The Miami Dolphins have bolstered the offensive side of the ball following the NFL draft in 2015, as the team added DeVante Parker in the first round along with running back Jay Ajayi and wideout Tony Lippett, giving Ryan Tannehill new weapons to work with alongside Lamar Miller, Greg Jennings, Jordan Cameron and Jarvis Landry.
The Dolphins picked Parker with the number 14 overall pick and after introducing the wide receiver over the weekend, the team described him as a "game-breaking" player. The Dolphins targeted Parker early in the offseason, as he was one of the first players the team brought in in pre-draft workouts. The team added Ajayi at running back in the fifth round and that came after he was predicted to be a third to fourth round pick.
Ajayi is a dual-threat player from Boise State and he had over 2000 combined yards last season rushing and receiving the ball. The Dolphins have some need at running back with Knowshon Moreno and Daniel Thomas not returning, as they have Lamar Miller and LaMichael James as the main players on the depth chart. Ajayi may not challenge Miller to start right away, but his skills as a receiver could get him action on third down and in certain situations to give Ryan Tannehill more options.
The addition of Parker could be huge for the offense, as the Dolphins traded away Mike Wallace and also released Brandon Gibson and Brian Hartline this season. The Dolphins traded for Kenny Stills and he is expected to be one of the main receivers for Tannehill along with Jarvis Landry, who is coming back after a very strong rookie season last year. Parker now has the chance to come in and be a productive player and he could end up as the third or fourth receiver for the Dolphins.
The team had four picks in the fifth round, adding cornerback Bobby McCain from Memphis, Ajayi from Boise State, safety Cedric Thompson from Minnesota and wide receiver Tony Lippett from Michigan State. Parker was the number 14 overall pick, while the team used their fourth round pick and 114th overall to select guard Jamil Douglas from Arizona State. The team also drafted Oklahoma defensive tackle Jordan Phillips in the second round.
Parker was considered to be the third or fourth best wide receiver in the draft by most scouts after Amari Cooper and Kevin White, who both went in the top 10 of the draft. Cooper was drafted at number four by the Oakland Raiders, while White went a few picks later to the Chicago Bears. Some predicted that Parker would go to the Cleveland Browns at number 12, but the team opted to pick Danny Shelton with that selection. Parker's mother later expressed her pleasure with those sentiments, saying to ESPN that she was glad her son ended up in Miami.
Tannehill had the best season in the pros in his fourth year and now he will have some new weapons on offense. Tannehill set career highs with passing yards and touchdown passes and he also had his best completion percentage in three seasons. Tannehill did not mesh well with Wallace and now the team has depth after drafting Parker and some explosive options around the field.
