When rating picks value at pick selection, production with the team, and time spent with the team were taken into consideration.

Dolphins last 11 first round picks

2007: Pick 9 – WR Ted Ginn Jr.

Going back all the way to 2007, the Dolphins used their first round pick that year to select Ohio St. speedster, Ted Ginn Jr. Ginn never had impressive stats as a collegiate WR, but his combine and pro day turned some heads after running a 4.28 40-yard dash. He also had success in returning punts and kicks at OSU, adding more value to his draft stock. However, like most combine warriors, Ginn was incredibly hyped up and never experienced much success as a Dolphins WR. His season high in receiving yards with Miami was just under 800 yards in 2008, and he only totaled 10 total TD’s during his 3-year tenure as a Dolphin. Ginn was more known for dropping balls rather than for his playmaking abilities. He was shipped off to the 49ers in 2010 for a 5th round pick, which was later used to select CB Nolan Carroll. While Ginn struggled with the Dolphins, he has now found his footing in the NFL as a deep threat. With the likes of Drew Brees and Cam Newton throwing to him, Ginn has averaged 760 yards and 6 TD’s over the past 3 seasons. That being said, Ginn was never able to achieve his full potential in a Dolphins uniform.

Verdict: 2/10

2008: Pick 1 – OT Jake Long

Following a 1-15 season, the Dolphins decided to go with what some considered to be the best player in the draft, Jake Long. The Dolphins had a sustainable OL at the time with Vernon Carey manning the LT position, but Bill Parcells wanted to sure up the OL for the foreseeable future. The Dolphins passed up on Chris Long and Matt Ryan for the Michigan tackle. Long played every game of his first 3 seasons as a Dolphin, making the 2008 all-rookie team, as well as 3 pro-bowls. He also earned NFL first-team honors in 2010, solidifying himself as one of the best LT’s in the league. Long made another pro-bowl in 2011, but this would be his last consistent season as a starting tackle as the rest of his career was hampered by injuries. The Dolphins let Long walk in 2013, and he signed a 4yr/$34 million contract with the then St. Louis Rams. He started 15 games in the 2013-14 season for the Rams, but never saw more than 7 games in a season following that as he spent more time on the IR than on the field. He eventually retired in 2017. Jake Long had a very successful 5 years with the Miami Dolphins, and for that reason he will go down as one of the most talented picks the Dolphins have selected over the past decade. On the contrary, you’d expect the 1st overall pick to stay with the franchise longer than their rookie contract and be a cornerstone of the team for years to come.

Verdict: 6/10

2009: Pick 25 – CB Vontae Davis

After a successful season that saw the Dolphins make the playoffs for the first time in 7 seasons, they selected Illinois CB Vontae Davis with the #25 overall selection. Davis lasted 3 seasons with the Dolphins, totaling 9 INTs and 127 tackles. He was a solid player for the Dolphins, but character issues seemed to hold him back as the Dolphins. Davis was eventually traded to the Colts for a 2013 2nd round pick. Miami later selected CB Jamar Taylor with this pick, who barely saw any playing time during his short tenure as a Dolphin. Davis had the best years of his career with the Colts, making 2 pro bowls and eventually signing a 4yr/$36 million extension. He was released this season and has signed with the Bills. Davis is another case of the Dolphins being able to recognize talent, but not being able to get the most out of them.

Verdict: 6/10

2010: Pick 28 – DE Jared Odrick

The Dolphins traded back in the draft from their 12th overall selection to 28th overall and proceeded to take Penn State DE Jared Odrick. Odrick was a versatile DL for the Dolphins for 5 seasons, playing LB, DE, DT and NT. He totaled 16.5 sacks and 104 tackles in Miami, with his most successful season coming in his contract year. The free-agent market for Odrick was highly inflated, and he later signed a lucrative 5yr/$42.5 million ($22.5 mil guaranteed) contract with the Jaguars. Odrick only lasted 2 season as a Jaguar as his 2nd season saw him placed on the IR only 6 games into the season. He was later released following the 2016 season and hasn’t signed with a team since. Along with the 28th overall pick, the Dolphins also acquired a 2nd round pick in the 2010 draft for trading back, selecting LB Koa Misi with that pick. Combining the solid years the Fins have gotten out of Misi and Odrick, this draft was one of the better ones in the last decade for Miami.

Verdict: 7/10

2011: Pick 15 – C/G Mike Pouncey

Miami looked to improve upon it’s struggling offensive line by drafting UF center Mike Pouncey with the 15th overall selection of the 2011 draft. This pick was one of the more obvious ones of the 2011 draft because Pouncey fit the Dolphins perfectly and was probably still going to be on the board at 15. Pouncey’s 7-year tenure as a Dolphin was a successful one, as he established himself as one of the best centers in the league and made 3 Pro Bowls. He was the most consistent member of the Dolphin’s offensive line for years, and only had one season (2016) where he really struggled to stay healthy. Pouncey’s performance earned him a 5yr/$44.75 million extension, putting him amongst the highest paid centers in the league. However, his time as a Dolphin ended abruptly when he was released this offseason as a cap casualty. Pouncey is only 1 of 2 of Miami’s first round picks to sign a second contract with the team – the second being Ryan Tannehill. Looking back on Pouncey’s time as a Dolphin, it’s easy to say that he was the Dolphin’s best pick of the past 11 years because of his consistency and time spent with the team.

Verdict: 9/10

2012: Pick 8 – QB Ryan Tannehill

Tagged to be the next franchise QB of the Dolphins, Miami decided on Texas A&M QB Ryan Tannehill with their 2012 first round pick. This pick was basically a given as the Dolphins had no quality QBs on the roster. Tannehill was labeled as raw due to the fact that he started his collegiate career as a WR and then moved to the QB position. He only starting 19 games at QB for the Aggies but played well enough in that time to have a very high-ceiling if his true potential could be tapped. The Dolphins signed David Gerrard that offseason, and he was expected to start for at least the beginning of the season. However, an injury in preseason gave Tannehill the opportunity to win the QB battle against Matt Moore for the starting QB role. Tannehill’s career record with the Dolphins is 37-40, completing 62.7& of his passes and throwing for 106 TDs and 66 INTs. He averages 3,691 yards per season and has exceeded the 4,000-yard mark twice in his career. What these stats don’t show is that Tannehill only averages 7 yards/attempt and his inaccuracy with the deep ball. However, the Dolphins felt confident enough in their QB and his future play, signing him to a 6yr/$96 million extension in the 2015 offseason. Tannehill had yet to play in a playoff game, and still hasn’t. Although he led the Dolphins to an 8-5 start in 2016, a partially torn ACL ended his season early, giving Matt Moore the reigns to the starting QB role and ultimately, a playoff start.

Examining Tannehill’s time as a Dolphin so far is difficult, as many factors need to be considered when looking at it as a whole. The Dolphins have never given Tannehill a consistent and healthy offensive line, leading to rushed throws and a large sack total. On the contrary, it could be said that Tannehill also doesn’t have the best pocket presence as he has never really learned how to step up in the pocket and use his athletic ability to escape the pocket. Tannehill has also had 3 different head coaches during his tenure in Miami, as well as a never-ending carousel of offensive coordinators. This leads to a change in schemes and packages, which may have never allowed Tannehill to find his footing. In the end though, Tannehill’s time in aqua and orange should be labeled a disappointment as the Dolphins have been stuck in a state of mediocrity for years with him as their starting QB. A quality franchise QB shouldn’t take more that 3 years to emerge, and Tannehill is about to be given a 6th try to prove himself. Many analysts wouldn’t even consider him a top-20 QB, so I think it can be said that he is not the Dolphins long-term answer at the quarterback position.

Verdict: 5/10

2013: Pick 3 – DE/LB Dion Jordan

In a shock move, Miami traded up to the #3 pick in the 2013 draft to select DE/LB hybrid Dion Jordan. When this move happened, everyone believed OT Lane Johnson would be the pick. However, the Dolphins were in love with Jordan’s freakishly athletic intangibles and decided to go that route instead. To trade up 9 spots, the Dolphins only had to give up their 2013 first and second round pick. He played in all 16 games as a rookie, totaling 2 sacks and 19 tackles. However, that’s the best it would get for Jordan during his time as a Dolphin. Jordan was suspended for the first 4 games of the 2014 season for drug use and only started 1 game that year. The situation got even worse when Jordan violated the league’s drug policy again, which got him suspended for the entire 2015 season. Jordan was reinstated by the NFL prior to the 2016 season, but never stepped on the field again in a Dolphins uniform. He was placed on the non-football injury list for all of 2016 and waived after the season. Since, he has signed with Seattle, taking on a larger role. He is projected to be in contention for a starting position this year after totaling 4 sacks in just 5 appearances last season with the Seahawks. Although there still may be some left in the tank, Dion Jordan will go down as one of the worst picks Miami has ever made.

Verdict: -1/10

2014: Pick 19 – OT Ja’Wuan James

Following a season where the Dolphins gave up the most sacks in the NFL, they needed to do something to help protect Ryan Tannehill. The selection of Ja’Wuan James to be the next RT was a pick that everyone knew was coming weeks before the draft. James wasn’t projected as a mid-first round pick, but Dolphins staff fell in love with him. James in now in his 5th season with Dolphins and has been a consistent player for the Dolphins offensive line when healthy. However, staying healthy has been a problem for the RT as he has missed 17 games over the course of 4 seasons. James only appeared in 8 games in 2017 but was ranked as the 17th ranked tackle by PFF. His performance over those 8 games perhaps led the Dolphins to exercise his 5th year rookie option that will pay him close to $8.5 million on the year. It’ll be interesting to see if the Fins can work out a long-term deal following the season as the team has struggled to sign their first round picks beyond their rookie deals.

Verdict: 7/10

2015: Pick 14 – WR Devante Parker

The Dolphins addressed their struggling receiver corps by selecting Louisville WR Devante Parker with the 14th overall pick of the 2015 draft. Parker was injured for the majority of his final season at Louisville, but gained 855 yards on 43 catches over only 6 games. Miami needed a #1 WR to pair with an emerging Jarvis Landry and the recently acquired deep-threat, Kenny Stills. This trio would give Ryan Tannehill the best weapons yet in his time as a Dolphin. However, Parker’s time in Miami has been far from perfect as injuries have really plagued his development. He has only been able to make 24 starts over 3 seasons, with his highest receiving total for a season being 744 yards. Parker has the intangibles and size to be a go-to #1 WR, but Miami has yet to see consistent play out of Parker. Devante Parker still has potentially 2 years left with Miami, so it will be interesting to see if his play warrants an extension.

Verdict: 4/10

2016: Pick 13 – OT Laremy Tunsil

The infamous draft-day fall of Laremy Tunsil is one that left the Dolphins ecstatic. Still struggling with offensive line issues, Miami was given a gift from heaven in the form of a Twitter video that allowed a top-5 player to drop to pick 13. Miami’s management decided to take a risk on the potential aftermath of Tunsil’s bong mask video to select a much-needed lineman. The Dolphins had both tackle positions filled at the time, so Tunsil spent his first season at guard, playing very well. He moved to LT for the 2017 season after Brandon Albert was traded to the Jaguars. Tunsil struggled with this move as he was graded as the 47th best tackle on the season. However, this could be seen as just growing pains and worst case Tunsil is moved back to guard. He still has a potential 3 years left on his rookie contract.

Verdict: 7/10

2017: Pick 22 – DE Charles Harris

After a successful 2016 season, the Dolphins decided to add to their already deep pass rush by selecting Charles Harris. Because the Dolphins already had 3 quality DE’s on the roster, Harris didn’t see as many snaps as people had hoped he would. Known as a guy who gets after the QB, Harris was only able to muster 2 sacks and 15 tackles while playing in all 16 games. It’s still too early to determine how this pick will pan out for the Dolphins. Harris may struggle to get a large amount of snaps this season again due to the Dolphins deep depth at the DE position. Perhaps the acquisition of Robert Quinn and the resigning of William Hayes shows that Miami management doesn’t think Harris is ready to take on a larger role in the pass rush.

Verdict: TBD

Miami has really struggled drafting for the last decade, and has greatly depended on free agency to find talent and fill needs. This draft will be huge for the Dolphins as there are still large talent voids in certain positions on this roster. It will be interesting to see if Miami chooses to stay put or move up to select a quarterback. 7 days – be patient Dolphin fans.