Dolphins’ 2018 draft class aging well entering fourth season
They say that you typically need three seasons to grade any rookie or draft class in the NFL. Due to the unique developmental curves of any given player, plus extenuating circumstances, not all rookies transition equally and not all opportunities are the same. But the general rule of thumb is that by the end of Year 3, you know what you’ve got.
That would be good news for the Miami Dolphins and general manager Chris Grier — who was still serving in that role under the team’s prior regime but did have to work under/alongside former NFL executive Mike Tannenbaum. Grier and the Dolphins’ 2018 rookie class is aging gracefully, a promising omen when you also tack on how well the team’s 2016 class aged.
Who did Miami draft in 2018?
No. 11 overall: SAF Minkah Fitzpatrick
No. 42 overall: TE Mike Gesicki
No. 73 overall: LB Jerome Baker
No. 123 overall: TE Durham Smythe
No. 131 overall: RB Kalen Ballage
No. 209 overall: DB Cornell Armstrong
No. 227 overall: LB Quentin Polig
No. 229 overall: K Jason Sanders
(Bold: Still with the team)
The sore spot for Miami is, of course, the departure of Minkah Fitzpatrick. And while the team could have potentially handled Fitzpatrick’s temper tantrum over his usage and direction of the team in 2019, the team did manage to recoup a 1st-round draft choice for his departure. But try to detach Fitzpatrick’s status as a member of the Steelers from the quality of the pick. Fitzpatrick is now a two-time All-Pro for Pittsburgh, meaning Grier properly identified the talent and chose him at a good value at No. 11 overall.
But the true value for Miami came with their middle-round picks and their last selection of the draft. Even after trading away an All-Pro safety, the 2018 Dolphins’ draft class has three quality starters and a depth player in Durham Smythe. Gesicki was one of the most productive tight ends in football last season. Baker just signed a 3-year, $39M contract extension to start on the second level. And Jason Sanders just might be the best kicker in all of football.
The typical benchmark for a “good” draft class in the NFL is three or four starters per class. The Dolphins, even after the disheartening end to Fitzpatrick’s tenure with the team, achieved that. And with Sanders and Baker locked in for the foreseeable future, Miami appears poised to continue reaping the benefits of a good effort from Chris Grier back in 2018, despite the chaos around him in Miami courtesy of Tannenbaum and former head coach Adam Gase.
