The 2024 NFL draft is around the corner, but first, it’s time for a historical look at the Miami Dolphins’ biggest first-round success stories. The team has had a rich history since it was born in 1966.
While the first pick the franchise made, Kentucky quarterback Rick Norton didn’t fare well in Miami and finished 1-10 as a starter, the Dolphins found much more success when it went back to the well in 1967.
Miami selected Purdue quarterback Bob Griese with the fourth overall pick in the 1967 NFL draft and it worked out a lot better. After those back-to-back picks, only three other quarterbacks have been selected by the Dolphins in the draft’s opening round. That’s where we start our list of the best first-rounders at each offensive position in team history:
QB: Dan Marino, Pittsburgh, No. 27 overall (1983)
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A massive no-brainer here: Marino was Miami’s first pick in 1983, a year when the draft was loaded at quarterback. A sensational junior season at Pittsburgh put Marino on the map, but a dip in senior year performance coupled with unfounded rumors caused him to fall in the draft.
John Elway was the first quarterback off the board, selected by the Baltimore Colts, only to be traded shortly after the Denver Broncos. Jim Kelly was selected No. 14 by the Buffalo Bills, and Marino was still on the board with the second to last pick in the first round. While legendary Dolphins coach Don Shula already had quarterbacks David Woodley and Don Strock help take Miami to Super Bowl XVII, Marino was too talented to pass up at No. 27 overall.
We all know the rest.
Marino is arguably the best pure-passer ever to play the game, and set the stage for the air attack style passing game we see today.
Runner-up: Bob Griese, Purdue, No. 4 overall (1967)
Honorable mention: Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama, No. 5 overall (2020)
RB/FB: Larry Csonka, Syracuse, No. 8 overall (1968)
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Miami drafted Csonka in 1968 with the No. 8 overall selection. The Syracuse rushing machine took some time to become the Hall of Fame force he was at fullback. It wasn’t until Don Shula’s arrival in 1970 that Csonka became the Dolphins’ perennial All-Pro, Pro Bowler, and eventually Canton-bound leader.
As a fullback, and combined with running mates Mercury Morris and Jim Kiick in “The Perfect Backfield,” Csonka topped 1,000 yards rushing in three straight seasons, averaging 5.1 per carry from 1971 to 1973. Miami went to three Super Bowls in that span, winning two and going a perfect 17-0 in 1972.
Csonka finished his career scoring 54 of his 64 career touchdowns with Miami. Csonka is still Miami’s all-time leading rusher with 6,737 yards, as well as team rushing touchdown king with 53.
Runner-up: Ronnie Brown, Auburn, No. 2 overall (2005)
WR: O.J. McDuffie, Penn State, No. 25 overall (1993)
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A decade after Marino’s selection that saw the quarterback dealing aces to the “Marks Brothers” in the 1980s and early 1990s, the Dolphins found a new duo in 1993. Mark Clayton and Mark Duper were no longer Dolphins, so Irving Fryar and Mark Ingram were added to fill the voids.
But Don Shula still wanted to find a new No. 1 receiver for Marino. So he went with McDuffie, a Penn State receiver and returner at No. 25 overall, who made his presence felt immediately on special teams as a rookie.
With Fryar and Ingram as Marino’s split-end and flanker wide-outs, McDuffie eased his way into slot duties for Miami. Specializing in returning punts his first year, he took one to the house against the Indianapolis Colts on ESPN’s Sunday Night Football for his first NFL touchdown.
McDuffie spent his entire eight-year NFL career with Miami and sits fourth on the franchise’s all-time receptions list, fifth in receiving yards, and sixth in touchdown receptions. As clutch as can be, McDuffie reeled in four go-ahead touchdowns and two tying scores from Marino in his career. A third-down machine moving the chains, McDuffie was fearless over the middle and one of the toughest receivers Miami ever had.
He led the NFL in receptions in 1998 with 90, as one of the early slot-receiving pioneers of the 90s. He’s one of two Dolphins to ever lead the league in catches, along with another “Juice,” Jarvis Landry, who did so in 2017 with 112.
Runner-up: Jaylen Waddle, Alabama, No. 6 overall (2021)
G/C: Mike Pouncey, Florida, No. 15 overall (2011)
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The last pure center Miami drafted, Pouncey was a machine. The No. 15 overall selection from Florida, Pouncey entered the NFL as a center and became a Pro Bowler by his third year in the NFL. He then earned a Pro Bowl nod at guard in 2014 and got another one back at center in 2015. Pouncey is one of three Dolphins to earn the honor at two different positions.
His seven years in Miami were more than enough to make him the team’s best inside offensive lineman drafted in the first round.
Runner-up: Roy Foster, USC, No. 24 overall (1982)
OT: Richmond Webb, Texas A&M, No. 9 overall (1990)
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In the 1980s, Dan Marino was kept remarkably clean. Marino even had a 19-game streak of not getting sacked from 1988 to 1989, and threw 759 passes without being sacked.
The Dolphins tried to find that same level protection at the turn of the decade by making Richmond Webb that new bodyguard. He lived up to the billing and Marino retired with a career sack percentage of just 3.1 percent, third lowest in league history. That was largely because of the big man, No. 78.
At least twice a season, he was the nightmare of legendary pass-rusher Bruce Smith of the Buffalo Bills. Smith, one of the best the game has ever seen at bringing down the quarterback, was made mortal by Webb. From 1992 through 1997, Webb didn’t miss a single start for the Dolphins and played 164 games in 11 seasons with the team.
That Webb has not been enshrined in the Hall of Fame is a travesty. With seven straight Pro Bowls from his rookie year through 1996 and a pair of All-Pro seasons in 1992 and 1994, Webb earned a justified spot on the All-Decade Team for the 1990s.
Runner-up: Laremy Tunsil, Ole Miss, No. 13 overall (2016)
Honorable mention: Vernon Carey, Miami, No. 19 overall (2004)
