Winners and Losers from Miami Dolphins' Draft
Let's face it: There's simply no way of grading each team's selections in the 2015 NFL draft until at least 2017. Once the prospects have played three years in the league, then we can start to talk about players as "hits" or "misses," "reaches" or "steals" and "good" or "bad."
Failing that, there are always going to be winners and losers in the immediate aftermath.
Of course, the prospects themselves are all too obvious. And my job should never be easy. Whether it's players whose jobs are in jeopardy, or other players whose job just got easier, thanks to a little help next to them, some people will benefit from certain picks, while others will suffer a setback in some way.
So, who won and lost based on the results of the 2015 draft?
Winner: Ryan Tannehill
1 of 6
Goodbye, old receiving corps. Hello, young receiving corps.
The Dolphins have said goodbye to Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline and Brandon Gibson this year. They already traded for Kenny Stills from the New Orleans Saints, and on Thursday, they made Louisville wide receiver DeVante Parker their first-round pick.
At 6'3" and 217 pounds, Parker has the size the Dolphins lacked on the outside, with an ability to run deep and make contested catches and win jump balls. The Dolphins' passing game has lacked such a threat ever since they traded Brandon Marshall at the onset of the Joe Philbin era.
Tannehill had a bevy of receiving threats at his disposal in 2013 and 2014, but adding Stills and Parker to a group that already has Jarvis Landry gives him a young, dynamic, explosive playmaking receiving corps.
In fact, Tannehill won twice this week; not only did the Dolphins draft DeVante Parker, they also exercised the fifth-year option in Tannehill's contract, ensuring he will remain with the Dolphins through the 2016 season.
Loser: Rishard Matthews
2 of 6
You could probably have assumed that Rishard Matthews was one of the Dolphins' "losers" of the offseason, even before the Dolphins handed in the selection card for Parker in the first round.
The Dolphins may have purged much of their talent at wide receiver this offseason, but Matthews remained in the fold. For that reason, his future with the Dolphins was not necessarily grim. At the same time, the massive influx of talent in the form of Kenny Stills, Greg Jennings, Parker and tight end Jordan Cameron signals a move away from the "old guard" at wide receiver.
That includes Matthews, who has caught 64 passes for 734 yards and four touchdowns in his three-year career. There have been reports over the years that Matthews and the Dolphins' coaching staff have not gotten along, and as the Dolphins add one receiver after another to their roster, they continue to push Matthews further and further down the depth chart.
It's entirely possible that Matthews, once viewed as a potential dark horse for a long-term future in a big role with the Dolphins, could be on his way out of Miami by the end of training camp.
Winner: Ndamukong Suh
3 of 6
When the Dolphins picked Oklahoma defensive tackle Jordan Phillips at No. 52, not only did they get great value in a player who had a first-round grade, but they also got a great player to put next to newly acquired defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.
Make no mistake, it would be hard to find anyone to double-team on the defensive line with Suh, Cameron Wake and Olivier Vernon up front, but now with Phillips in the middle of the line next to Suh, the Dolphins have a legitimate claim to one of the best defensive lines in all of football.
Yep, this group is that loaded.
Suh will probably still see most of the double-teams until Phillips proves he is up to the challenge of life in the NFL, but if his talent at the next level matches up with what he showed at the collegiate level, opposing offensive lines will have no choice but to respect his ability sooner than later.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Loser: Dallas Thomas
4 of 6
The Dolphins may not have made the offensive line a top priority like they did in the 2014 NFL draft, but with the selection of Arizona State offensive lineman Jamil Douglas, the Dolphins did show less than 100 percent confidence in Dallas Thomas as the man for the job at guard.
Yes, Douglas has only recently made the switch from tackle to guard, but the 2014 first-team All-Pac-12 selection has the right skill set to handle zone-blocking responsibilities in the Dolphins' scheme. He also has the athleticism to pull out in front of plays and block on the perimeter to open holes for big plays in the screen game and on perimeter runs.
The Dolphins started their rebuilding process on the offensive line in 2014, and they threw that process into high gear from an early stage, but they have geared down since that point. With the selection of Douglas, they have shown that they're not going to sit in idle for too long before making more moves on the offensive line.
Winner: Jelani Jenkins
5 of 6
The Dolphins did not add a top-notch linebacker to their defense this weekend, which means it's pretty likely that Koa Misi and Jelani Jenkins will resume their roles as key components of the Dolphins' defense.
Jenkins earned the starting spot in the wake of a season-ending injury suffered by Dannell Ellerbe in Week 1, and he apparently showed enough to instill some confidence in his ability. The Dolphins had opportunities to draft a linebacker to add to their defense at No. 47, but passed on Miami's Denzel Perryman and TCU's Paul Dawson in favor of trading down to No. 52.
Jenkins notched 83 tackles, 3.5 sacks and forced two fumbles in 2014, showing an ability to make plays that will be needed at linebacker, where the Dolphins have some question marks.
Who knows how the rest of the depth chart will shake out, but given the lack of a major investment at the position, it's very likely that Jenkins will remain one of the starting linebackers come 2015.
Loser: Jamar Taylor
6 of 6
Ever since the end of the 2014 season, the Dolphins have added one cornerback after another, seemingly in an endeavor to find anyone not named Jamar Taylor to play the position. The Dolphins signed Brice McCain to man the slot and Zack Bowman as solid depth and as a special teams contributor, and on Saturday, they drafted Memphis cornerback Bobby McCain.
Bobby McCain is 5'9" and 195 pounds, a little undersized for the cornerback position in the NFL, but he has the exact skill set the Dolphins like in their cornerbacks. He has the versatility to line up either outside or inside, and according to NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, he's "feisty," which is the best thing you could possibly say about a Dolphins cornerback.
Between the two McCains, Bowman, Will Davis and Walt Aikens, Jamar Taylor will have more than his fair share of competition for snaps in the Dolphins' secondary. This could be a make-or-break year for Taylor with regard to his standing on the Dolphins' depth chart.
Unless otherwise noted, all NFL Scouting Combine information and draft notes provided by NFL.com and CBSSports.com.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
