Possible Targets – Chad Henne, Michigan; Joe Flacco, Delaware; John David Booty, USC; Colt Brennan, Hawaii; Dennis Dixon, Oregon

Running Back – It is unknown whether or not Ronnie Brown will be fully recovered from his multiple ligament tears by training camp in July.  However, the Dolphins have renewed Ricky Williams contract for another year and they also have Lorenzo Booker and Jesse Chatman under contract.  Drafting Darren McFadden is an option but there are many more dire needs.  If the Dolphins draft a RB, it will be in the late rounds.

Possible Targets – Justin Forsett, California; Rafael Little, Kentucky; Anthony Alridge, Houston; Ryan Torain, Arizona State; Chauncey Washington, USC

Wide Receiver – Chris Chambers, perhaps the Dolphins biggest receiving threat, was shipped to San Diego early in the 2007 season.  Marty Booker is aging and is a candidate to be cut.  Ted Ginn, a threat in the return game, is still very raw.  Derek Hagan showed some promise this year and will be back.  A true number one target is missing.  No prospects are worth the number one pick.  However, the draft is deep and a slew of potential picks will be available at the top and bottom of the second.  A WR is a necessity, sooner rather than later.  They should target one in round two or three.

Possible Targets – Adarius Bowman, Oklahoma State; Donnie Avery, Houston; Devin Thomas, Michigan State; Jordy Nelson, Kansas State; Keenan Burton, Kentucky

Tight End – A Parcells run team has always featured a stud TE (Mark Bavaro, Ben Coates, Kyle Brady, Jason Witten).  He and Sparano inherit David Martin and Justin Peelle, names that don’t resonate like Antonio Gates or Tony Gonzalez.  The Dolphins may use their third round selection on a player to groom into a stud (like Randy McMichael, a fourth round selection in 2002).  The two biggest names in the 2008 draft class are Fred Davis (USC) and John Carlson (Notre Dame).  They are unlikely to be available in the third.

Possible Targets – Martellus Bennett, Texas A&M; Martin Rucker, Missouri; Jermichael Finley, Texas; Dustin Keller, Purdue; Jacob Tamme, Kentucky

Offensive Line – Perhaps the Dolphins best selection in the 2007 draft was second rounder Samson Satele out of Hawaii.  He could be the Dolphins center for years to come.  The O-line in general wasn’t awful last year, although their performance seemed to drop as the season progressed.  Unfortunately, Hudson Houck, their genius offensive line coach was dismissed and signed with Dallas.  New Head Coach Tony Sparano was an offensive line coach for Dallas and will probably spend a lot of time with the unit.  A few veterans will be brought in to help stabilize the line.  Perhaps Flozell Adams, a free agent LT from Dallas, can be signed moving Vernon Carey back to RT and L.J. Shelton in to guard.  Miami will most likely look for some rookie depth in rounds four through seven, possibly adding a guard and a tackle.

Possible Targets – Tony Hills, Texas; Heath Benedict, Newberry; Kirk Barton, Ohio State; Barry Richardson, Clemson; Pedro Sosa, Rutgers

Defensive Line – The Dolphins lack a true nose tackle for their 3-4, the system that will become more prominent under Sparano and Parcells.  Keith Traylor was kicked off the team after a confrontation with former Coach Cameron at the end of the 2007 season leaving only rookie Paul Soliai as a possible replacement.  The other tackles are undersized for the 3-4.  It is more likely that Miami finds a NT through free agency.  At defensive end the Dolphins return Matt Roth, who had a steady season, Vonnie Holliday, and Jason Taylor.  Taylor is a playmaker and could lineup at DE in 3-4 or at rush linebacker opposite Joey Porter.  If Taylor stays at OLB, Holliday and Roth are the DEs.  Both are expected back.  Depth is a need.  If the Dolphins become a predominantly 3-4 team than drafting Glen Dorsey would be a mistake.  Chris Long would be an immediate starter.  A rotation of Long, Holliday, and Roth would be great.  There is a good chance that Chris Long is the number one selection.  Depth is needed at nose tackle in later rounds.

Possible Targets (Round) – Tackles: Chris Long, Virginia (1^st); Glen Dorsey, LSU (1^st); Pat Sims, Auburn (2^nd); Red Bryant, Texas A&M (3^rd); Frank Okam, Texas (3^rd); Ends: Philip Merling, Clemson (2^nd); Lawrence Jackson, USC (2^nd); Kendall Langford, Hampton (4^th); Jason Jones, Eastern Michigan (4^th); Johnny Dingle, West Virginia (6^th)

Linebacker – The Dolphins have one of the league’s best in Zach Thomas.  However his injury plagued campaign and his age have raised questions about whether or not he’ll be back in a Dolphins uniform in 2008.  Hopefully he returns.  When Jason Taylor is playing as a LB the Dolphins have a solid core with Taylor and Porter on the outside and Thomas teamed with Crowder inside.  Depth and players to groom are needed.  A veteran or two may be brought in but it’d be nice to bring in a rookie as well, most likely in the later rounds.

Possible Targets – Wesley Woodyard, Kentucky; Robert James, Arizona State; Ezra Butler; Nevada; Vince Hall, Virginia Tech; Jonathan Goff, Vanderbilt

Cornerback – The Dolphins seem to collect players that are nothing more than nickelbacks.  Will Allen is old and Travis Daniels has regressed since his strong rookie season in 2005.  Andre Goodman and Michael Lehan are average.  A true number one would be nice and is one way the Dolphins could go with one of their second round picks.

Possible Targets – Brandon Flowers, Virginia Tech; Reggie Smith, Oklahoma; Antoine Cason, Arizona; Tracy Porter, Indiana; Justin King, Penn State

Safety – A revolving door in 2007.  The last Dolphins safety to make an impact may have been Brock Marion circa 2000.  Jason Allen has been a bust and is little more than a nickelback.  Cameron Worrell is a special teams standout and that is it.  Both Travares Tillman and Renaldo Hill will be coming off of ACL tears and may not be ready for training camp (so is Worrell).  Yeremiah Bell, who played a handful of snaps in the first game of 2007 before tearing an Achilles, is a free agent and may not be back.  A lot of help is needed here.  The Dolphins, barring a trade, will not be in position to take Kenny Phillips in round one.  They could look at that position in round two but are more likely to find some depth in the later rounds.

Possible Targets – Thomas DeCoud, California; Marcus Griffin, Texas; Dejuan Morgan, North Carolina State; Tyrell Johnson, Arkansas State; Jamar Adams, Michigan

It is clear that the Dolphins have a plethora of needs at every position.  The complete renovation of this franchise will take two offseasons.  They can establish a strong base this year and then possibly challenge for a wild card spot in 2009.  Below is a best case scenario for the 2008 draft as well as compilation of Miami’s past five drafts.

Michael Abromowitz's 2008 NFL Mock Draft
Gregory Cox's 2008 NFL Mock Draft
Paul Eide's 2008 NFL Mock Draft
Jared Donnelly's 2008 NFL Mock Draft
Mock Draft Database