Dolphins Tight End Draft History: The Hits, Misses and Trends

As we head into the homestretch to the 2025 NFL draft, it's a good time to revisit the Miami Dolphins draft history at every position.

In this draft series, we break down each position with number of picks since the start of the "common draft" in 1967, first-round selections, hits and misses, and any trends that might apply.

We continue with the tight end position:

DOLPHINS TIGHT END DRAFT HISTORY

Number of picks: 42

Number of first-round picks: 0

The last five picks: Elijah Higgins, 2023, Round 6; Hunter Long, 2021, Round 3; Durham Smythe, 2018, Round 4; Mike Gesicki, 2018, Round 2; Thomas Duarte, 2016, Round 7

Hits: Jim Mandich (Round 2, 1970), Bruce Hardy (Round 9, 1978), Ferrell Edmunds (Round 3, 1988), Randy McMichael (Round 4, 2002), Charles Clay (Round 6, 2011), Dion Sims (Round 4, 2013)

Misses: Loaird McCreary (Round 2, 1976), Michael Egnew (Round 3, 2012), Hunter Long

Trends: Well, the thing that clearly stands out is indicated by the 0 next to "number of first-round picks.” The Dolphins remain one of five teams that have never taken a tight end in Round 1, along with Minnesota, Washington, Tennessee and Carolina. It's also interesting to note that Gesicki was the first tight end the Dolphins took in the second round since 1976.

HOW THE DOLPHINS HAVE DONE DRAFTING TIGHT ENDS

After Gesicki’s time in Miami fizzled before he left for New England via free agency, the Dolphins still have never had a dominant tight end in the mode of a Travis Kelce or George Kittle.

The only player at the position drafted by the Dolphins to make the Pro Bowl was Ferrell Edmunds. Interestingly, the Dolphins neglected the tight end position during Dan Marino's Hall of Fame career, with Edmunds the only player drafted before the fourth round.

After Edmunds, the Dolphins also got good mileage out of Randy McMichael as a fourth-round pick and later Charles Clay as a sixth-round selection, and we maybe could even include Durham Smythe, who gave the Dolphins seven solid seasons as a fourth-round pick before he was released this offseason.

But the Dolphins have yet to have that major hit with a tight end in the draft.

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