This is it. It’s time for the birth of a Miami Dolphins dynasty.
That’s not me talking.
That’s not hyperbole.
That’s what the Dolphins’ chief architect sees this year’s draft, which begins next Thursday and runs through Saturday, being all about. And it’s not just this year’s draft that will put pillars to that coming Miami Hall of Champions, but next year’s draft, too.
If Dolphins general manager Chris Grier makes wise choices, picks the right players, does what ownership, fans, his neighbors, and even his pest control people hope he can do, then the Dolphins are going to soon be really good.
Chris Grier says so.
“I think it’s very important for us and this organization, these next two drafts with the picks we have next year, if we do the job we expect to do, and we feel fully capable and we’re excited to do it, that we can build a strong team here that we’ve always talked about that can win for a long time,” Grier said.
Yeah, strong.
That’s something of a departure from Grier’s usual understated approach to talking with reporters. This is bolder. More confident. And more willing to accept that expectations are high and understandably so.
Grier understands the 14 draft picks his owns this draft, five of which in the top 70 picks, can provide a potential treasure trove of talent. And he knows a team built right on these picks won’t resemble Dolphins teams of the recent past.
“Instead of one year and build it and then fall back,” Grier said. “We hit it right, with the right picks, smart picks, and do it the right way, we have a chance to have a good team here for a long time.”
So this is not just the goal. It’s the expectation.
And Grier is giving himself not too many excuses for not getting it done.
Remember this looming draft is fraught with potholes. The health pandemic has wiped out most Pro Days, in-person visits, club office meetings to discuss prospects, and more.
But on Thursday during a press conference conducted on Zoom, Grier figuratively waived those issues away — like a quarterback waiving his receiver to go deeper so as to make the pass harder and more impressive.
So draft meetings with the coaching staff, many of whom are new to the Dolphins including offensive coordinator Chan Gailey — now done on video chats instead of in person?
“Communication has been great,” Grier said.
“Smooth,” he added later.
Grier, like all NFL decision-makers, will be making his picks from home while others in the organization are somewhere else. So how about technical problems? Unforeseen issues?
“For us it will be different but we’ll be ready go,” Grier said. “Really don’t have any apprehension about this process.”
Yeah, but the Dolphins don’t have the No. 1 overall pick like they hoped. Their first pick is at No. 5. That means the Dolphins might not get a great player, right? You sweating that, Chris?
Nah.
At no. 5 Grier says he’s got “8 or 9 players we feel really good about.”
“We’ll get a very good player and we’ll be happy to have it,” he added.
So there it is. No excuses. No worries.
Truth is Grier doesn’t even seem all that concerned about his apparent decision whether to pick either Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa or Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert, either.
That is not an easy or simple decision, by the way. Both are winners. Both are accomplished. Both play the position the Dolphins need most desperately to fill.
And the tape suggests Tagovailoa is the better player. Period.
But Tagovailoa comes with an injury history that could fill a medical journal. So how does Grier navigate that troubling information?
The Dolphins’ analytics department has provided Grier with an injury predictor for players in this draft. It tries to foretell the likelihood of any given player getting hurt while playing in the NFL. It’s science delving into the realm of fortune telling.
But rather than sweat this inexact thing, Grier is talking like the complex issue will be resolved while he relies on his experience.
“Yes, we do have our analytics department do injury predictions,” Grier said. “Again, football is a violent sport. We do the best we can. We’ve been in this a long time.
“We’ve been around good players who were never hurt like Jake Long, for instance back in the day. I was in New England when we drafted Curtis Martin. Curtis Martin was always hurt (in college) and he basically never missed a game in New England.
“In terms of where our guys are graded, I’m not going to get into that. But yes, we do a lot of studies on that. (Athletics trainer) Kyle Johnston and our doctors and staff have done a lot of work on every player. They’ve done a fantastic job.”
So all good.
Expect a dynasty.
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