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Why This Dolphins Draft Is More Important Than Others

The Miami Dolphins are scheduled to have 10 picks in the 2025 NFL draft and they need to find a way to maximize their draft capital

Alain Poupart

Dolphins general manager Chris Grier discusses the upcoming draft on Tuesday, April 16, 2024.
Dolphins general manager Chris Grier discusses the upcoming draft on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. / HAL HABIB / The Palm Beach Post / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Chris Grier is now a little more than two weeks away from his 10th NFL draft as Miami Dolphins general manager, and this one ranks right up there among his most important.

We're not ready to put the 2025 draft right at the top because there's probably nothing that could come along to top, or even match, the 2020 draft when the Dolphins had five picks in the first two rounds and ideal were looking to build a new foundation for the roster.

And we also could add 2021 right next to 2020 because the Dolphins had plenty more draft capital for roster building with four picks in the first two rounds.

But 2025 is the most important draft since then because the Dolphins need to replenish a roster left on the thin side because of a big-swing moves that followed those draft bounties of 2020-21, namely the trades for Tyreek Hill, Bradley Chubb and Jalen Ramsey — not to mention the loss of the two draft picks as the result of the NFL sanctions for tampering violations.

DOLPHINS ROSTER HAS LOST A LOT OF TALENT SINCE 2023

While the Dolphins fell short in their massive rebuilding project because that elusive playoff win never came, they did put together a pretty impressive, one that reached its peak in 2023. That, not coincidentally, was the season the team was 11-4 through 15 games with a chance to land the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs before things fell apart due to several factors, one of which being untimely injuries on defense.

But the current roster looks nothing like the one that produced that 11-6 record in 2023.

Gone from that team are front-line players, starters or quality contributors like Terron Armstead (fresh off his retirement), Jevon Holland, Robert Hunt, Christian Wilkins, Andrew Van Ginkel, Xavien Howard, Raekwon Davis, Connor Williams, Jerome Baker, DeShon Elliott and Brandon Jones.

The only equivalent replacements — this can be debated further — currently on the roster look like Aaron Brewer for Williams at center and Jordyn Brooks for Baker at linebacker.

That's a lot of talent drain.

The Dolphins need to replenish this roster both for the 2025 season and the next few years, to win now and have replacements in place when the time comes that they move on from other big-name players.

So it really shouldn't have come as a surprise when NFL.com's story on the "nine teams that need to ace their picks" in 2025 included the Dolphins.

"GM Chris Grier and his staff put together some strong draft classes from 2016 through 2021, but the returns have been meager since then," draft analyst Eric Edholm wrote. "They must hit on more picks, starting with the 13th overall selection, and field a deeper, more competitive roster this year. Winning with this veteran corps in place — and doing so with the title-contending Bills in the division — might depend on it."

And it's not just about the 2025 season.

The Dolphins need to nail this draft if they hope to remain at least playoff contenders on a regular basis and most definitely if they want to accomplish that elusive goal that's been missing since December 30, 2000.

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Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of Miami Dolphins On SI and host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press and the Dolphins team website. In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books, such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.

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