Miami Dolphins draft grades: How do fans feel about Chris Grier’s drafts?

Chris Grier’s draft record sucks. He should not be allowed to be make picks and probably should be fired. At least, that is what Miami Dolphins Twitter would seem to make you believe. The Dolphins have never had a good draft under their current general manager and they probably never will. Of course, when you go back and actually look at all of his drafts – including the first three of his tenure as GM when the team also had Executive Vice President of Football Operations Mike Tannenbaum who factored into the draft-day decisions to at least some (most? all?) degree – it does not seem as bad as those vocal fans would seem to want you to believe.

Just before the 2022 NFL Draft kicked off, I went back and looked at each of the drafts Miami has had since Grier was promoted into the GM role. I then asked you to vote for your grade on each of those drafts. Today, we take a look at those results.

2016 Dolphins Draft

13th pick – Laremy Tunsil, T, Ole Miss
38th pick – Xavien Howard, CB, Baylor
73rd pick – Kenyan Drake, RB, Alabama
86th pick – Leonte Carroo, WR, Rutgers
186th pick – Jakeem Grant, WR, Texas Tech
204th pick – Jordan Lucas, S, Penn State
223rd pick – Brandon Doughty, QB, Western Kentucky
231st pick – Thomas Duarte, TE, UCLA

Grade: A- (3.45)

2017 Dolphins Draft

22nd pick – Charles Harris, DE, Missouri
54th pick – Raekwon McMillan, LB, Ohio State
97th pick – Cordrea Tankersley, CB, Clemson
164th pick – Isaac Asiata, G, Utah
178th pick – Davon Godchaux, DT, LSU
194th pick – Vincent Taylor, DT, Oklahoma State
237th pick – Isaiah Ford, WR, Virginia Tech

Grade: D (1.02)

2018 Dolphins Draft

11th pick – Minkah Fitzpatrick, S, Alabama
42nd pick – Mike Gesicki, TE, Penn State
73rd pick – Jerome Baker, LB, Ohio State
123rd pick – Durham Smythe, TE, Notre Dame
131st pick – Kalen Ballage, RB, Arizona State
209th pick – Cornell Armstrong, CB, Southern Miss
227th pick – Quentin Poling, LB, Ohio
229th pick – Jason Sanders, K, New Mexico

Grade: B+ (3.31)

2019 Dolphins Draft

13th pick – Christian Wilkins, DE, Clemson
78th pick – Michael Deiter, G, Wisconsin
151st pick – Andrew Van Ginkel, LB, Wisconsin
202nd pick – Isaiah Prince, OT, Ohio State
233rd pick – Chandler Cox, FB, Auburn
234th pick – Myles Gaskin, RB, Washington

Grade: B- (2.63)

2020 Dolphins Draft

5th pick – Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama
18th pick – Austin Jackson, T, USC
30th pick – Noah Igbinoghene, CB, Auburn
39th pick – Robert Hunt, T, Louisiana
56th pick – Raekwon Davis, NT, Alabama
70th pick – Brandon Jones, S, Texas
111th pick – Solomon Kindley, G, Georgia
154th pick – Jason Strowbridge, DE, North Carolina
164th pick – Curtis Weaver, LB, Boise State
185th pick – Blake Ferguson, LS, LSU
246th pick – Malcolm Perry, QB, Navy

Grade: C+ (2.38)

2021 Dolphins Draft

6th pick – Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama
18th pick – Jaelan Phillips, LB, Miami
36th pick – Jevon Holland, S, Oregon
42nd pick – Liam Eichenberg, T, Notre Dame
81st pick – Hunter Long, TE, Boston College
231st pick – Larnel Coleman, T, UMass
244th pick – Gerrid Doaks, RB, Cincinnati

Grade: A (3.70)

And I asked yesterday for your grades of the 2022 Draft as well.

2022 Dolphins Draft

102nd pick- Channing Tindall, LB, Georgia
125th pick – Erik Ezukanma, WR, Texas Tech
224th pick – Cameron Goode, LB, Cal
247th pick – Skylar Thompson, QB, Kansas State

Grade: B (2.87)

Overall Grade

Grier’s drafts have clearly not been as bad as people seem to believe. The 2017 draft was miserable, there is no way around that, but even the 2020 draft, at a C+, was not bad – and some of it being that low can be explained by people who do not believe Tua Tagovailoa should be the team’s quarterback. Looking back at each draft’s grades:

2016: A-
2017: D
2018: B+
2019: B-
2020: C+
2021: A
2022: B

Using all the polls together, we find Grier’s drafts come in with a solid B. Obviously, that will change this year as the 2020 draft class goes through their third season, which is really when we can truly determine the success of the group. Miami’s first seven picks that year. Tagovailoa, tackle Austin Jackson, cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, tackle /guard Robert Hunt, nose tackle Raekwon Davis, safety Brandon Jones, and Solomon Kindley, the Dolphins have found four sure starters for this year (Tagovailoa, Hunt, Davis, and Jones), two who will be battling for a starting job (Jackson and Kindley), and a 22-year-old cornerback who, despite having two years of NFL experience now is younger than some of the rookies coming to the team this year. There is still a ton of potential that can be tapped in that draft class, and Miami could find they aced the class.

Of course, it could also drop – but I am going to stick with the optimistic side of what the 2020 draft class could be.

What do you think? Is “B” the right grade for Grier’s drafts since 2016? Are you surprised it was that high? What do you think will happen with the 2020 draft class?