Diving Into the Dolphins Selection of Tindall

The Miami Dolphins kept alive some interesting streaks when they selected Georgia linebacker Channing Tindall with their top 2022 pick

Diving into the Miami Dolphins selection of linebacker Channing Tindall with the 102nd overall pick, starting with it setting a draft record for the team.

This was the latest the Dolphins made their first selection in the draft, topping the 2002 selection of center Seth McKinney, who came in at number 90.

The Dolphins did not, however, even have the latest first pick in the 2022 draft because that distinction belonged to the Super Bowl champion, whose first pick came in at 104 and was Wisconsin guard Logan Bruss.

SEEKING THE SEC

That the Dolphins ended up taking an SEC player with their first pick really shouldn't have come as a surprise since it's happened every year since 2015 except for 2019 when the top pick was Christian Wilkins from Clemson.

Of course, three were from Alabama — Minkah Fitzpatrick in 2018, Tua Tagovailoa in 2020 and Jaylen Waddle in 2021 — and they followed Laremy Tunsil in 2016 and Charles Harris in 2017.

The pick also kept intact the Dolphins' streak of taking at least one player from Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State since Chris Grier became GM in 2016.

Besides the top picks, there was RB Kenyan Drake from Alabama in 2016, LB Raekwon McMillan from Ohio State in 2017 and T Isaiah Prince from Ohio State in 2019.

LOOKING FOR LINEBACKERS

In an odd coincidence, this marked the first time the Dolphins took a linebacker with their first pick since 2003.

That also was the last time the Dolphins didn't have a first-round pick. They did have a second-round pick, however, and used it on another SEC linebacker, Eddie Moore from Tennessee — yes, the Dolphins have to hope the Tindall pick works out better.

Other times the Dolphins have used the top pick on a linebacker: 1986 with John Offerdahl in Round 2 (again, the Dolphins didn't have a first-round pick); 1984 with Jackie Shipp in Round 1; and 1976 with Larry Gordon in Round 1.

Of note, A.J. Duhe became famous for the Dolphins at linebacker, but he was listed as a defensive end when he was the team's top pick in 1977.

SEARCHING FOR CHAMPS

The Dolphins apparently buy into the notion of drafting "winners," based on another interesting streak that keeps going.

The selection of Tindall marked the seventh consecutive year the Dolphins have drafted a player from the reigning college national championship team.

Tindall follows Waddle in 2021, Blake Ferguson of LSU in 2020, Wilkins in 2019, Fitzpatrick in 2018, Cordrea Tankersley out of Clemson in 2017 and Drake in 2016.

The last time the Dolphins failed to draft a player from the national title was 2015 after Ohio State won in 2014.

LOOTindall is the seventh defensive player from Georgia taken in the 2022 NFL Draft, which is the most defensive players by a single school in the first three rounds of a single NFL Draft since 1967, surpassing the previous high of six from Alabama (2017) and LSU (2013).

FUN FACT

Per Pro Football Reference, Channing Tindall became the second player named with that first name selected in the NFL draft.

The first was Channing Crowder, who also was a linebacker, who also was drafted by the Dolphins, who also was taken in the third round.