Identifying Miami Dolphins' Biggest Strengths, Weaknesses After Draft

Smart teams will use their draft picks to find the best players possible, rather than focusing on adding players at positions of need. Dumb teams will use their picks to fill holes on their roster, regardless of best players available. 

No matter what teams choose to do with their picks, regardless of how many picks the team made, there's a good chance that each team will still have some question marks on their roster following the draft.

The Miami Dolphins filled some holes with a few of their picks, and left some holes by not making a few other picks. Some of the holes they've left could be filled by players stepping up; at the same time, some of the holes they've filled could remain holes if certain players do not fulfill the vision the Dolphins have for them. 

That being said, it's not about the holes on the roster, but about finding the players who can help the team in the best way possible. With that in mind, let's take a look at which positions are of need and which positions are strengths of the Dolphins headed out of the 2015 NFL draft.

Strength: Wide Receiver

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Wide receiver was considered a position of strength headed into the 2013 season, but two years later, the Dolphins were not happy with where they stood at the wide receiver position. They jettisoned Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline and Brandon Gibson this offseason, signaling the dawn of a new era in the passing game.

At that point, Jarvis Landry stood alone as the Dolphins' chief threat in the passing game. Roughly two months later, the Dolphins have added two new, young pass-catchers to the receiving corps that have helped steer the Dolphins in a new direction. The trade for Kenny Stills and the selection of DeVante Parker in the first round have opened the playbook for offensive coordinator Bill Lazor. 

It's a young receiving corps which features pass-catchers that threaten all parts of the field: Landry has the quickness and route-running ability to dominate on short routes and over the middle; Stills can run a variety of routes from the outside or the slot in the intermediate and deep part of the field; Parker rules the outside and on deep routes due to his combination of size and speed.

Weakness: Guard

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The Dolphins have taken the long approach to rebuilding their offensive line. Like, really, really long.

They began the process after a disastrous 2013 season in which Ryan Tannehill was sacked 58 times, more often than any other quarterback in the league that year—and more often than any quarterback in Dolphins history. The addition of veteran free-agent Branden Albert and rookie first-round pick Ja'Wuan James helped solidify the perimeter of the Dolphins' pass protection. 

The interior, however, is where the Dolphins need help.

Yes, they still have center Mike Pouncey snapping the ball, but with Dallas Thomas and Billy Turner currently penciled in as the starting guards, it's safe to say the Dolphins are far from safe at the guard spot. The Dolphins drafted Arizona State guard Jamil Douglas in the fourth round, but while the 2014 first-team All-Pac 12 selection could compete for a job at guard, he's still learning the position after switching from tackle. 

This is one of the spots where the Dolphins will likely need their current crop of players to take a step forward, because if Thomas and Turner don't, Tannehill could be under fire from more than his share of defensive tackles in 2015.

Strength: Defensive Line

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Cameron Wake. Ndamukong Suh. Olivier Vernon. Jordan Phillips.

Need I say more? 

The Dolphins may feature one of the most talented defensive lines in football thanks to their selection of Oklahoma's Jordan Phillips in the second round of the draft. Not only do they now have the versatility to shift between three-man and four-man lines, but they also have the talent to simply line up and go. 

The defensive line has been a strength for the Dolphins in the past, but just like they did at the receiver spot, the Dolphins saw the unit deteriorating and wasted no time in overhauling the group. Now, this new-look group has the potential to carry the torch for the Dolphins defense.

Weakness: Cornerback

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The Dolphins are fully aware that cornerback is one of the weaknesses of the roster as presently constructed. They have made provisions for that position by signing free agents (Brice McCain and Zack Bowman) and adding a draft prospect (Memphis cornerback Bobby McCain).

Despite those three additions to the roster, the Dolphins still have some question marks as to how the cornerback depth chart will shake out. 

Their biggest question is who will line up on the perimeter? With so many small, feisty, quick cornerbacks on the roster, there aren't many big-bodied corners who can match up with bigger receivers on the outside. 

The Dolphins will have to get substantial pressure on the quarterback from their front four, or else quarterbacks could have an easy time going through their progressions and finding the best matchups to exploit.

Strength: Running Back

With one pick in the fifth round, the Dolphins took a position of need and turned it into a position of strength.

The Dolphins were already stocked to the hilt with running backs that excel out in space and as one-cut backs, in a similar mold to Lamar Miller. Make no mistake, Boise State running back Jay Ajayi is also adept in that facet of being a running back. At the same time, he is no stranger to hammering the rock between the tackles and fighting for the tough yards on 3rd-and-short.

Between Miller, LaMichael James, Mike Gillislee and Damien Williams, the Dolphins have more than enough scatbacks. What they truly needed was a back like Ajayi, who NFL.com's Lance Zierlein describes as featuring "an improving stiff arm and physicality that have become his calling card."

That physicality is exactly what was missing from the Dolphins backfield. Now, they've rounded out the running back position with a player that complements their current group. 

Weakness: Linebacker

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Jelani Jenkins and Koa Misi figure to be the starting linebackers for the Dolphins defense in 2015. Whether or not that plan pans out or backfires will determine if this position is a strength or a weakness.

The Dolphins did not add any linebackers in this year's draft, and although there's still time to make a move on an undrafted free agent, the Dolphins cannot expect a priority free agent to immediately instill confidence in their linebacking corps among the Dolphins faithful.

The Dolphins had multiple opportunities to address their need at linebacker, and while they were smart about filling needs with talented players, they left a significant question mark at a position where they've undergone some dramatic changes in the past few months.

The Dolphins have taken an aggressive approach to the undrafted free-agent market by signing multiple linebackers: Mike Hull (report via Alex Marvez of Fox Sports), Zach Vigil (report via Mike Loyko of NEPatriotsDraft.com), Jeff Luc (report via Loyko) and Neville Hewitt (report via Loyko). Excuse me if none of those names sound like starting material.