History lesson: Bounty of early picks bodes well for Dolphins

Dolphins will become the eighth team to have five picks in the first two rounds, and history says that's a good sign for their future

Alain Poupart | Apr 18, 2020

The Miami Dolphins currently hold five of the first 56 selections in the 2020 NFL draft, putting them on course to become only the eighth team since the AFL-NFL merger of 1970 to have five selections in the first two rounds.

The Dolphins got the three additional picks in those two rounds by virtue of their 2019 trades with the Pittsburgh Steelers (for Minkah Fitzpatrick), Houston Texans (the Laremy Tunsil blockbuster) and New Orleans Saints (second-round trade-down in the 2019 draft).

Offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil — Jason Vinlove-USA Today Sports

The only teams with five selections in the first two rounds going into 2020 were the 1982 New England Patriots, the 1986 New York Giants, the 2009 Denver Broncos, the 2018 Indianapolis Colts, and the Los Angeles Rams in 1975, 1988 and 1989.

Of those seven teams, six made the playoffs the year they had the five selections in the first two rounds, including the 1986 Super Bowl champion Giants. To be fair, three of the six had made the playoffs the previous year.

But the Patriots went from 2-14 in 1981 to 5-4 and a playoff appearance in the strike-shortened 1982 season; the 1988 Rams went from 6-9 to 10-6 and a playoff berth; and most recently the Colts went from 4-12 in 2017 to 10-6 and a playoff spot in 2018 — though it needs to be pointed out that Andrew Luck missed all of 2017 and was back in 2018.

Overall, the seven teams with the five picks in the first two rounds had a winning percentage of .459 the year before their draft bounty and combined for a .680 winning percentage the next season.

The Dolphins have the fifth, 18th and 26th selections in the first round, and the 39th and 56th overall selections in the second.

Dolphins GM Chris Grier with Owner Stephen Ross — Jason Vinlove

With those picks, the Dolphins are expected to select a quarterback at some point, which would make them different than the previous seven teams. Yes, not a single one of the 35 combined picks of the seven previous teams with the five picks in the first two rounds was used on a quarterback.

Of the previous seven teams, only the 1975 L.A. Rams also had three first-round picks, as the Dolphins currently have. The Rams used them on defensive tackle Mike Fanning (ninth overall), tackle Dennis Harrah (11th) and tackle Doug France (20th).

Published Apr 18, 2020

ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of All Dolphins and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press, the Dolphins team website, and the Fan Nation Network (part of Sports Illustrated). In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.