The rest of the league had time to spare on Myles Hinton; the Dolphins did not wait, grabbing him 83 spots ahead at slot 251. Call it a sensible B, earned the boring way.
The Mondon Jr. steal is the beam this whole class leans on. The Mukuba pick is fine in a vacuum, less so with quarterback and edge rusher still on the board. The quarterback spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
The roster is better shaped than it was, with wide receiver chief among the fixes.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but quarterback.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.13
· Pick 13
· Mason Graham
· DT
· rank 6
In pick 13 they get a run-stuffing presence up front at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
R2.16
· Pick 48
· Malaki Starks
· S
· rank 18
Malaki Starks at the 48th overall pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A minor itch, scratched.
R3.34
· Pick 98
· Andrew Mukuba
· S
· rank 71
A surprising call. With quarterback and edge rusher still to address, they spent the 98th pick on Andrew Mukuba, a safety they were not short of.
R3.35
· Pick 99
· Elic Ayomanor
· WR
· rank 96
They did well to land Elic Ayomanor in Round 3, Pick 35, just ahead of his grade. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R4.14
· Pick 115
· Nicholas Singleton
· RB
· rank 100
The board had Nicholas Singleton higher than the Round 4 slot, and the running back fell to them anyway. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
R5.12
· Pick 149
· Howard Cross III
· DL
· rank 154
No drama and no debate, Howard Cross III went about where he belonged in pick No. 149. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R5.19
· Pick 156
· Smael Mondon Jr.
· LB
· rank 106
Somehow Smael Mondon Jr. was still sitting there in slot 156, and they pounced on premier linebacker value. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
R7.8
· Pick 224
· Jackson Hawes
· TE
· rank 225
Jackson Hawes at the 224th pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
R7.15
· Pick 231
· Javontez Spraggins
· OG
· rank 284
They reached a country mile for Javontez Spraggins at pick No. 231, and the board is aghast. It fills a real need, too.
R7.35
· Pick 251
· Myles Hinton
· OT
· rank 334
A big swing on Myles Hinton at the Round 7 slot, well ahead of any board in the building. It patches a soft spot without any drama.