The Complete Miami Dolphins Draft Primer

The 2015 NFL draft is the best opportunity for teams that are looking to build the roster for the future. 

Unfortunately, the Miami Dolphins may not have that long to wait. Head coach Joe Philbin is firmly on the hot seat, which means he may not even get an opportunity to taste the fruit of his labors.

The Dolphins have six picks in the draft and enough needs that they can justify using each pick at a different position. Make no mistake: They have addressed most of their glaring needs, but certain spots on the depth chart need an infusion of youth, and a couple of spots in the starting lineup need an infusion of talent.

Which direction will the Dolphins go? Which direction should they go? Which directions are they looking? 

Dolphins' Draft Picks

Mary Altaffer/Associated Press

Round	Selection	Overall	How acquired
1	14	14	Assigned
2	15	47	Assigned
4	15	114	Assigned
5	13	149	Trade with Minnesota Vikings
5	14	150	Assigned
6	15	191	Assigned

The Dolphins hold six picks in the 2015 draft, which is exactly as many picks as they made in 2011, which is the last time they had fewer than seven selections in a draft. 

The Dolphins are no strangers to splash moves in the draft; they traded up in the first round in 2013 to acquire linebacker Dion Jordan—a move that has royally backfired given the news of his suspension for repeated violations of the league's substance-abuse policy. Rob Rang of NFLDraftScout.com reported in early April the Dolphins might consider moving up once again.  

They traded their third-round pick to the New Orleans Saints as part of the deal that acquired wide receiver Kenny Stills. They traded their original seventh-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens. Their fifth-round pick comes by way of a trade that sent wide receiver Mike Wallace and a seventh-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings. 

Dolphins' Draft Contacts

Garry Jones/Associated Press

Louisville wide receiver DeVante Parker (left) is a great fit for the Dolphins, and he took a visit to their facility during the run-up to the draft.

As part of the predraft scouting and evaluation process, NFL teams are permitted to have 30 prospects come to their facility for a visit, including an unlimited number of local prospects. Teams are also allowed to visit as many prospects as they want for a workout at that prospect's campus. 

The Dolphins maximized their ability to scout in-state talent and came in at 37 visits this offseason thanks to 10 players visiting from inside state lines. Courtesy of CBS Sports' Frank Cooney, here's a look at that list (PV = private visit; LOC = local; WO = workout).

Prospect	Position	School	Contact
Ali Marpet	OL	Hobart	PV
Tre' Jackson	G	Florida State	LOC
La'el Collins	OT	LSU	PV
Jake Fisher	OT	Oregon	PV
Ereck Flowers	OT	Miami	LOC
Sammie Coates	WR	Auburn	PV
Stefon Diggs	WR	Maryland	PV
Phillip Dorsett	WR	Miami	LOC
Chris Dunkley	WR/CB	South Florida	LOC
Rashad Greene	WR	Florida State	LOC
DeVante Parker	WR	Louisville	PV
Breshad Perriman	WR	Central Florida	LOC
Vince Mayle	FB/WR	Washington State	PV
Stephone Anthony	ILB	Clemson	PV
Thurston Armbrister	OLB	Miami	LOC
Vic Beasley	DE/OLB	Clemson	PV
Benardrick McKinney	OLB/ILB	Mississippi State	PV
Ramik Wilson	ILB	Georgia	PV
Denzel Perryman	OLB/ILB	Miami	LOC
Lynden Trail	DE/OLB	Norfolk State	PV
D'Joun Smith	CB	Florida Atlantic	LOC
Tray Walker	CB	Texas Southern	PV
Trae Waynes	CB	Michigan State	PV
Kevin Johnson	CB	Wake Forest	PV
Eric Rowe	CB	Utah	PV
Jalen Collins	CB	LSU	PV
Cedric Thompson	FS	Minnesota	PV
Nick O'Leary	TE	Florida State	LOC
Gabe Holmes	TE	Purdue	WO
Jean Sifrin	TE	Massachusetts	PV
Clive Walford	TE	Miami	LOC
Xavier Cooper	DT	Washington State	PV
Tyeler Davison	DT	Fresno State	WO
Darius Kilgo	DT	Maryland	PV
Jordan Phillips	NT	Oklahoma	PV
Melvin Gordon	RB	Wisconsin	PV
Duke Johnson	RB	Miami	LOC

The Dolphins are focusing on the cornerback position, bringing in six prospects for private visits. Miami released Cortland Finnegan earlier this offseason, but even after signing Brice McCain and Zack Bowman and drafting Jamar Taylor, Will Davis and Walt Aikens in the past few seasons, the team is still shaky on its talent in the defensive backfield.

Trae Waynes is widely regarded as the top cornerback prospect in this year's class and could provide a formidable one-two punch at cornerback with Brent Grimes on the other side.

The other position of need is wide receiver, where the Dolphins have scouted seven different players with private visits. Louisville's DeVante Parker may be the best fit of any receiver in this class for his size (6'3", 209 lbs), speed (4.45-second 40-yard dash) and leaping ability (36.5" vertical), but Breshad Perriman would be a nice fit for those same reasons (6'2", 212 lbs, 4.24-second 40-yard dash, 36.5" vertical at his pro day).

There's a lot of diversity among the seven linebackers the Dolphins brought in for visits: outside linebackers, inside linebackers, pass-rush specialists and versatile chess pieces. The team is looking at all shapes and varieties of linebackers to help the group after parting ways with both Dannell Ellerbe and Philip Wheeler this offseason. Jelani Jenkins and Koa Misi are a good foundation, but adding someone like Benardrick McKinney or Denzel Perryman could round out the group. 

Dolphins' Team Needs

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Even after all those trades and free-agent signings, the Dolphins still have plenty of needs to address before the 2015 NFL draft is finished. Most of their moves have been aimed at getting the team ready to make a run at the playoffs this season, and while the Dolphins can use this draft as an opportunity to further that cause, they could also take it as an opportunity to build for the long term.

Taking short term and long term out of the equation, a handful of positions stand out as the biggest needs for the Dolphins.

Wide Receiver

After moving on from Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline and Brandon Gibson this offseason, the Dolphins are in need of some pass-catching assistance. Jarvis Landry and Kenny Stills are a solid foundation in terms of intermediate receivers, but the Dolphins are still in need of a boundary threat who can run vertical routes.

The biggest problem with the Dolphins offense at times has been the inability to create explosive plays in the passing game. Although part of the blame must go to Ryan Tannehill's poor downfield accuracy (32 completions on 117 attempts (27.4 percent) deeper than 20 yards downfield over the past two years, according to Pro Football Focus), his numbers might be better if he had a legitimate deep threat to target. 

Linebacker

Another position where the Dolphins gutted the depth chart of yesteryear, the linebacker spot is loaded with youth but also loaded with questions. Where will Koa Misi line up? Will Jelani Jenkins continue to build off an impressive 2014 campaign? How does Kelvin Sheppard factor in?

Now, with the news of Dion Jordan's suspension, the Dolphins are in even more dire need of help at the position. 

Linebacker is such a big need for the Dolphins that they could justify a selection at either outside linebacker or inside linebacker; they just need warm bodies and can figure out the rest later.

Offensive Guard

Dallas Thomas and Billy Turner are the starting guards as we speak. If the team truly thinks they can pin their hopes on those two, they could be in for a long season. 

Ever since Joe Philbin joined the team, the Dolphins have needed a guard who has the athleticism to execute a zone-blocking scheme. Those guards certainly weren't the likes of Richie Incognito (6'3", 319 lbs) and John Jerry (6'5", 340 lbs)—aside from their involvement in the 2013 locker room scandal, neither one is built in the mold of a player who can get out in front of plays as a pulling guard.

Cornerback

As mentioned in the previous slide, the Dolphins have a lot of depth at the cornerback spot but not a lot of assurances in the way of starting talent. Finding someone to plug in opposite Brent Grimes should be a priority for the Dolphins.

Brice McCain will make a nice slot cornerback and has plenty of experience playing that difficult role. Zack Bowman is an experienced, big-bodied cornerback who can also contribute on special teams. Jamar Taylor was drafted in the second round in 2013, and the hope remains that he will eventually develop into a starting-caliber cornerback. 

Another selection in the secondary would indicate the Dolphins are running out of patience with Taylor, Davis and Aikens. 

Running Back

The Dolphins have plenty of scatbacks. Lamar Miller, Damien Williams, LaMichael James and Mike Gillislee all have a reputation for an ability to break long gains in the open field at one point or another in their careers. What the Dolphins still need is a between-the-tackles hammer. 

Realistically, Miller proved he could be a workhorse back last year when he picked up 1,099 yards on 216 carries (5.1 YPA) and had eight touchdowns, along with 38 receptions for 275 yards and another touchdown. That being said, no backs on the roster can complement Miller's style. 

Day-by-Day Game Plan

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

Everyone has a game plan until they get punched in the mouth they go on the clock in the NFL draft. 

NFL draft analysts spend the months of February through April debating and hypothesizing on what will happen in the draft. NFL general managers and scouting departments then spend a few days mostly proving those analysts wrong. That's because of all the X-factors: trades, prospects who fall, prospects who are taken much higher than expected and a number of other occurrences.

With all that in mind, there's no way the Dolphins can predict what will happen, but some clear best-case scenarios exist. 

Day 1

Stay put. There's some debate as to whether the Dolphins should move up into the top 10 to land one of the draft's best prospects. To put that debate to bed, one or two questions must be asked: How big is the gap between the 14th-best prospect and the prospects in the top 10, and is that gap worth it for the king's ransom it will take to close that gap by jumping into the top 10?

Despite the report from Rob Rang of NFLDraftScout.com, the Dolphins should not trade up. They can still land an impact player at No. 14—perhaps a versatile linebacker like Kentucky's Alvin Dupree to replace Dion Jordan, or a cornerback like Kevin Johnson or Byron Jones to plug in opposite Brent Grimes.

Day 2

With only one pick, the Dolphins will probably be quiet on the second day of the draft. They could consider trading down with their second-rounder to acquire more picks, but there will be opportunities to grab talented players who could potentially start for the Dolphins at the No. 47 overall spot. This would be a good time for Miami to address its need at guard, where Hobart's Ali Marpet would be worth consideration.

His fit in the Dolphins' zone-blocking scheme would be nearly perfect, as he is regarded by CBS Sports' Dane Brugler as a good combo-blocker. NFL.com's Lance Zierlein says Marpet "has the body type and movement of a zone-scheme center with guard potential." 

Day 3

Now's the time to round out the depth chart at a few positions that need a little extra talent on the bottom end of the roster. The position that should be in the cross hairs on Day 3 is the running back position, where the Dolphins will be able to find a between-the-tackles hammer who can complement Lamar Miller's one-cut running style. 

LSU running back Terrence Magee is everything the Dolphins are looking for in a running back. At 5'8" and 213 pounds, he is a short, stocky back who can pound the ball in short-yardage situations. CBS Sports' Rob Rang criticizes Magee for his lack of breakaway speed and for the fact that he's only ever been a rotational player (114 carries first three years; career-high 112 carries as senior). Fortunately, the Dolphins don't need breakaway speed in the backfield, and they don't need more than a rotational back to round out the stable. 

This may also be the time to address the linebacker spot. Although they need answers in the starting lineup, they could also use some depth. Florida's Neiron Ball has a host of injury questions (microfracture surgery in November 2014, brain surgery in 2011), but he's a good athlete who can play a number of positions. Assuming his health checks out, the Dolphins shouldn't wait until undrafted free agency to make a play on Ball. 

History at No. 14

Bill Wippert/Associated Press

Former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly (above) is perhaps the most notable 14th overall pick in NFL draft history.

Going back to 1970, the 14th pick has an interesting history full of hits (Darrelle Revis, Eddie George) and misses (John Reaves, George Amundson). Here's a brief look back in time at the 14th overall pick. 

Past Five 14th Overall Picks

Year	Team	Player	Position
2014	Chicago Bears	Kyle Fuller	DB
2013	Carolina Panthers	Star Lotulelei	DT
2012	St. Louis Rams	Michael Brockers	DT
2011	St. Louis Rams	Robert Quinn	DE
2010	Seattle Seahawks	Earl Thomas	FS

These five players are all inspiring if you're a Dolphins fan: Thomas, Quinn and Lotulelei are all considered among the best players at their positions. Brockers has been a steady piece in the rotation on the Rams defensive line. Fuller's career got off to a rough start with the Bears, but he still has a high ceiling.

In short, the Dolphins should feel confident that they can find a talented prospect at No. 14. It may not be one of the "sexy" picks in the top 10, but it could be a solid pick nonetheless. 

Best Pick: Jim Kelly, QB (Buffalo Bills, 1983)

You see? Hall of Fame quarterbacks can be found outside the top 10 picks of the NFL draft. The Buffalo Bills struck gold with Jim Kelly, who led the team to four consecutive AFC Championship Game victories and only won fewer than half the games he started in two of his 11 seasons as the starter. Of course, this pick would have been even better if the Bills won a Super Bowl under Kelly's supervision, but with Kelly remaining a part of the Bills infrastructure, there's still a possibility that he could don a Super Bowl ring one day. 

Worst Pick: Michael Haynes, DE (Chicago Bears, 2003)

Two things can doom a first-round pick: coaching changes and injuries. Chicago bears defensive end Michael Haynes was on the wrong end of both of those things. He was drafted at 286 pounds to be a run-stuffing defensive end, but when Lovie Smith took over as Bears head coach, Haynes was asked to be a speed-rushing end. Couple those changes with a back injury and Haynes' Bears career was unsurprisingly short.

He made some rounds with other teams but never caught on and retired in 2005.

Dolphins at No. 14

The Dolphins have only ever made one pick at No. 14 overall in the past 45 years. Linebacker Jackie Shipp was the Dolphins' first-round selection in 1984 and played six years in the NFL. He was part of the 1985 Dolphins team that went to the Super Bowl. He has been coaching at the collegiate level, as a defensive line coach at Oklahoma and at Arizona State.

Unless otherwise noted, all scouting combine information and draft notes provided by CBSSports.com and NFL.com.