins first pick isn’t until near the end of the 3rd round with the 102nd overall pick acquired from the 49ers in a 2021 trade.
So who should Miami draft or what are their positions of need? The good news is that the Dolphins don’t have any glaring holes on their roster. I think their biggest need is at the interior linebacker position, as they have been searching for the next Zach Thomas for a long time now.
But that doesn’t mean they should use the 102nd pick on a linebacker. They should select the best player on their draft board regardless of the position. Yes Dolfans, Miami has reached the point in their rebuild where they can select the best player available.
If they have several players who are closely ranked and one is a linebacker, then I would take a linebacker as long as he plays on the inside.
One of the other positions of need is cornerback, as they could use a someone to compete with Nik Needham for the #3 CB spot. Staying on the defensive side of the ball, they could also use a defensive tackle who excels against the run, as that was a position of weakness last season when Raekwon Davis was injured.
On the offensive side of the ball a center would be a smart choice, as Michael Deiter is still a bit of a question mark entering his 4th year in the NFL plus he’s a free agent after the season. And even though they don’t have a huge need at wide receiver, the draft is deep at that position and the best player on their draft board could indeed be a wideout.
They should also be on the lookout for a running back. Although they signed Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert in free agency, running backs have a high probabilty of getting injured, so you need depth, and they might be able to draft an upgrade over Myles Gaskin. There are a lot of very good running backs in the NFL who were drafted in the 3rd & 4th rounds, so Miami should be on the lookout for one.
Miami’s biggest decision to possibly make in this year’s draft is if they were to decide to trade up for a player they really liked who was available prior to their 102nd pick.
Miami has 5 picks in the first 3 rounds of the 2023 draft (2 in the 1st round, 1 in the 2nd and 2 in the 3rd) and they could utilize one or more of those picks to move up in this year’s draft for an elite player who they envision as a possible starter in 2022. In all likelihood, this player would probably be an inside linebacker, a center or an elite running back.
Without a trade to move up in the draft, Dolphins’ fans can just relax as their 1st pick likely won’t occur until close to midnight at the end of Day 2 of the draft on Friday.
But seeing who other teams draft and what trades are made is always fun for a football junkie, so reserve your family recliner and grab a cold beverage along with your favorite snack and enjoy the draft.
