The discourse surrounding the NFL Draft is so long and, at times, tedious that those of us on the outside can often out-smart ourselves.
Not so with our final Miami Dolphins mock draft of the 2024 cycle. We get back to the fundamentals.
7-Round Miami Dolphins Mock Draft
Here are the incontrovertible facts: Dolphins general manager Chris Grier is a product of the Bill Parcells tree, and it’s in his DNA to build the trenches first, last, and always.
With Terron Armstead likely in his final season, the Dolphins need a left tackle of the future. And this might be the best offensive tackle class ever.
Don’t overthink it. The best pick is the most obvious one.
Round 1, Pick 21 | JC Latham, OT, Alabama
If Washington’s Troy Fautanu is somehow on the board here, he would be the pick. But most believe Latham — the No. 20 overall prospect on PFN’s Big Board — is the most likely of the top five offensive tackles to fall out of the top 20.
Expect Latham, who was first-team All-SEC his final season in Tuscaloosa, to play right guard in 2024 before sliding back to left tackle in 2025.
Round 2, Pick 55 | Javon Bullard, S, Georgia
The Dolphins haven’t drafted a safety since taking Jevon Holland in Round 2 in 2021. Their projected starters at safety in 2024 — Holland and Jordan Poyer — are both in contract years.
So taking Bullard — PFN’s No. 63 overall prospect and No. 7 safety — would serve two purposes. The second-team all-conference selectee would provide much-needed depth in the short term and give the Dolphins a potential starter in the long.
Round 5, Pick 158 | Erick All, TE, Iowa
The Dolphins are absolutely in the tight end market (we hear they’re high on Texas’ Ja’Tavion Sanders). But with Jonnu Smith and Durham Smythe currently under contract, we don’t expect them to address this position until Day 3.
Erick All, who was a top 30 visitor to Dolphins camp during the pre-draft process, ranks seventh among tight ends on PFN’s Big Board.
Holding him back? Injury history. All appeared in just 40 games in five collegiate seasons. His final season was cut short by a torn ACL.
Round 6, Pick 184 | Cam Hart, CB, Notre Dame
Day 3 is when teams target traits over proven production. That’s certainly the argument for taking the 6’3″, 202-pound Cam Hart, who ran a 4.5-second 40-yard dash and jumped 39.5 inches at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Any team that takes him does so hoping his playmaking ability will ultimately match his measurables. Hart had just two interceptions in 40 games in South Bend.
Round 6, Pick 198 | Ryan Flournoy, WR, SE Missouri State
Mike McDaniel deserves credit for his restraint. He waited until the 198th pick to get a playmaker.
Ryan Flournoy, a first-team All-Big South/Ohio Valley Conference pick, averaged 14.7 yards per catch in his sixth and final year in college.
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With a 4.44-second 40 (including a 1.52-second 10-yard split), a 39.5″ broad jump, and an 11-foot broad jump, Flournoy tested in the 99% percentile for his position, per the Relative Athletic Score.
Round 7, Pick 241 | Austin Reed, QB, Western Kentucky
Skylar Thompson gets some fresh competition for the No. 3 quarterback spot after the Dolphins take a flyer on Reed, who had stops at Southern Illinois and West Florida before throwing for 8,086 yards and 71 touchdowns in two seasons with the Hilltoppers.