The Dolphins and the Third Round of the NFL Draft

The Miami Dolphins have gotten solid contributions from their recent third-round picks and got a Hall of Famer in that round 25 years ago

Fans of the Miami Dolphins were ecstatic about the offseason acquisition of wide receiver Tyreek Hill in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs, but the first tangible impact of that transaction will mean no selection in the 2022 NFL draft until the third round.

The Dolphins won't select until the late stages of the third round, the 102nd overall pick to be precise. Only the L.A. Rams will have to wait longer than the Dolphins to make pick number 104 after trading their first-round choice to Detroit for QB Matthew Stafford last year and their second-round and third-round picks to Denver to land pass rusher Von Miller during the 2021 season.

The lack of a pick in the first or second round — barring the Dolphins don't swing another trade before April 28 or April 29 — doesn't mean they couldn't land an immediate contributor or even a future star in the draft.

Their third-round history tells us that.

The Dolphins' Greatest Third-Round Pick

Of course, we're not going to hold our breath and hope they repeat what they did 25 years ago when that 1997 third-round selection turned out to be future Hall of Famer Jason Taylor.

Long before then, the Dolphins also did very well in the third round, landing long-time contributors Dick Anderson in 1968, Mercury Morris in 1969, Tim Foley in 1970, Nat Moore in 1974 and Tony Nathan in 1979.

More recently, the Dolphins have done solid, if not spectacular, work in the third round of the draft.

Each of the team's last seven third-round picks started at least one game as a rookie and, yes, that includes 2021 selection Hunter Long.

Even though he appeared in only seven games and caught only one pass all season, Long did open twice when the Dolphins were in multiple-tight-end sets.

The hope is that Long can be a much bigger factor on offense in 2022, even with the Dolphins currently having the exact same five tight ends on the roster as last year.

The last Dolphins third-round pick to not make the 53-man roster was 1998 selection Brad Jackson, a linebacker from the University of Cincinnati.

The last Dolphins third-round pick to not start a game as a rookie was offensive lineman Billy Turner in 2014. But Turner, who arrived out of North Dakota State, has become a regular starter in the NFL and is heading into his ninth NFL season in 2022 with the Denver Broncos after rejoining them as a free agent.

The Dolphins' Recent Third-Round Picks

Since then, the Dolphins have taken in the third round:

2016 — RB Kenyan Drake, WR Leonte Carroo

2017 — CB Cordrea Tankersley

2018 — LB Jerome Baker

2019 — G/C Michael Deiter

2020 — S Brandon Jones

2021 — TE Hunter Long

Jerome Baker / Miami Dolphins

Michael Deiter / Miami Dolphins

Brandon Jones / Miami Dolphins

Carroo and Tankersley obviously didn't pan out, but Tankersley did start 11 games as a rookie on a team that was coming off a playoff appearance.

On the flip side, Baker has become a key player on defense and Jones became a starter in his second season, while Deiter has started two of his three seasons and certainly will be in the mix to start again in 2022.

Another former third-round pick who could wind up playing a role in 2022 is Lynn Bowden Jr., though he was selected by the Raiders (in 2020) before they traded him to the Dolphins.

The moral of the story is that nobody should sleep on that first Dolphins pick of the 2022 NFL draft, no matter how long it takes to get there.

The Top 10 Dolphins Third-Round Picks

1. DE Jason Taylor, 1997 — Hall of Famer. Enough said.

2. S Dick Anderson, 1968 — NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Three-time Pro Bowl selection.

3. RB Mercury Morris, 1969 — 1,000 rushing yards in 1972. Three-time Pro Bowl selection. Owns team record for longest kickoff return for touchdown.

4. DB Tim Foley, 1970 — 110 career starts at cornerback and safety. 22 career interceptions. Pro Bowl selection in 1979.

5. WR Nat Moore, 1974 — 510 career receptions. All-Pro in 1977.

6. TE Ferrell Edmunds, 1988 — 57 starts. 117 catches. Pro Bowl selection in 1989-90 (last Dolphins tight end selected).

7. RB Karim Abdul-Jabbar, 1996 — 46 starts. 1116 rushing yards as a rookie. 26 rushing touchdowns in first two seasons.

8. RB Tony Nathan, 1979 — 63 career starts. 3543 career rushing yards. 383 career receptions. 

9. LB Jerome Baker, 2018 — 53 career starts. 12.5 career sacks. 409 career tackles.

10. LB Channing Crowder, 2005 — 74 career starts. 470 career tackles.

Grading the Dolphins' Last 10 Third-Round Picks

2021 — TE Hunter Long: Seven games as a rookie. Grade: Incomplete

2020 — S Brandon Jones: 31 games, 17 starts. 5 sacks in 2021. Grade: B+

2019 — OL Michael Deiter: 40 games, 23 starts at guard and center: Grade: C+

2018 — LB Jerome Baker: 64 games, 53 starts. 409 tackles. 17 sacks. Grade: A-

2017 — CB Cordrea Tankersley: 17 games, 11 starts. 36 tackles. 7 passes defensed. Waived in 2018. Grade: D+

2016 — RB Kenyan Drake: 54 games, 16 starts. 16 touchdowns (including Miami Miracle). 4.6 rushing average. 116 receptions. Traded in 2020. Grade: B-

2016 — WR Leonte Carroo: 37 games, 2 starts. 12 receptions. 2 touchdowns. Waived in 2018. Grade: D

2014 — OL Billy Turner: 20 games, 14 starts. Waived in 2016. Still in NFL. Grade: C-

2013 — OL Dallas Thomas: 37 games, 26 starts. Waived in 2016. Grade: D+

2013 — CB Will Davis: 15 games, 0 starts. Traded in 2015. Grade: D