What the Dolphins Focus Really Should Be in the 2024 Draft

WHY THE DOLPHINS NEED TO GO FOR THE SAFER PROSPECT

Jeremiah's answer actually began with him pointing out that the Dolphins currently are in their "window," and he's clearly on the money there with Miami having sacrificed previous draft capital and cap comfort to putting together a team capable of making a Super Bowl run.

How close the Dolphins actually are to being a Super Bowl team can be debated, but there's no debate they've been all in — the trades for Tyreek Hill, Bradley Chubb and Jalen Ramsey proved that.

There will be sacrifices that need to be made, perhaps starting even this offseason, but the nucleus should remain in place, and that makes it more imperative than ever to have cheaper players being able to contribute.

That clearly includes draft picks, and this is where the draft strategy comes into play.

The Dolphins flat-out cannot afford to spend their first two draft picks on players who will need a lot of seasoning. They need players who can make an immediate impact.

DE'VON ACHANE AND CAM SMITH

In that sense, De'Von Achane was a home run as a third-round pick last year because he made an immediate impact, even though running back wasn't necessarily a position of major need.

The opposite applied to second-round pick Cam Smith, and that proved very costly when the Dolphins struggled at cornerback when Ramsey and Xavien Howard were dealing with injuries.

We also could mention linebacker Channing Tindall, who the Dolphins still are waiting to be a contributor on defense two years after he was their top pick (albeit in the third round) of the 2022 NFL draft.

The Dolphins maybe could afford to have some patience with a top pick back then, but that diminished last year and now that's disappeared.

The Dolphins need immediate help from the draft.

Period.

That's what matters.

The position of the player doesn't matter as much. The Dolphins need immediate help.

That's why maybe the key term to look for whenever we examine a potential Dolphins draft target is "NFL-ready."