Round 1, Pick #21 Miami Selects Chop Robinson EDGE Penn St

Grade: B

I like Chop Robinson, and he is one of the players I have been closely keeping an eye on during this entire draft process. I thought there was a more than good chance he would fall to Miami and that he was the type of player Miami would be interested in. Low and behold, he ended up being selected by the Miami Dolphins.

When looking at Miami, who was on the clock at pick #21, I think Chop Robinson is the obvious selection, as I don’t know who else would have made sense to take. I am sure that Tyler Guyton, Graham Barton, and Jordan Morgan were the other offensive linemen in consideration. One is a guard, so cross him off, as there is no value in taking a guard/center at 21. The other two guys are offensive linemen who I am not sure are any more NFL-ready than Patrick Paul, who Miami took at #55. And if Miami passed on Robinson, the depth at EDGE rusher in this draft fell off a cliff, so they needed to take him here.

This grade isn’t higher because we know there are some concerns. Can he play the run? Is he a one-trick pony who only has one pass-rush move and not multiple ways to get to the quarterback? Is his college production underwhelming? These are all fair points and minor red flags. I am sure he will be coached up, and I think we will see the best out of Chop Robinson in 2025 and beyond, and 2024 will be a work in progress. But that is ok because the sky is the limit with this kid.

Grade: C+

It’s probably Miami’s most controversial draft pick in this draft. The C+ grade is more of a reflection of not what this kid will possibly be in time but more so of the fact he most likely isn’t going to play at all in 2024. Again, that is ok, as it is wise to keep one eye on the here and now and one eye on the future. But we have to factor in when giving out this grade that he may not see the field this year in any significant way.

If you were building a left tackle in a lab, like creating a FRANKENSTEIN, Patrick Paul would be what you want. He has the size, athleticism, and arm length and is built like an NFL offensive lineman. I get why Chris Grier fell in love and why they took Patrick Paul. As a pass blocker, he is damn near ready right now, as he does a lot right in that area and comes into the league ready enough to hold his own. Does he need to work on some fundamentals in this area? Of course, most rookies do. But from a pass-blocking perspective, I would say he is very close to being NFL-ready.

But there is the other side of this, and that is run blocking, and it’s bad. It needs work. And the fundamentals there need a lot of work.

The perplexing thing about Patrick Paul, which makes this pick so damn intriguing, maddening, nerve-wracking, and exciting all at the same time, is that he has to potential to be a home run pick and be that relatively soon. But on the other hand, you also see a “bust factor” there, which is very real. And because he has so many starts in college and so much college experience, you would think some of these things he has to clean up should have been addressed already, and why isn’t he further along? Again, it’s a fair question.

Was he coached wrong? Or can he not just pick it up? We don’t know…but we will soon. Because of all of that, and the fact he probably won’t help immediately in 2024, I give this a C+ grade at this time.

Round 4, Pick #120 Miami Selects Jaylen Wright RB Tennessee

Grade: B-

Miami’s selection of Jaylen Wright and their trade-up to get him is probably the second most controversial selection in this draft. Dolphins fans are totally split on this and either love it or hate it. While I won’t say I “love it,” I will say I “get it.” When it comes to the player, I like him a lot and totally understand what Chris Grier did here, so the logic makes sense.

First, I understand the trade because this year, not having a 3rd or 4th round pick was rough. Having to go from pick #55 to #158 was not ideal, so making a bold move to get a 4th rounder is awesome. I love that. Trading a future 3rd rounder when it is “expected” but not guaranteed that Miami will get two compensatory picks next year in Round 3 makes total sense there. So, I don’t think many Dolphins fans or NFL analysts have an issue with the trade.

But trading up for a running back? And you just gave a contract extension to Raheem Mostert and used a 3rd round pick last year on DeVon Achane. So, trading up for an RB? Really?

Miami has holes at defensive tackle, edge rusher, safety, and wide receiver depth, and we are adding to the running back room. This is a fair question to be raised, but I am not against it.

The bottom line is that we all love Raheem Mostert, but in 2022, he missed the playoff game against Buffalo. In 2023, he missed games vs Baltimore and Buffalo Weeks 17 and 18. He is always on the sideline, not playing in big moments. He has a long injury history before he even arrived in Miami and is on the wrong side of 30 years old. Achane last season was hurt four times, missed part of training camp and week 1, was on IR in season, and is a smaller running back who may always be dinged up just because of how he is built.

Miami needs another younger back, again not so much for 2024 but with an eye on 2025 and beyond. This may be Mostert’s final year in Miami, and moving forward, a running back room of Wright and Achane as a 1-2 punch isn’t all that bad. How much will Wright play and contribute in 2024? I don’t know, but I’m guessing not too much as the 3rd running back on the depth chart. Hence why, this is a B- grade. I may be a little too generous with that grade, considering what we had to give up to trade into this pick, but I like Wright a lot as a player.

Round 5, Pick #158 Miami Selects Mohamed Kamara EDGE Colorado St

Grade: B+

Miami needed EDGE rushers, and they will take a second one in this draft with Kamara. He is the polar opposite of Chop Robinson. While Chop is built like an NFL player and a physical freak who had limited college production, Kamra isn’t built like your typical NFL player but has a ton of college production.

Sometimes, you gotta look beyond the 40-yard dash times, the arm length, height, weight, and all of that stuff, and see if a guy is just a football player. Based on his college production, he should have been picked much higher, but we know why he fell, and it’s for all the reasons I listed. I think landing someone like Kamara in Round 5 is a steal.

Round 6, Pick #184 Miami Selects Malik Washington WR Virginia 

Grade: A-

Another “football player” who doesn’t check every box in the height, weight, and size department. Which, in round six, you will be looking at for the most part. These are guys who had production in college but are undersized in one way, shape, or form. Or guys with elite traits but didn’t produce you are hoping to coach up. Washington spent four years at Northwestern, played his final year at Virginia, and was a production machine in college.

In 10 of his last 11 games, he had over 100+ receiving yards. There were not many drops, and they just had a ton of YAC (yards after catch) at Virginia. He comes to Miami with a good chance to be the 4th WR in 2024 and get on the field some. He has a much higher ceiling than Braxton Berrios and River Cracraft, and I could see one or both of those guys being kicked to the curb with Washington now in the mix. I don’t see him ever being more than WR3 on a team, and in year one as a rookie, he won’t be that. But he can be a total slot wide receiver who gets favorable matchups with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle on the field.

Round 6, Pick #196 Miami Selects Patrick McMorris Safety California 

Grade: C

It’s round six, so expectations are in check here, and I’m not expecting a day-one starter or anything, but I think McMorris is a project that will need a year on the practice squad. And that is okay for where he is being selected, but some work needs to be done here. As a safety, you are kind of the “last line of defense” on the field, as no team wants to be making a tackle deep downfield, and tackling is an issue for McMorris. He is poor at it, and guys run through and break his tackles easily, as he did at college. If he doesn’t fix that, his time in the NFL will be quick.

There are things to like, as he has a high football IQ, takes good angles, and can close fast downhill, making plays. But he must tackle better and show better range when lined up in single-high safety looks. This is a project (again, not surprising or a knock for a 6th-round pick) in every sense of the word, and the grade reflects that.

Round 7, Pick #241 Miami Selects Tahj Washington Wide Receiver USC

Grade: C

I’m a little surprised they went with another undersized wide receiver here. It goes to show you how little they think of River Cracraft and Braxton Berrios as receivers, as they are using two late-round picks here and trying to replace them if we are being totally honest.

Tahj Washington is like the poor man Malik Washington, whom Miami took round one earlier in some ways. Okay, that may be a bit unfair, but they are very similar. From the information I obtained, I just think Malik is further along and can help on the field sooner. Tahj is probably destined for the practice squad in 2024 (again, not a knock, and it’s understandable).

He is tough as nails and fearless. He will make the tough catch over the middle, get contested balls, and fight for those contested balls. Can he help on special teams right away? Yes. But as a wide receiver, he has average speed and quickness overall.

OVERALL DRAFT GRADE: B-