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The Miami Dolphins’ first two picks of the 2024 NFL Draft have been made, and the perceived team needs have been ignored, to some extent.
With general manager Chris Grier choosing to prioritize long-term needs rather than immediate roster holes over the first two rounds — selecting Penn State edge rusher Chop Robinson and Houston offensive tackle Patrick Paul — a contingent of the fanbase grew restless on social media.
“Dolphins GM Chris Grier said Patrick Paul was the top player on the team’s board at the time of their pick,” Sun Sentinel reporter David Furones and ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques both relayed on X.
Louis-Jacques added that “the Dolphins weren’t necessarily drafting for need.” Continuing: “That tracks — tackle wasn’t an immediate need but it will quickly become one once [Terron] Armstead retires.”
Dolphins Fans Fear Win-Now Window Isn’t Being Prioritized
Not every Dolphins supporter will share this opinion, but the naysayers of the Paul selection seem to want win-now prospects. Or as Louis-Jacques put it, rookies that fill “immediate needs.”
In Miami’s case, that would be guard, defensive tackle or wide receiver — replacing Robert Hunt and Christian Wilkins, and improving upon the WR3 role.
“Problem is, they needed contributors,” one fan commented on X. “They got a situational edge who will see 10 snaps a game when everyone is healthy again, and a tackle who’s a project and can’t play guard. I think this has been an absolutely disastrous draft.”
Another replied: “Highest rated player on their board? Oh… no..”
“We have so many needs though…” a third wrote. “G, DT, DB, [shaking my head].”
On the flip side, some supported Grier and his selections.
“Here are the facts,” one user said. “No LT in this draft has more starts than Paul (44). He allowed 1 sack in 2023. He was rated the best LT (from the practices) at the Senior Bowl. [And] he might not be ready for LT right now, but he [is] no more, no less a project than the other LTs on the board.”
“He’s the 55 pick. Not the 5th pick,” another defended, regarding Paul. “He has flaws, but he has 44 starts at LT. 1 sack in 2023.”
Having said that, the negative reactions outweighed the positive after this selection. It’s becoming clear that a contingent of Dolphins fans are growing impatient with Grier, and it most likely stems from two first-round playoff exits after the franchise made blockbuster deals for Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey.
The overarching theme: Can this team get over the hump?
Scouting on Dolphins’ Draft Picks Chop Robinson & Patrick Paul
We’ve heard from the GM and the fans. Here’s what the experts were saying about Robinson and Paul ahead of the draft.
“Robinson is an extremely twitched-up edge rusher with limited production,” NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah scouted during his final top 50 ranking. “He has average size but is incredibly explosive.”
“As a pass rusher, [Robinson] has excellent get-off quickness, but it looks odd because of his short/choppy steps,” Jeremiah went on. “He will cause more stress for OTs when he learns how to lengthen his stride and gain ground.”
He also viewed Robinson as “comfortable” in space when asked to cover and consistent against the run. “Overall, Robinson isn’t a smooth/bendy type of player, but his mix of speed and power provides a lot of disruption,” Jeremiah concluded, placing him 21st on his board.
Paul did not make Jeremiah’s top 50, ranking 120th according to the NFL Network analyst.
“Long, athletic left tackle prospect whose pass protection is much further ahead of his run blocking,” NFL Network colleague Lance Zierlein noted. “Paul’s hands are more active than well-timed or accurate in pass protection, but he does a nice job of muting rush challenges with a decent anchor and an adequate mirror around the top of the arc.”
Continuing: “He’s high-cut with a tendency to bend at the waist into contact. He struggles to sustain and finish as a run blocker but that doesn’t appear to be an issue in pass protection. Paul should continue to add play strength, but he also needs to display better effort and full-time grit if he wants to square off against NFL run defenders and become a well-rounded left tackle.”
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