Some late-round options in the 2018 Draft could round out the Phins Running Back stable
Drake and Gore could use an extra Running Back to help carry the load
The Dolphins will go into the 2018 Season with Kenyan Drake as their feature running back and Frank Gore as his primary relief.
Phinsnews was one of the first to put a stake in the ground on the wisdom of the Ajayi trade and the huge upside of Drake back in early December. Also, we are very high on Gore being brought in and we wrote about it with a film study here…
…But Gore–entering his 14th season–is a stop-gap. The 2018 Season could easily be his last year in the league. So most fans, experts, and the best bookie services are betting that the Dolphins will use one of their picks on a Running Back. At what round is the unknown.
One of the few things this organization has shown over the years is the capacity to find quality running backs: Ajayi, Drake, Miller, and Williams (an undrafted RB). So there’s no reason why they shouldn’t take a chance on drafting a running back in this upcoming draft. RB is a deep position in the draft and there are some very intriguing prospects that should be available, even some mid-way through the 3rd day.
A good rookie Running Back would be a huge insurance policy
Three players I would like to draw attention to are Akrum Wadley, Jaylen Samuels, and Nyheim Hines.
The key asset of these three young men is that they aren’t just runner, but are also excellent receivers. Gase prefers to have running backs he can utilize in the passing game. So some of these players might make sense at a bargain basement price.
Wadley is a smaller back at 5’9” 194 pounds from Big 10 school Iowa, but he may be one of the best passing catching running backs in the entire draft. Last year he had 28 receptions for 353 yards and 3 touchdowns, and the year before he had 36 catches for 315 yards and 3 touchdowns. Oh and he also can return kicks as well. His special team value could be another draw for the Dolphins. In case you’re wondering, he was also a productive runner with 1,109 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns and a 4.4 YPC average in 2017 against top College competition.
Running Backs have a short shelf life, so it’s wise to have quality backups
Jaylen Samuels and Nyheim Hines both played for NC State and each player was able to display their versatility on the ground and through the air:
Samuels will likely end up an H-Back in the NFL–à la Charles Clay. He racked up a ridiculous 76 catches for 597 yards and 4 touchdowns thru the air in 2017. Clearly, he could be a very dangerous weapon in Gase’s offense, and he also can run the ball. He ran for 403 yards last season and 12 touchdowns and had an impressive 5.2 YPC last season.
Hines received the bulk of the carries for the wolf pack last season and had an even better YPC average of 5.6 with 1,112 yards and 12 touchdowns. But he is also a threat catching passes out of the backfield. Hines racked up 69 receptions for 677 yards and 1 touchdown in his last two years at NC State. Lastly, he also averaged 25 yards per kick return over his last 3 seasons and scored 2 touchdowns, and averaged 11.3 yards per punt return and 1 touchdown. Not too shabby.
Miami has plenty of needs and that could make them wait till later rounds to find one
Each of these players could prove to be excellent value on the 3rd day of the draft if Miami doesn’t use a premium pick on an HB Day 1 or Day 2. I lean towards one being taken by the 4th Round with the early #123 pick, which will likely garner them a tier higher in RB talent than Akrum Wadley, Jaylen Samuels, and Nyheim Hines. But the draft is crazy. They might find themselves using the latter 4th or even their 6th to get one. Or there could be a run on RBs, which would drive up the value and make Miami reach. What are the rest of the Miami Dolphins News fans thoughts about drafting one of these running backs?