The Miami Dolphins are looking to get back to the playoffs in 2015 and after adding Ndamukong Suh on defense, the team has a great duo on the line with Cameroon Wake and Joe Philbin will be looking for rookies to step up on both sides of the ball, as DeVante Parker, Jay Ajayi, Bobby McCain, Tony Lippett and Jordan Phillips will compete to contribute.
The Dolphins brought in Suh on a six-year contract worth $114 million contract with $60 million guaranteed and he should help transform the defense. Last season the defense was not consistent enough and while Wake has played like a Pro Bowl player, he should only get better with Suh coming in. The Dolphins spent a ton of money on a player who rarely touches the ball, but they feel that he can help all facets of the defense.
Suh comes in as a strong run stuffer and that is one area where the Dolphins needed to improve and now they have an All-Pro player on the line. The team picked Jordan Phillips out of Oklahoma in the second round and he has the chance to be a contributor after a solid career there. The Dolphins feel good overall about the draft with DeVante Parker in the first round, but the team also added some players that are expected to compete for playing time on defense.
Adding depth on defense was a priority for the team and with Mike Tannenbaum coming in, he wanted to get players that could be versatile on defense. Lippett comes in after being a wide receiver in college at Michigan State, but the team is transitioning him to a cornerback. According to the Miami Herald, the team sees Bobby McCain as a potential starter out of the fifth round. McCain is a bit undersized as a cornerback, but he has great ball skills and should help give depth with Brent Grimes and Brice McCain.
DeVante Parker and Jay Ajayi could push to start for Ryan Tannehill and they join Jarvis Landry, Lamar Miller, Greg Jennings and Jordan Cameron on offense. The Dolphins came into the draft with rumors about trades and potential move ups for Amari Cooper and Todd Gurley. ESPN reported that the Dolphins were a team looking to trade up into the top 10, with players like Amari Cooper, Kevin White and DeVante Parker as targets. The team ended up with Parker and they got a running back in Ajayi who should be able to add another element with Lamar Miller.
The Dolphins came with just six picks in the draft and after spending a ton of money in the offseason, there is pressure on the team to make the playoffs. The team considered moving up since they are going "all in" on this season following the signing of Ndamukong Suh, but they did not ended up doing it.
The team picked at 14 in the first round and they took Parker and in the second round they went with Jordan Phillips before taking Jamil Douglas in the fourth. The team took Bobby McCain, Jay Ajayi, Ced Thompson and Tony Lippett in the fifth and those players should be able to make an impact on the roster.
