It’s safe to say that the Miami Dolphins have a unique way of conducting business when it comes to acquiring talent for their team.
The reason that’s said is because in the 2012 NFL Draft the Dolphins found a gem when they drafted the hometown hero, running back Lamar Miller in the fourth round of the. After 32 teams in the league passed on Miller three times the Dolphins took a flyer from the running back from Miami Killian. The move couldn’t have been smarter because the shifty but dynamic running back became their workhorse for the next three seasons. Four years later and Miller had one 1,000 yard season, two 900 yard seasons and had three seasons where he scored at least seven touchdowns. In such a short period of time Miller became a dynamic running back that fans were proud to have a part of their team.
Four years with the franchise and Miller had one 1,000 yard season, two seasons where he had at least 700 yards, and he scored, at least, nine touchdowns in each of his last two years with the franchise. In such a short period of time, Miller became a dynamic running back that fans were proud to have a part of their team. What made it even sweeter was the fact that Miller was only 24-years-old and he was only going to get better as he started to hit the prime of his career.
That’s why a lot of fans were upset that the Dolphins didn’t make a serious enough offer to keep Miller in Miami and now he’s the new franchise back for the Houston Texans. To make matters worse the situation could’ve been avoided had management signed Miller in 2014, the year before his contract expired.
Now that there’s yet another hole in the Dolphins roster, they’ll have to address their lack of a running back. But what’s insane is that the Dolphins brought in Arian Foster from the Texans, the guy who just lost his job to Miller and is freshly removed from a torn ACL.
Should the Dolphins attempt to sign the 30-year-old Foster? Or should they start to look for another running back who’s younger, will have a cheaper contract and fresher legs?
In the 2016 NFL Draft, you couldn’t convince most people that there is a better running back than Ezekiel Elliot. Even though the stocky running back hails from Ohio State, which is one of the most hated schools here in South Florida, Elliot was spectacular during his three seasons playing under the leadership of Urban Meyer. Elliot in three seasons finished with the second-most rushing yards in school history (3,961). He scored 44 touchdowns in three seasons which is ranked fourth in school history and he left school with a national championship.
Outside of his physical attributes. Elliot might be one of the most confident players in the draft and that’s exactly what the Dolphins are missing on their team. When discussing the opportunity to get selected by the New York Giants with the tenth pick in the 2016 NFL draft, he spoke about the success that the team could have.
“I think we could go win a Super Bowl pretty early.”
-2016 NFL Draft prospect Ezekiel Elliott
Now in a league like the NFL where everyone is literally trying to take your head off every play, Elliot already has half of the battle won because he has confidence in his abilities. That’s exactly the type of running back that the Miami Dolphins need entering into the beginning of next year.
Now we’ll just have to play the waiting game to see if they’ll be wise enough to take him.
D’Joumbarey A. Moreau covers sports in Miami-Dade & Broward County. You can follow him on Twitter @DJoumbarey
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