All Signs Point to Tight End as Early Draft Target for Dolphins
The deepest position in the 2023 NFL draft happens to be one of the Miami Dolphins’ greatest positions of need.
Is this a marriage made in heaven for the Dolphins, who only possess four picks in this draft, the first of which is pick No. 51?
Marvin Allen, the Dolphins’ assistant general manager, seems to think so. Allen, who is viewed by his peers as one of the best college talent evaluators, seems to think so.
"This is probably one of the deeper tight end drafts than (there) has been in the last several years. So we feel good about having an opportunity to grab a good football player, if he’s available when we’re picking,” Allen said. “We’re going to look at every position, but there’s a strong chance that there are going to be a lot of tight ends selected early.”
Based on General Manager Chris Grier's history, the Dolphins likely will stick to their evaluation board, draft the highest-rated player who remains on the team's board when Miami gets on the clock.
But runs on positions could force Miami’s hand in this draft because the Dolphins only have picks No. 51 (a second-round selection), and No. 84 in the third round to use in early rounds. Miami also has a sixth- (197) and seventh-round (238) pick to use on the third day of the draft.
It should be pointed out that countering a run at a position of need led to Miami drafting offensive lineman Austin Jackson with the 18th pick in the 2020 draft, selecting the offensive tackle most felt would be a second-round talent earlier than expected.
It also forced the Dolphins to trade away a 2022 third-round pick to move up high enough to select offensive lineman Liam Eichenberg in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft.
Considering both Jackson and Eichenberg are viewed as weak links on Miami's roster the past few seasons, it might be ideal for the Dolphins to get ahead of position runs, possibly by trading up for a targeted player.
DOLPHINS SHORT ON TIGHT ENDS
Securing a top-shelf tight end might be the main motivator because the Dolphins have only three tight ends on the roster heading into the offseason program.
There’s Durham Smythe, who caught 15 passes for 129 yards and scored one touchdowns in the 557 offensive snaps he played last season; Eric Saubert, a six-year veteran who was signed to a one-year deal worth a little more than $1 million; and Tanner Conner, a college receiver the Dolphins converted to tight end last training camp and liked so much they kept him on the 53-man roster for the entire season,
“Eric was a good addition for us. And Tanner, we feel has good upside,” Grier said. “(But) we’re going to keep looking to add at that position, some competition, but we’re happy with the guys there, especially how Durham leads, and what he provides for our team.”
TIGHT END OPTIONS FOR DOLPHINS
NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah is confident the Dolphins can find a difference-maker with pick No. 51, and tight end would be his target at that point in the second round.
“I think you get a darn good player,” Jeremiah said in a pre-draft conference call Thursday. “You could get a tight end that in some years might have been a first-round pick. Sam LaPorta from Iowa, I love. I think he has a good chance of being there.”
Jeremiah said he suspects Utah’s Dalton Kincaid and Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer will be gone, selected either in the first round or early in the second. Kincaid has some medical concerns that could lead to a draft-day slide.
Based on Jeremiah's research, "there’s a chance" Georgia’s Darnell Washington, a blocking specialist who some believe might be talented enough to play right tackle in the NFL, could still be available when the Dolphins are on the clock.
Washington, who caught 45 passes for 774 yards and scored three touchdowns in his three seasons with the Bulldogs, would make a ton of sense for Miami because Mike McDaniel’s scheme prioritizes blocking from the tight ends.
That should explain why Mike Gesicki became a part-time player, playing behind Smythe last season despite Miami using the franchise tag to retain Gesicki.
Miami allowed Gesicki to sign a relatively team-friendly deal with the Patriots, making little to no effort to re-sign him this offseason.
But with Smythe receiving a two-year contract extension earlier this month does it make sense for Miami to add another in-line specialist?Or would the team benefit from adding a tight end who could threaten the seam like Oregon State’s Luke Musgrave or South Dakota’s Tucker Kraft.
Jeremiah puts those two top-rated tight ends, and Michigan’s Luke Schoonmaker in the “plug-and-play” category of this draft.
“Impactful right away,” Jeremiah said. “They can find somebody there that can come in and really help their ballclub. That would be the position (to select) if you are looking for immediate impact, that would be the spot I would be looking (at).”
