Miami Dolphins General Manager Chris Grier has been in the job since 2016. The 2025 NFL draft will be his 10th in charge, marking the perfect time to reflect on the top 10 Dolphins picks in the last decade.
The Dolphins are still chasing playoff success, having not won a game in the postseason since the 2000 season. Perhaps their draft strategy is a part of that. There are certainly Miami Dolphins fans with a strong opinion or two on the subject. Yet, regardless of the nay-sayers, team owner Stephen Ross believes in Chris Grier as the GM.
Let’s take a look back at his 10 greatest picks while at the helm of the Miami Dolphins franchise.
10. Andrew Van Ginkel – 2019 5th Round (151st overall)
Andrew Van Ginkel was a 5th-round selection out of Wisconsin, and one of the Dolphins best performing late rounders in recent years.
‘Gink’ made countless splash plays for the Miami Dolphins, including a phenomenal pick-six against the Washington Commanders. He thrived in Brian Flores’ defense, so much so that when Flores took the job as the defensive coordinator in Minnesota, Van Ginkel was one of the first players he went after in free agency.
Andrew Van Ginkel and his family loved Miami, and Dolphins fans loved him right back.
9. Robert Hunt – 2020 2nd Round (39th overall)
While the Miami Dolphins struggles with drafting offensive linemen are well documented, Robert Hunt was one of the bright spots.
His four seasons in Miami were strong, proving to be a well-rounded offensive guard in both the run and the pass game. Unfortunately for Miami, they couldn’t afford to keep him, and in 2024, Hunt signed a $100 million multi-year free agency deal with the Carolina Panthers.
8. Jason Sanders – 2018 7th Round (229th overall)
Getting your franchise kicker in the 7th round isn’t uncommon; a lot of special teams players find themselves selected in the final round of the draft. But the Miami Dolphins drafted Jason Sanders in the 2018 draft, and he’s been their franchise kicker ever since.
Sanders was named a First-Team All-Pro in 2020 and has made six game-winning field goals in his career in Miami. He’s been there with the Dolphins through the highs and the lows, and even caught a receiving touchdown on a beautifully crafted trick play.
7. Jaelen Phillips – 2021 1st Round (18th overall)
Jaelen Phillips’ career in Miami has been devastated by injuries in back-to-back years, a nightmare for the Dolphins who knew they’d got a good one in their 2021 first round pick.
Phillips’ torn Achilles was documented on the in-season version of Hard Knocks, giving fans a look inside the devastation of such a brutal injury while having such an impactful season. He fought as hard as he could to make it back on the field in 2024, but after just four games, he was out for the season a second time with a knee injury.
A healthy Jaelen Phillips is one of the best pass rushers the Miami Dolphins have had since the era of Cam Wake and Ndamukong Suh. They’re just hoping he can get a few injury-free years to realise his potential while in his prime.
6. Devon Achane – 2023 3rd Round (84th overall)
Devon Achane was one of the most electrifying speed threats in the 2023 NFL draft, and when he landed in Miami he joined one of the fastest offenses in NFL history.
Paired with Raheem Mostert in the backfield and both Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill at wide receiver, Devon Achane hit the ground running. Despite splitting carries with Mostert, he posted 813 yards and eight touchdowns in his rookie season. Fast forward to the 2025 season, and Achane has been handed the keys as RB1.
While the offense struggled at times in 2024, he was the constant, and his contribution to the passing game shouldn’t be overlooked either. In two seasons, the former Texas A&M running back has posted 109 catches for 806 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.
Achane holds the record for the highest single-season yards per carry in NFL history (min. 100 attempts). That record proves just how explosive he is out of the backfield.
5. Christian Wilkins – 2019 1st Round (13th overall)
Christian Wilkins was the heartbeat of the Miami Dolphins’ locker room for several seasons. Not only was he a menace on the field no matter the opponent, but he was also the nemesis of Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Anytime the two faced each other, Wilkins and Allen got into it on the field.
Wilkins formed a high-level partnership with fellow defensive tackle Zach Seiler, and when paired with a healthy Jaelen Phillips and Bradley Chubb, the Miami Dolphins have an electrifying defensive line.
The lovable defensive tackle managed 26 sacks in five seasons in Miami, including a 10-sack performance in 2023 while playing for a new contract. Wilkins hit the free agency market and signed a mega $110 million deal to play with Maxx Crosby and the Las Vegas Raiders.
4. Jaylen Waddle – 2021 1st Round (6th overall)
Just a year after drafting Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the first round of the 2020 draft, Miami went back for one of his favorite receivers in Jaylen Waddle.
The Dolphins receiver came out of the blocks firing with a 1,000-yard season in his rookie year, and two more in the following seasons. His pairing with Tyreek Hill is one of the best duos the Miami Dolphins have ever seen, putting up incredible numbers in Mike McDaniel’s offense.
In the 2023 season, Jaylen Waddle had career highs with 1,400 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. He was rewarded with a new contract extension in 2024, signing a three-year extension worth over $84 million.
3. Xavien Howard – 2016 2nd Round (38th overall)
The best cornerback of a generation in Miami, Xavien Howard was everything the Dolphins hoped he would be and more.
In eight years with the Dolphins, Howard tallied 29 interceptions, leading the NFL in the category in both 2018 and 2020. The 2020 season was particularly special as one of the best seasons any Miami Dolphins defensive back has ever had. Howard managed 20 passes deflected that year, with a whopping 10 interceptions.
Howard was named a 4x Pro Bowler during his career and a 2x All-Pro. Howard earned First-Team honors for his performance in that exhilarating 2020 campaign.
2. Tua Tagovailoa – 2020 1st Round (5th overall)
Tua’s career in Miami divides the crowd. On the one hand, he is the most talented quarterback the franchise has seen since Dan Marino. On the other hand, Miami is still yet to win a playoff game and the crowd continues to grow impatient.
The injuries are the first thing anybody talks about with Tua, which has unfortunately played a far too intrusive role in his football life since he was at Alabama. Having fought through the brutal hip injury and broken nose just to make it to the league, concussions then took over in Miami, leaving those around the league questioning whether Tua is the answer.
Still, when healthy, Tua is one of the most accurate quarterbacks in football. He led the NFL in passing yards during that electrifying 2023 season, throwing for 4,819 yards on the year.
The Miami Dolphins can still find success with Tua as their franchise quarterback, and they’ve never been closer to that playoff win. All that needs to happen is the conversation shifts away from the injuries and back to the football. A lot of game left to be played in Tua Tagovailoa’s career.
1. Laremy Tunsil – 2016 1st round (13th overall)
There couldn’t possibly be anybody else at number one on this list. Laremy Tunsil landing with the Miami Dolphins in the first place was baffling enough as it was. A leaked video on draft night took the player expected to be the number one overall pick, and dropped him into the laps of the Dolphins at #13.
Miami didn’t hesitate, drafting a franchise tackle without having to trade away any capital. They couldn’t believe their luck.
When Tunsil was eventually traded to the Houston Texans, the Miami Dolphins got a haul of picks, including two first-rounders and a second-rounder. They continued to use those assets to acquire more picks, with the eventual haul looking like this:
Laremy Tunsil may have only spent the first three years of his career in Miami, but the pick started a chain reaction that would boost the Dolphins for years.
If only they’d capitalized on a couple more of those early-round picks, they might have gotten over their playoff scaries.
