Dolphins: Boom-or-Bust Prospects Miami Should Gamble on in NFL Draft

Gambling isn't something the current Miami Dolphins coaching staff and front office is known for; however, there comes a time for gambles to be made in order to succeed and move up to the next level. 

The 2015 NFL draft is that time. 

The Dolphins need to fill various holes in their roster, mainly linebacker, wide receiver, guard and defensive line. In order to do that, they can't afford to play it safe come draft weekend; they'll have to step outside of the box and look for talent before anything else. 

Are Miami's powers-that-be willing to make that leap? History suggests no, but the two teams that competed in the Super Bowl would prove to you that the Dolphins should at least entertain the idea. 

Who are those players that the Dolphins should take a risk on? Here's an unranked list detailing said players and explaining why Miami should take a shot on them. 

Todd Gurley: Running Back, Georgia

Todd Gurley isn't a character risk, but his 2014 season-ending ACL injury makes him a major medical risk, one that the Dolphins would be smart to take. 

Prior to suffering a torn ACL, Gurley was considered by many to be the best running back in college football. For his career, the 6'1", 226-pounder from Tarboro, North Carolina, had amassed 3,285 yards and 36 touchdowns in 510 rushing attempts while catching 65 passes for 615 yards and six touchdowns. 

That's a true three-down running back, one that would help the Dolphins offense going forward. 

A Todd Gurley-Lamar Miller backfield would become rather feared, assuming that Gurley can recover from his injury. As Matt Miller describes in the video above, Gurley might miss half of his rookie year, as the injury has a seven-to-eight-month recovery time in the best-case scenario. 

Is Gurley worth the risk? Absolutely. It's rare that a running back with his size and talent comes around. 

Gabe Wright: Defensive Tackle, Auburn

How is Auburn's Gabe Wright a risk? 

Off the field, there aren't any red flags, and on the field his play has been nothing but productive. In four years he has produced 85 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and six sacks. 

His tape has looked good as well, but you might notice that he is a bit undersized at 6'3", 299 pounds. 

Therein lies the risk, along with these tidbits from Rob Rang of CBSSports.com: 

"

Doesn't play with the same fire against the run as he does the pass and has a tendency to run hot and cold, overall. At times he is so consumed with rushing upfield that he loses sight of the ball. Has to do a better job of redirecting his charge, as Wright shows some stiffness when changing directions and doesn't make as many plays in pursuit as he should given his athleticism. Can be overwhelmed by mass at the point of attack. Needs to get stronger with his hands to break free from run blockers. Sometimes gets his hands too high, which has drawn flags for hands to the face.

"

Despite all of those drawbacks and his less-than-desirable size, Wright grades out as a second-round pick, but the red flags Rang wrote about do give some pause. 

Rang also explained the positives in Wright, which along with the good numbers through four years at Auburn, justify using a second-rounder on him. 

"

Sports a well-proportioned frame, carrying his 299 pounds without any extra weight over his belt. Wright has terrific initial quickness, which he can use to penetrate gaps and wreak havoc in the backfield. He has very active hands to swim past would-be blockers and impair the vision of the quarterback. Good lateral agility and straight-line speed for stunts.

Accelerates smoothly for a big man and shows some savvy and flexibility to react to cut blocks, sprawling effectively and occasionally leaping over would-be blockers. Good effort in lateral and downfield pursuit, sometimes flashing 20 yards downfield to surprise ball-carriers.

"

His speed is what makes him well-worth the risk for the Dolphins to add depth to a defensive line in desperate need of it. 

Quinten Rollins: Cornerback, Miami (Ohio)

It's always risky to draft someone with only one year of college football experience. 

You don't know whether he can stand up to the rigors of the game at the next level. His skill set is fairly raw, and you don't have a lot of film on the player. 

Sure, you might luck out and find yourself a Jimmy Graham, a player whose path to the NFL is about to be emulated by Miami of Ohio's stud cornerback Quinten Rollins. 

In his first and only season playing Division I FBS football, Rollins netted 73 tackles, seven interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) and a forced fumble, earning the Mid-America Conference (MAC) defensive player of the year award. 

Rollins then impressed in the Senior Bowl with an interception during the game, which followed a great week of practice for Rollins that captured the attention of NFL scouts. 

Rollins does have a great skill set, but it's definitely raw. Coaches will have to put in a lot of work at the next level in order for him to reach his potential, but if tapped correctly, the sky is the limit. 

Of course, if he's drafted by the Dolphins and it doesn't work out, he could always fall back on his time as a basketball player, where many Miami Heat fans would see him as an upgrade over Norris Cole. 

Devin Funchess: Wide Receiver/Tight End, Michigan

One has to wonder who would be taking the bigger risk here. 

Is it Michigan tight end/wide receiver Devin Funchess, who had a year of eligibility left yet chose to declare for the draft before the hiring of Jim Harbaugh (who would've gotten the most out of Funchess and likely increased his draft stock), or is it the team that chooses to draft Funchess? 

Funchess is a risk because he carries that dreaded word around him: tweener. He has the impressive size of a tight end at 6'5", 230 pounds, yet he's not that great of a blocker, and his hands occasionally fail him. 

As a receiver, his speed and athleticism make him look like a sure thing, but in Funchess' case, that will depend a lot on the coach. 

A coach like Bill Lazor would love to have a player with Funchess' talent, but one thing could scare him off: Michael Egnew. 

Why bring up Egnew? Much like Funchess, he was used mainly as a receiver in college and was not known for his blocking. The Dolphins made him bulk up in order to improve his blocking, which hindered his athleticism and speed. We saw where that wound up. 

But do they take the same type of risk again? Absolutely. This time around, the Dolphins have a better offensive coordinator who could take advantage of Funchess' talent. Even if he's not able to, look at what Funchess was able to accomplish at Michigan: 126 receptions for 1,715 yards and 15 touchdowns.

That's important because his college coach Brady Hoke didn't exactly use him the way he should've been used (as a seam threat). 

Dorial Green-Beckham: Wide Receiver, Missouri/Oklahoma

Nothing on the field screams "bust" when you look at Dorial Green-Beckham. 

He's 6'5", 225 pounds, which, if the Dolphins draft him, would give them their biggest wide receiver since Brandon Marshall. 

Yet his upside is higher than Marshall, as Green-Beckham has been compared to players such as Randy Moss and A.J. Green. 

The film of his play in college shows us that kind of receiver, one that would instantly become Ryan Tannehill's best friend and cornerbacks' worst enemy. 

There's a good chance that he will wind up being the best wide receiver in an already deep class of wideouts. 

But he's not getting drafted in the first round, because his off-the-field record will likely stop that from happening. 

It doesn't help that he sat out last season due to a string of incidents that saw him get kicked off the Missouri football team, which is why he committed to Oklahoma (where he would have played in 2015 had he decided not to enter the draft). 

Two of the incidents involved getting caught with marijuana. While I don't look at that as a red flag (he is in college), NFL coaches and general managers, as well as quick-draw "hot take" sports media personalities always do (while disagreeing I still see why it would be frowned upon). 

The incident that eventually got Green-Beckham kicked out of Missouri was more significant; he was alleged to have pushed a woman down the stairs, and his girlfriend claimed he later dragged her by the neck and hurt her. While no charges were filed, it is a disconcerting incident. 

Head coach Joe Philbin seems like the type of person who wouldn't want someone involved in something like on the team. 

So why do I think the Dolphins should take a chance on Green-Beckham? 

Everyone deserves a second chance. Green-Beckham was punished for the incident. He had to sit out a year at Oklahoma, where despite not playing a down for the Sooners, he earned rave reviews from head coach Bob Stoops. "He had great character through here, did well in classes, worked hard for us," the coach said, per the New York Post's Howie Kussoy. "I believe in young people and helping them improve and move forward in a positive direction. Dorial contributed to us in a positive way.”

As mentioned by CBSSports.com's Dane Brugler, Green-Beckham was also "in and out of foster care his entire life and hasn't had much structure in his life."

The Brandon Marshall comparison makes a lot of sense, as both players are extremely talented but have run into trouble off the field. Marshall eventually made himself into a model NFL citizen. 

Unfortunately for the Dolphins, most of that came after they traded him in 2012. Now is another chance for them to possibly hold on to a talented receiver. 

Selecting Green-Beckham in the second or third round is a gamble worth taking.