The Dolphins Drafts of the Last 10 Years: 2019

The Dolphins were low on draft picks in 2019, but still managed to land some good players

Author:
Alain Poupart
Publish date:
Apr 24, 2023 4:20 PM EDT

In this story:

Leading up to the 2023 NFL draft, we're taking a look at each of the Miami Dolphins' past 10 drafts with an analysis of how each pick panned out, a grade for all those picks, players the team missed, and an overall grade for the draft class.

The grades will be determined on the basis of how the player's NFL career turned out, not how each did with the Dolphins. Picks also are curved on a grade, where more was expected of a first-round pick than, say, a fourth-round pick.

We continue with the 2019 draft.

THE 2019 DOLPHINS DRAFT PICKS

Round 1 —DT Christian Wilkins, Clemson (13th overall)

Round 3 — G Michael Deiter, Wisconsin (78th)

Round 5 — LB Andrew Van Ginkel, Wisconsin (151st)

Round 6 — T Isaiah Prince, Ohio State (202nd)

Round 7 — FB Chandler Cox, Auburn (233rd)

Round 7 — RB Myles Gaskin, Washington (234th)

BREAKING DOWN EACH PICK

-- Christian Wilkins: That the big question after five seasons is whether Wilkins deserves to be among the highest-paid defensive tackles in the NFL is a good indication that this pick panned out. Better yet, Wilkins has improved every year he's been in the NFL. Who the Dolphins could have had: Wilkins absolutely was one of the better first-round picks around the NFL in 2019, though one who could stand above is one of those premier defensive tackles, Jeffery Simmons. Two other players the Dolphins could have picked were Brian Burns and Josh Jacobs. Grade: A

-- Michael Deiter: Deiter had a pretty wild four seasons with Miami before he left for Houston this offseason. He went from full-time starter as a rookie to the bench in 2020, back into the starting lineup in 2021 and back to the bench in 2022. When he did play, he clearly didn't do enough to solidify his position. Who the Dolphins could have had: Looking back that 2019 third round was less than inspiring and there aren't many picks here that stand as bad misses for Miami. The names who could merit that distinction include G Nate Davis, RB Damien Harris and LB Bobby Okereke. Grade: C-

-- Andrew Van Ginkel: After a slow start as a rookie, Van Ginkel has become a solid contributor to the Dolphins, both on special teams and on defense, where he has started 31 games. Van Ginkel had 9.5 sacks between 2020-21 and has two career touchdowns. Who the Dolphins could have had: While we're not suggesting that AVG is an elite player, he's been very solid and there's no one else picked after him in that fifth round who looks like he would have been a clear better choice. Grade: A-

-- Isaiah Prince: Prince was a talented but raw offensive lineman when he joined the Dolphins, but he didn't even make it through his first season before he was released. He did start four games for the Bengals in 2022, but is starting over now with the Denver Broncos. Who the Dolphins could have had: If the Dolphins wanted to stick with the tackle route, they would have been better by taking Dennis Daley, a two-year starter who went 10 picks after Prince. Grade: C-

-- Chandler Cox: With the first of consecutive picks in the second round, the Dolphins went with Cox, who was used very sparingly as a rookie before being let go when the Dolphins switched to an offense that didn't use the fullback. Cox wasn't able to hook up with another team after Miami. Who the Dolphins could have had: Actually, the best pick after Cox in the seventh round was his teammate selected with the very next one. Grade: C-

-- Myles Gaskin: This would be that seventh-round pick who stood out. He has the highest career weighted approximate value, according to Pro Football Reference, for those who are into analytics. More practically, he led the Dolphins in rushing in both 2020 and 2021 before falling into a background role. It's still good work for a seventh-round pick. Who the Dolphins could have had: There is flat-out nobody worth mentioning. Grade: B

2019 DOLPHINS DRAFT GRADE

This wasn't a draft that was big in numbers partly because the Dolphins traded second- and fifth-round picks to the Cardinals for Josh Rosen in an attempt to land a franchise quarterback that clearly didn't work out. The Dolphins did pretty well with at least half their picks because Wilkins is a borderline star and Van Ginkel and Gaskin represented great value where they were selected.

Grade: B