It’s not too often a 7th-round draft selection pays early dividends for an NFL team.

Unless a team is selecting a specialist — as Miami did last year with the selection of kicker Jason Sanders — the standard for such late round acquisitions is usually developmental prospects. Can he develop into a high quality backup who carves a niche as a special teams ace? There’s no shame in that. For all intents and purposes, that is considered a successful selection in the 7th-round.

Myles Gaskin, the 234th pick in this year’s draft, has a chance for a much more prominent role in Miami. The former Washington running back started four straight seasons and only missed two games for the Huskies, all the while amassing major production at the collegiate level.

Washington RB Myles Gaskin, the Dolphins' pick at 234, is 13th leading rusher in NCAA history with 5323 yards. His 62 touchdowns are 16th most in FBS history. Averaged 5.6 per carry in career, 4.9 last year. Also 65 catches-465 yards in career. — Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) April 27, 2019

So why did he tumble all the way to the draft’s final round? The NFL is a grueling business, and they’ll always find something to knock you for. In Gaskin’s case, it’s the high mileage. 945 collegiate carries is real hefty in an era where many backfields are split between multiple players. Gaskin truly carried the load in Seattle.

For comparison sake, Kenyan Drake only carried the ball 233 times through four seasons at Alabama. Drake was never the lead dog for the Crimson Tide, as the running back stable hosted the likes of Eddie Lacy, TJ Yeldon, and Derrick Henry over his four seasons. Even so, The Dolphins were more willing to spend a third round selection on the likes of Drake back in 2016 based on promise and the idea of fresh legs.

Myles Gaskin boasts a smaller frame at 5’9″ and 205lbs, which is astounding when considering his massive amounts of carries; many of which were between the tackles. He’s not a one dimensional player, either. Quite the contrary, he’s a fairly complete back. He has great vision, soft hands and can hold his own in the blocking department.

I fully anticipate the Washington product to not only make the team, but see the field in specific packages and game scenarios. Remember: The Patriots trotted out a multitude of backs throughout recent years. Also remember: Miami lost Frank Gore, Brandon Boldin, and Senorise Perry this off-season, so Gaskin immediately slots in at RB3 behind Drake and Ballage.

The former Husky absolutely would have been taken by a team much sooner in the draft if not for the notion he may not have as much tread left on the proverbial tires. In 2015, former Dolphin Jay Ajayi had the talent to be taken in the top two rounds but concerns over how much shelf life his knees would have in the NFL pushed him all the way down to the 5th-round before Miami scooped him up.

For Myles Gaskin, being a decorated, reliable focal point of his college offense actually hurt his stock as an NFL prospect. It’s a tough and sometimes unfair process in that regard — but don’t let that fool you: Miami had a player with tremendous value fall into their laps in the 7th-round.