MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins don't have a pick until late in the third round (No. 102 overall, a compensatory pick from the San Francisco 49ers) of the NFL Draft, and their four picks (one in the fourth and two in the seventh rounds) are the fewest among the 32 teams.
Here are five players who could still be on the board when it comes time for Miami to make its selection.
James Cook
Position: Running Back
College: Georgia
James Cook makes a lot of sense. First of all, he's a Miami native who attended Miami Central Senior High School. The brother of former Florida State and current Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook capped his senior season at Georgia with a career-best in rushing (728 yards and seven touchdowns) and receiving (27 catches and four scores), including a career-high 112 receiving yards in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Orange Bowl, despite only starting three games. Cook was part of a running back-by-committee for the Bulldogs, who went on to win the national championship, but on any other team he would have likely been the featured back.
Isaiah Spiller
Position: Running Back
College: Texas A&M
If Cook isn't available, there's always Isaiah Spiller, who led Texas A&M with 1,011 rushing yards last season. Spiller had 16 games rushing for 100 yards or more in his three-year career playing for Jimbo Fisher. He's already scored two touchdowns at Hard Rock Stadium, where the Aggies defeated North Carolina 41-27 in the Orange Bowl to cap his sophomore season.
Dohnovan West
Position: Center
School: Arizona State
Dohnovan West is listed as a center in the draft, but he's willing to play wherever he's needed along the offensive line. That might be appealing to the Dolphins, who could use a center in need of some grooming. West moved to center one week before the start of his freshman season at Arizona State. He started all four games for the Sun Devils during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, earning first-team All-Pacific 12 Conference honors. West started 12 games last season before missing the bowl game after undergoing hand surgery.
Darian Kinnard
Position: Offensive Tackle
College: Kentucky
Darian Kinnard played in 46 games at Kentucky, starting 39 consecutive games. A consensus All-American, Kinnard was the recipient of the 2021 Jacobs Blocking Trophy, presented annually to the best blocker in the Southeastern Conference. He led the Wildcats offensive line with 30 knockdown blocks as a senior.
Brandon Smith
Position: Linebacker
School: Penn State
Brandon Smith would fill a need for Miami. The Penn State linebacker recorded 132 total tackles, four sacks and an interception in three seasons with the Nittany Lions. Smith is also speedy for a linebacker, running a 4.52-second 40-yard dash during the combine.
