{"id":82409,"date":"2020-03-14T10:16:28","date_gmt":"2020-03-14T14:16:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=82409"},"modified":"2020-03-14T10:23:37","modified_gmt":"2020-03-14T14:23:37","slug":"why-the-miami-dolphins-shouldnt-draft-a-running-back-early","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2020\/03\/14\/why-the-miami-dolphins-shouldnt-draft-a-running-back-early\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the Miami Dolphins Shouldn\u2019t Draft A Running Back Early"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Miami Dolphins<\/a> essentially control the NFL Draft. After a year in which Ryan Fitzpatrick<\/a><\/strong> led the team in rushing yards, the Dolphins now have three first-round picks along with a plethora of picks in the later rounds. While the running game could definitely use improvement, the Dolphins shouldn\u2019t use any on their early-round picks to draft a running back. Quite frankly, Miami has too many holes on the roster to justify using a high pick on a luxury position.<\/p>\n

Miami Dolphins Should Not Draft A Running Back Early<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Running backs, more than any other position in football, are entirely dependent upon their situation. You can have the NFL’s most talented runner, but it won\u2019t matter if the offensive line is bad. Look at what happened with Todd Gurley<\/a> <\/strong>in 2016. Stuck with an outdated coach in Jeff Fisher<\/a><\/strong> and a poor offensive line, Gurley only averaged 3.2 yards-per-attempt. In 2017, Sean McVay <\/strong>took over and completely overhauled the offensive line. Now with adequate blocking in front of him, Gurley recorded a combined 2,556 yards and 30 touchdowns over the next two seasons.<\/p>\n

The Dolphins offensive line is easily the worst in the league, and they won\u2019t be able to fix it overnight. Literally every position needs to be upgraded, and no running back will have above-average production behind that offensive line. Investing a top pick in a player doomed to fail is just poor business.<\/p>\n

Running backs are a bit of a catch-22 in today\u2019s NFL, because it\u2019s never smart to heavily invest in the position. If the blocking is poor, the running back can\u2019t succeed. However, if the blocking is good, there are enough running backs capable of putting up starting-caliber production.<\/p>\n

Going back to Gurley, the former first-round pick missed the final two games of the 2018 season and only played a complementary role in their postseason run. In his place, C.J. Anderson<\/a><\/strong> came in and basically matched Gurley\u2019s production. Nobody would argue that Anderson and Gurley are equally talented, but Anderson was able to match Gurley\u2019s production because rushing success has a lot more to do with situation and blocking than it does the actual running back.<\/p>\n

This situation isn\u2019t an outlier, as data around the league shows that running backs just don\u2019t move the needle<\/a> in today\u2019s NFL. Running backs have a negligible effect on the actual success of a running play, and you don\u2019t need to establish the run<\/a> to set up play action.<\/p>\n

Needs Anywhere<\/h3>\n

Obviously, nobody wants to start Patrick Laird<\/a><\/strong> or Kalen Ballage<\/a><\/strong> for a full 16-game season, but the Dolphins have too many other important positions to upgrade. Staying in the AFC East, the New England Patriots selected running back Sony Michel<\/a><\/strong> in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. While that selection was questionable at best, one could justify it by pointing out that the Patriots had a championship-caliber roster and could afford to waste a top pick on a luxury position.<\/p>\n

The same cannot be said for the Miami Dolphins. Even though they didn\u2019t finish with the worst record in the league, they probably have the NFL\u2019s least talented roster. Outside of maybe<\/em> wide receiver, every position needs to be upgraded. Ryan Fitzpatrick is not the long-term answer under center, the offensive line is a mess, the secondary is in shambles, and nobody can get to the quarterback. Even wide receiver is something of a question mark, as DeVante Parker<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s breakout season could be a one-year fluke and Preston Williams<\/a><\/strong> might not be the same coming off a torn ACL.<\/p>\n

All of these positions matter considerably more than the running back, and all of them need to be upgraded. The Dolphins have tons of cap space and draft picks, but just as many needs. The NFL is a passing league now, and the Dolphins should do everything they can to upgrade their passing attack and compete in an AFC East that might not have Tom Brady<\/a><\/strong> in it anymore. Instead of reaching for a guy like\u00a0Jonathan Taylor <\/strong><\/a>in the first, the Dolphins should just wait to grab someone like\u00a0A.J. Dillon<\/strong><\/a> in the fourth.<\/p>\n

Main photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>