Former Dolphins No. 1 Pick Retires: Giving Ginn His Due

Miami's selection of Ted Ginn Jr. with the ninth pick of the 2007 draft wasn't popular, but he ended up having himself a good NFL career

Ted Ginn Jr. announced his retirement from the NFL on Friday, a little more than 14 years after his selection by the Miami Dolphins with the ninth overall pick in 2007 was loudly booed at a draft party.

That the two events came so far apart is one indicator that taking Ginn wasn't the disaster so many Dolphins fans would have had you believe in April 2007, even if no one would argue he was drafted too early.

But looking at Ginn's career, he also was judged way too harshly by Dolphins fans for what he didn't become (a true No. 1 wide receiver), which again goes back to the argument against taking him ninth.

UNFORGETTABLE AFTERNOON VS. THE JETS

What Ginn became was a good multi-purpose player who scored touchdowns receiving, rushing and, of course, returning.

It was in that latter capacity that Ginn made headlines with the Dolphins, particularly that wild 2009 game against the New York Jets at Giants Stadium when he returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, both in the third quarter, in a game Miami won 30-25 despite gaining a paltry 104 yards on offense.

Ginn lasted only three seasons with the Dolphins before playing for five other teams when he was traded to San Francisco in April 2010 because his style (finesse) didn't fit what then-coach Tony Sparano wanted (toughness) in his players.

How knows how long Ginn would have played for Miami had Cam Cameron lasted longer than one year as head coach.

SECOND ONLY TO JASON TAYLOR

As it was, Ginn ended up playing 193 regular season games in the NFL, and if you don't think that's a big deal, understand that it's more than ANY Dolphins draft pick since 1993 outside of Jason Taylor and his 233 games.

Without question, the Dolphins could have made a better choice with the ninth pick in 2007 considering players selecting after Ginn in the first round that year included Patrick Willis, Marshawn Lynch, Darrelle Revis and Joe Staley.

But remember that a big reason Dolphins fans were upset at the selection of Ginn was that many of them wanted the team to take Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn, who ended up going 22nd and made 20 NFL starts over four seasons.

So clearly Ginn was a better pick than Quinn, and it wasn't close.

THE DOLPHINS' FIRST-ROUND PICKS OF THE 2000s

In truth, Ginn was a better first-round pick for the Dolphins — and here come the jokes and comments about their drafting issues — than most of the other selections in the 2000s.

Really, how many would you say clearly were better than Ginn?

The list of Dolphins first-round picks in the 2000s, as a reminder, consists of CB Jamar Fletcher, G/T Vernon Carey, RB Ronnie Brown, DB Jason Allen, Ginn, T Jake Long, CB Vontae Davis, DT Jared Odrick, C Mike Pouncey, QB Ryan Tannehill, DE Dion Jordan, T Ja'Wuan James, WR DeVante Parker, T Laremy Tunsil, DE Charles Harris, DB Minkah Fitzpatrick, DT Christian Wilkins, QB Tua Tagovailoa, T Austin Jackson, CB Noah Igbinoghene, WR Jaylen Waddle and DE/OLB Jaelan Phillips.

Again, how many clearly had or have had better NFL careers than Ginn?

Brown maybe, Long even though his was cut short by injuries, Davis probably, Pouncey, Tannehill, maybe Parker, Tunsil and Fitzpatrick so far.

So say what you want about Ginn, but don't call him a bust because he wasn't.