NFL Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins Can’t Afford To Let Local Talent Slip Away In 2015 NFL Draft

Fresh Videos

By @CouchGuyFB

Phillip Dorsett, Miami Hurricanes

Getty Images

South Florida has always been a hotbed of recruiting for colleges, and a huge number of prospects from the area have gone on to excellent professional careers. With University of Miami seniors having made big splashes during Senior Bowl week, the Miami Dolphins are in a unique position to capitalize on local talent and keep some of the top potential rookies at home, and would be foolish to let them go elsewhere.

Wide receiver Phillip Dorsett and linebacker Denzel Perryman have drawn the attention of scouts and executives the league over, and the Dolphins have wisely conducted interviews with the two recently. It is no secret that Miami is in desperate need of a speedy wide receiver, which Dorsett is, and an inside linebacker like Perryman. While Perryman and offensive lineman Ereck Flowers appear poised to be first or early second round selections, in addition to Dorsett, Duke Johnson and Clive Walford both have third round grades on them at this point. To look even deeper, if things pan out, the Miami Hurricanes may have 10 players drafted this year. That said, one must question why, with the level of talent that the University of Miami had, the team struggled and finished with a losing record.

The easy answer is coaching, and if that is the case, the Dolphins would be remiss to discount the players based on their team’s record. To bring in players from the area who grew up watching the Dolphins would show an amazing degree of confidence, and instill a great degree of loyalty not just in the players drafted, but the local populace itself. Furthermore, if the Hurricanes’ problem was coaching, it stands to reason that the Dolphins would be able to utilize underdeveloped talent on the cheap by finding gems in the middle rounds of the draft. Still, if playing devil’s advocate, it can be argued that confidence and loyalty don’t necessarily win championships, and letting a potential star from your backyard go elsewhere isn’t as big in the pros as it is in college.

The “State of Miami,” whose northern border is I-4, as popularized by the University of Miami teams of the 80’s and 90’s, is loaded with talent and the players from the area have been among the best in the NFL over the last 30 years, yet, the Dolphins have been one of the few teams to not reap the benefits. Yes, Lamar Miller and Olivier Vernon were steals in the draft and are solid starters, but the vast majority of the now elite players who played in the Dolphins’ backyard have bolstered other professional rosters.

Take a look at Frank Gore, for instance. Gore was drafted in the third round of the 2005 Draft, the same year that the Dolphins drafted Ronnie Brown second overall. Since then, the Dolphins have spent six picks on running backs, while Gore has rushed for 11,073 yards and made the Pro Bowl five times. To be sure, the Dolphins have found gems in the middle rounds of the draft – Reshad Jones, who was a fifth round selection immediately springs to mind — but far more have been wasted picks. At the same time, there are dozens of players from South Florida who were drafted in the middle rounds and are consistent performers.

When the Dolphins’ brass is in the war room, let’s hope that they remember the follies of the past and focus on what has been proven over the course of the last 30 years: the talent that comes out of South Florida is elite. The sheer number of players, and stars for that matter, from the area is statistically anomalous, and the Dolphins need look no further than their own backyard to find the next key contributor.

Share Tweet
Trending Now on