Revisiting the Miami Dolphins Worst Draft Pick: Dion Jordan

The NFL draft is tonight, and while I’m not terribly confident that the Miami Dolphins will make a perfect selection, I am sure that it won’t be as bad as their pick in 2013. The 2013 NFL draft will go down as one of the worst drafts of all time, headlined by Eric Fisher, an offensive tackle out of Central Michigan who would play for 10 seasons but only make 2 Pro Bowls. Not what you expect from a number one overall pick, but not as disastrous as the Dolphins’ pick at number 3 overall. 

The Dolphins were coming off a classic Miami season, posting a record of 7-9, just good enough to not have a high draft pick, but not good enough to make the playoffs. Rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill had shown promise after the Dolphins had lost out on the Peyton Manning sweepstakes during the offseason. He posted a stat line of 3,294 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions, while rushing for two more scores. 

There was a hope around the team that Joe Philbin would improve in his second year as the team’s head coach. Looking to make a splash, Miami made a draft day trade with the Oakland Raiders to move up from 12 to the 3rd overall pick. With that pick, the Dolphins would select Dion Jordan, a defensive end out of the University of Oregon. The move, in theory, would pair the athletic prospect with All-Pro pass rusher Cameron Wake. Wake was coming off of his best season as a pro, where he notched 15 sacks and forced 3 fumbles. Jordan, for his part, was seen as more of a project than a sure thing, someone who would need to learn behind a player like Wake and benefit from opposing offenses focusing their attention on the veteran. 

Jordan would have a slow start to his career, posting only two sacks and 26 tackles as a rookie in 2013. During the 2014 offseason, he would be suspended for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy. During the season, he would fail another test and have two more games added to his suspension. He would only start one game in 2014 while appearing in 10 and adding just a single sack to his career total. 

Jordan would be suspended for the entirety of the 2015 season due to a diluted test sample counting as a third violation of the league’s drug policy. Despite being reinstated during the 2016 season, Jordan would not see the field due to the team deciding not to activate him. He would fail a physical before the 2017 season, leading to the Dolphins releasing him. All told, Jordan tallied 3 career sacks and 46 tackles in his four years in Miami. 

In an interview in February 2025 with The Fish Tank Podcast Jordan lamented that he “didn’t have my life in order,” he continued “When I left the facility, it didn’t help because I’m out partying, I’m enjoying the money that I have and I’m just putting myself behind the eight-ball”

It takes a lot for someone to admit that they didn’t take an opportunity seriously, and for that, I must give Jordan credit. It doesn’t fully erase the disappointment that missing out on a third overall pick leaves a fan with, but it reminds us that players are only human. Who knows how we would react if given millions of dollars and all that the city of Miami has to offer? That being said it also offers a slight assurance that regardless of what the Dolphins do tonight, things won’t be as bad as they were in 2013.

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