‘There’s still work to be done.’ What’s next for the Dolphins after the 2023 NFL Draft?

The Dolphins didn’t address arguably their top-two positions of need until their final two picks in the 2023 NFL Draft on Saturday.

In the sixth round, Miami picked Stanford wide receiver Elijah Higgins at No. 197 overall, a productive 6-3, 235-pound pass-catcher who will convert to tight end in the NFL.

Nine natural tight ends were selected in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft, the most in the first three rounds since 1967. The Dolphins, who did not have a first-round pick as it was stripped for tampering violations, watched on Thursday night as only one tight end was selected, with Utah’s Dalton Kincaid going to the Buffalo Bills. But with limited draft capital and a desire to retain 2024 picks, the Dolphins sat idly as many of the top prospects were taken off the board.

Miami had its pick of a number of remaining tight ends when it made its first selection at No. 51, but ultimately bypassed them for South Carolina cornerback Cam Smith, staying true to its best player available philosophy. The Dolphins again went in a different direction at No. 84 with Texas A&M running back Devon Achane but were able to land a player that head coach Mike McDaniel coveted for an offense that could double as a 4x100 relay team.

And though the Dolphins got a player in Higgins who will be transitioning to a new position, McDaniel has a history of undertaking such experiments and is bullish on his potential.

“This day in age, converting a receiver to a tight end isn’t as abstract as it used to be only because half the teams are playing spread and two-points anyway,” McDaniel said Saturday night. “Even if they’re called a tight end, they’re playing receiver stuff anyway. So you get kind of used to projecting people to do things like that and we felt very comfortable and confident that he fit the bill for that, so we’re excited to have him.”

The Dolphins rounded out their four-player class by taking Michigan offensive tackle Ryan Hayes at No. 237 overall, grabbing an experienced lineman who provides depth for a unit that had a litany of injuries in the 2022 season. Hayes, a two-time All-Big Ten selection, said he has watched a film of Terron Armstead since Armstead’s former offensive line coach, Bret Ingalls, is an assistant for the Wolverines.

“With him, he’s played a lot of football,” general manager Chris Grier said. “Smart kid. Competitive. Tough. Came [to Michigan] as a tight end and converted [to offensive line] and worked. He’s been coached in a good program. Coach [Jim] Harbaugh has done a great job. Just watching him over the years develop and compete and play, so for us, we were excited at this point in the draft to add him into our group of guys coming in and competing.

The Dolphins are in the process of adding another large undrafted free agent class and could make multiple veteran signings in the coming weeks. The cap savings from cornerback Byron Jones’ post-June 1 cut will give Miami about $13.6 million, a significant amount of space around this time of the offseason.

“Like we say, it doesn’t end with the draft,” Grier said on Friday night. “There’s still guys we’re talking to in free agency, on the streets. So we’re still working through it, and we’ll keep adding the players we think fit for us.”

Grier on Saturday confirmed that the team did reach out to offensive tackle Taylor Lewan’s agent after he was released by the Tennessee Titans in February but “that’s the only conversation we’ve ever had.” Grier has said the expectation is that Austin Jackson will be the team’s starting right tackle in 2023 but the Dolphins have been looking at veteran options on the offensive line, recently hosting former Denver Bronco Cameron Fleming on a visit.

“It’s really par for the course on how Chris and his staff operate. You want to have all of the information,” McDaniel said. “The second you have someone who is not on a team, ‘Are you fancying yourself to be on a team? Are you interested in playing?’ All of those things you have to dot your I’s and cross your T’s to make the right decisions. You’ve got to have all of the information available.”

Cook still a possibility

The Dolphins’ selection of Achane, the highest pick the team has used on a running back since 2016, has brought questions about whether Miami could still pursue Minnesota Vikings All-Pro Dalvin Cook. The Dolphins had talks surrounding a trade earlier in the offseason but seemingly have a full depth chart with Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr., Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin also on the roster.

Asked whether the window was still open to adding a “veteran running back,” Grier said: “Generally, nothing is off the table. But we’re really happy with the offseason we’ve had, the players that we were able to keep on this roster, the new ones that we’ve added, that we added in the draft and that we’re going to in free agency. There will always be stuff that we’ll investigate because that’s our job. So yes.”

Dolphins don’t see Ramsey switching to safety

The Dolphins may have a logjam at cornerback after drafting Smith. Xavien Howard and Jalen Ramsey are entrenched starters, while Kader Kohou started 13 games as a rookie and Nik Needham is rehabbing from a torn Achilles but anticipating a return in training camp.

Ramsey’s versatile skill set allows him to play in the nickel position and some have projected a possible role as safety. Ramsey, who views himself as a “defensive back,” also teased the possibility on Twitter on Saturday, but Grier and McDaniel said they view him as a corner in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s scheme.

“No. Only because he’s really good at corner and so I try not to mess really good up,” McDaniel said. “The cool thing about the defensive backfield in general, I think Vic has hit this on the head a number of times, but five [defensive backs] on the field, it happens almost three-quarters of the time in the National Football League now. In Vic’s defense, in his system, if you understand it, there are a lot of different ways you can get on the field, there is some position versatility that if you go back to his history, there has been various people that have played in different spots. That has been in discussion but not with Jalen Ramsey. I would say I think he’s a good corner.”

Fifth-year option decisions

The Dolphins have already exercised quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s fifth-year option but have a May 2 deadline to make a decision on their other 2020 first-round picks, Jackson and cornerback Noah Igbinoghene.

Asked if the team has made a decision, Grier said: “No, we’ll talk about that here after the draft when we finish up.”

While it’s unlikely the Dolphins pick up the option for either after struggles in their first three seasons, doing so fully guarantees the 2024 salary, as well as any base salary in the player’s fourth year that was not fully guaranteed. The 2024 salary would be about $14.2 million for Jackson and $11.5 million for Igbinoghene.