Miami Dolphins Mock Draft: B/R Community Top 100 and 7-Round Results

On Thursday the Miami Dolphins and the rest of the NFL will convene in Chicago for the 2015 draft. 

Last week, Bleacher Report's team of NFL Featured Columnists held our 2015 Bleacher Report community mock draft, where we chose for our respective teams in the first three rounds of the draft. 

The rules of the draft were simple: There were no trades allowed, and you chose your player once you were on the clock. This was in effect for the first 100 players (Rounds 1 through 3), and then for the final four rounds of the draft, it was up to the writers to construct a mock draft independently. 

I had the privilege of representing the Miami Dolphins as their Featured Columnist. Here's my mock draft, along with the results from the top 100 of the community mock draft. 

Round 1

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

Here's Round 1. The Dolphins pick is in bold. 

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
1	Buccaneers	Jameis Winston	QB	Florida State
2	Titans	Marcus Mariota	QB	Oregon
3	Jaguars	Dante Fowler Jr.	DE	Florida
4	Raiders	Leonard Williams	DT	USC
5	Redskins	Brandon Scherff	OL	Iowa
6	Jets	Vic Beasley	OLB	Clemson
7	Bears	Amari Cooper	WR	Alabama
8	Falcons	Bud Dupree	DE	Kentucky
9	Giants	Kevin White	WR	West Virginia
10	Rams	Andrus Peat	OT	Stanford
11	Vikings	Marcus Peters	CB	Washington
12	Browns	DeVante Parker	WR	Louisville
13	Saints	Shane Ray	DE	Missouri
14	Dolphins	La'el Collins	OL	LSU
15	49ers	Trae Waynes	CB	Michigan State
16	Texans	Breshad Perriman	WR	UCF
17	Chargers	Danny Shelton	DT	Washington
18	Chiefs	Randy Gregory	LB	Nebraska
19	Browns	Todd Gurley	RB	Georgia
20	Eagles	Jake Fisher	OL	Oregon
21	Bengals	Landon Collins	S	Alabama
22	Steelers	Kevin Johnson	CB	Wake Forest
23	Lions	Malcom Brown	DT	Texas
24	Cardinals	Cameron Erving	OC	Florida State
25	Panthers	Ereck Flowers	OT	Miami (FL)
26	Ravens	Jaelen Strong	WR	Arizona State
27	Cowboys	Byron Jones	CB	Connecticut
28	Broncos	T.J. Clemmings	OT	Pittsburgh
29	Colts	Arik Armstead	DE	Oregon
30	Packers	Owamagbe Odighizuwa	OLB	UCLA
31	Saints	Eric Kendricks	LB	UCLA
32	Patriots	Melvin Gordon	RB	Wisconsin

Seeing the first six picks of Round 1 unfold gave me hope that at least one of the top three receivers would be available for the Dolphins at No. 14.

The Bears then picked Amari Cooper, followed by Kevin White going to the Giants two picks later, but I kept hope alive for DeVante Parker.

Then Cleveland drafted him. At that point, I decided not to focus on drafting a receiver. I would have done so had I been able to trade down, but staying at No. 14, I went with the safe pick in LSU offensive lineman La'el Collins.

Why Collins? He can be plugged in at left guard from Day 1, and when the time comes, he can move over to left tackle to replace Branden Albert. Both of those positions are major needs for Miami. 

Despite Andrus Pete being drafted ahead of Collins, the LSU product is the better, more versatile player overall. 

At that point, Collins was the top player available on my draft board. 

Round 2

Al Goldis/Associated Press

 The Dolphins pick is in bold. 

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
33	Titans	Jalen Collins	CB	LSU
34	Buccaneers	Ty Sambrailo	OL	Colorado State
35	Raiders	Nelson Agholor	WR	USC
36	Jaguars	Dorial Green-Beckham	WR	Oklahoma
37	Jets	Laken Tomlinson	OG	Duke
38	Redskins	Ameer Abdullah	RB	Nebraska
39	Bears	Eli Harold	OLB	Virginia
40	Giants	Damarious Randall	S	Arizona State
41	Rams	D.J. Humphries	OL	Florida
42	Falcons	Eric Rowe	S	Utah
43	Browns	Donovan Smith	OT	Penn State
44	Saints	Phillip Dorsett	WR	Miami (FL)
45	Vikings	Stephone Anthony	LB	Clemson
46	49ers	Preston Smith	DE	Mississippi State
47	Dolphins	Devin Funchess	WR/TE	Michigan
48	Chargers	Tevin Coleman	RB	Indiana
49	Chiefs	Eddie Goldman	DL	Florida State
50	Bills	A.J. Cann	OG	South Carolina
51	Texans	Benardrick McKinney	OLB	Mississippi State
52	Eagles	Devin Smith	WR	Ohio State
53	Bengals	Maxx Williams	TE	Minnesota
54	Lions	Duke Johnson	RB	Miami (FL)
55	Cardinals	Ronald Darby	CB	Florida State
56	Steelers	Nate Orchard	DE/LB	Utah
57	Panthers	Jay Ajayi	RB	Boise State
58	Ravens	Clive Walford	TE	Miami (FL)
59	Broncos	Grady Jarrett	DT	Clemson
60	Cowboys	TJ Yeldon	RB	Alabama
61	Colts	Paul Dawson	LB	TCU
62	Packers	P.J. Williams	CB	Florida State
63	Seahawks	Carl Davis	DL	Iowa
64	Patriots	Tre' Jackson	OG	Florida State

I originally intended to find a cornerback in the second round, but once I was on the clock, I was underwhelmed by the likes of Ronald Darby and P.J. Williams, and everyone else on my board had at best a third-round grade.

I considered going running back and linebacker in this round too, yet a receiver that caught my attention: Michigan's Devin Funchess.

I've been a fan of Funchess for a while and see him fitting into Miami's plans well. He can play both tight end and wide receiver, and his 6'4", 232-pound frame makes him an ideal red-zone target.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com scouted Funchess and had this to say: 

"

Big receiver with the ability to mismatch corners in the red zone. Long legs that can cover ground in a straight line. Transitions smoothly from catch to run. Has build-up speed to factor on run-after-catch crossers. Fluid hips for size. Uses size to defeat press coverage. Good body control and length to go get high throws that few can snag. Physical with "separating hands" at the top of the route. Smooth in intermediate routes and can earn a living in that area of the field.

"

While Funchess isn't a deep threat (a job best left for Kenny Stills), he provides the Dolphins with a much-needed skill set. 

I just couldn't pass on that in the middle of Round 2. 

Round 3

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

The Miami Dolphins do not have a third-round pick, and I couldn't trade for one. Hence, I was just watching this part unfold while getting angry.  

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
65	Buccaneers	Rashad Greene	WR	Florida State
66	Titans	Cedric Ogbuehi	OT	Texas A&M
67	Jaguars	Jeremy Langford	RB	Michigan State
68	Raiders	Ali Marpet	OG	Hobart College
69	Redskins	Danielle Hunter	DE	LSU
70	Jets	Tre McBride	WR	William & Mary
71	Bears	Jaquiski Tartt	S	Samford
72	Rams	Sammie Coates	WR	Auburn
73	Falcons	Mitch Morse	OG	Missouri
74	Giants	Rob Havenstein	OT	Wisconsin
75	Saints	D'Joun Smith	CB	Florida Atlantic
76	Vikings	Shaq Thompson	OLB	Washington
77	Browns	Jordan Phillips	DT	Oklahoma
78	Saints	John Miller	OG	Louisville
79	49ers	Denzel Perryman	ILB	Miami (FL)
80	Chiefs	Tyler Lockett	WR	Kansas State
81	Bills	Bryce Petty	QB	Baylor
82	Texans	Doran Grant	CB	Ohio State
83	Chargers	Hau'oli Kikaha	OLB	Washington
84	Eagles	Quinten Rollins	CB	Miami (OH)
85	Bengals	Za'Darius Smith	DE	Kentucky
86	Cardinals	David Cobb	RB	Minnesota
87	Steelers	Jeff Heuerman	TE	Ohio State
88	Lions	Josh Shaw	CB	USC
89	Panthers	Michael Bennett	DT	Ohio State
90	Ravens	Derron Smith	SS	Fresno State
91	Cowboys	Trey Flowers	DE	Arkansas
92	Broncos	Henry Anderson	DE	Stanford
93	Colts	Mike Davis	RB	South Carolina
94	Packers	Brett Hundley	QB	UCLA
95	Seahawks	Alex Carter	CB	Stanford
96	Patriots	Kenny Bell	WR	Nebraska
97	Patriots	Ifo Ekpre-Olomu	CB	Oregon
98	Chiefs	Senquez Golson	CB	Ole Miss
99	Bengals	Steven Nelson	CB	Oregon State
*100	Titans	Nick O'Leary	TE	Florida State

*First pick of Round 4.

I've been a fan of Denzel Perryman for a while, so it wasn't fun to see him go one pick after where Miami would have been slotted had it not traded that pick in exchange for Kenny Stills and the Saints taking on Dannell Ellerbe's contract. 

Also not fun: Seeing Quinten Rollins go to Philadelphia, as he's one of my favorite players in the draft and fills a big need for Miami. 

Miami should do what it can to jump back into the third round. 

Round 4

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

Round 4, Pick 114: David Johnson, RB, Northern Iowa

Northern Iowa's David Johnson is a better fit for what the Dolphins want to do than Todd Gurley is. 

It might not make sense because Gurley is a top back who can fit into any system, but consider this: Miami only ran the ball 399 times last season, and the offense relies more on quick passes. 

With an offense like that, you need a running back who can complement Lamar Miller—someone who can catch passes out of the backfield and pass-block when necessary. Johnson makes the most sense out of any running back in this draft to fill that role. 

Johnson has size (6'0", 224 pounds) and speed (4.50 40-yard dash). He's strong too, as he put up 25 reps in the bench press at the NFL combine.  

Miami needs a third-down back, and Johnson fits the bill well. 

Round 5

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Round 5, Pick 149: Kevin White, CB, TCU

Miami needs depth in the secondary, preferably someone who can compete for a starting job. 

I decided to fill other positions with the first three picks of the draft, but by the fifth round, I had to go corner. I chose TCU's Kevin White, who was in charge or covering the best receiver on the opposing team in college. 

In fact, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com spoke glowingly of White:

"

Cover corner who was usually matched up with the opponent's best receiver. Able to stay on top of receivers with size. Blanketed possession receivers. Gets out of backpedal well and drives on the ball. Plus ball skills. Looks to get an arm inside a receiver's frame and dig the ball out. Can play on special teams.

"

CBSSports.com's Dane Brugler highlighted other things about White that fans and coaches would like while also listing some detriments: 

"

He is pint-sized for the position and his lack of length shows up quite a bit in coverage, but he has the athletic process to plant, gather and go. Although his size limitations also hinder his ability as a run defender, White's cup is overfilling with confidence and toughness to hold his own as a nickel corner. He will guess wrong at times, but his short-area quickness and sticky cover skills transition well to the NFL level.

"

Considering that most of Miami's corners are small yet have had success, the 5'9", 183-pound White would fit right in. 

Round 5, Pick 150: Taiwan Jones, ILB, Michigan State

With the signing of Ndamukong Suh at defensive tackle, linebacker isn't a big need. Suh and Earl Mitchell up front would make a linebacking crew of Jelani Jenkins, Chris McCain and Koa Misi look good. 

The position still needs depth, though, which is why I went with Taiwan Jones. 

Jones would replace Jason Trusnik as Miami's special teams ace who can step in and start at middle linebacker when needed. An intelligent player, Jones isn't fast, but his size (6'3", 245 pounds) and tackling ability make him an intriguing pick for the Dolphins. 

Round 6

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Round 6, Pick 196: Tavaris Barnes, DE, Clemson

I went edge-rusher in Round 6 because the Dolphins can never seem to have enough players at the position. 

I mean that in a good way, as save for Dion Jordan (who should be an outside linebacker), the Dolphins have been fantastic in developing defensive ends. Some of that does fall on former defensive line coach and new Jets defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers, but I don't see that trend ending because of his departure. 

More importantly, Miami has to develop new talent at the position due to Olivier Vernon entering a contract year, while Cameron Wake (33) is getting up there in age. 

Tavaris Barnes was never a full-time player at Clemson and could use more fine-tuning at rushing the passer, but he has plenty of athleticism and upside. He would be worth the time the coaching staff would have to put in to develop him. 

Round 7

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

The Miami Dolphins do not have a seventh-round pick, as they traded their original 2015 seventh-rounder to Baltimore back in 2013 in exchange for Bryant McKinney and then traded the San Francisco 49ers seventh-rounder acquired for Jonathan Martin to Minnesota as part of the Mike Wallace trade. 

It's likely the Dolphins will add a seventh-rounder through draft-day trades, and if they do, they should use the pick on either a kicker to compete with Caleb Sturgis or another player in the secondary. 

Statistics provided by Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.  

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