My RB Man-Crush This Year!

(Iowa State RB Breece Hall)

My biggest disappointment with the way our Dolphins has drafted in the rebuild is their failure to draft a top RB in the NFL draft. In the 2020 NFL draft I was pounding the table for Miami to draft my favorite RB in that Draft Jonathan Taylor. Why was I so high on Taylor? It was because I grew up in Wisconsin and as a Badger Fan, I knew that Taylor was a special player. 

Unfortunately, Miami passed on him twice in the area I was expecting him to be drafted first at pick # 30 when they shocked me and drafted CB Noah Igbinoghene with the 30th pick. We all know how that has turned out so far and it is due to no fault of Igbinoghene! 

It truly is the FLAW in GM Chris Grier’s draft strategy as he believes in drafting the BPA no matter the need. I have disagreed with that philosophy from day one, I believe you should draft the best player available based on team need until you plug all the holes and then draft BPA ONCE ALL YOUR HOLES ARE PLUGGED. 

Drafting Igbinoghene when we had TWO of the top CBs in the league and both being solidified as starters as well as being two of the top highest paid CBs in the league was just a wasted pick IMO. 

Miami also had the 39th pick in that draft and Jonathan Taylor was still on the board and I was praying that Miami would draft him there but once again they passed him up and drafted G Robert Hunt  instead, now that was a better choice because it was a position of need, but I ask you who would you rather have on our roster Taylor, Hunt or Igbinoghene? This is no hindsight as I was calling for Miami to draft a TOP RB since the start of the rebuild! 

I believe when you are breaking in a rookie QB that his best friend is a power RB and good defense and to this day Miami has failed this team by not drafting a power RB. A top RB also helps the defense as he can help keep drives alive and allow our defense to rest and play lights out throughout the game. Also, it benefits a young O-Line because they can focus on run blocking and knowing they have a BULL behind them than a Chihuahua can give that young line some help. We all know that Jonathan Taylor is the top RB in the league after Derrick Henry went down. 

So, thinking Miami would be wiser in the 2021 NFL draft I identified another power RB that Miami should draft and that was Tua Tagovailoa’s college roommate and star RB Najee Harris. As the draft approached many expressed that they do not think teams should draft an RB in the first round, I on the other hand do not subscribe to that opinion as I feel if you need an RB why not get the best coming out even if that means drafting him in round one if you need one! 

Unfortunately, once again Miami passed up on Harris and drafted DE/LB Jaelan Phillips also a position of need but IMO Miami’s defense was good enough at the time and focusing on offensive needs was more important this year. So, I would have drafted Harris over Phillips. Now in hindsight drafting Jaelan Phillips has worked out very well but the 2022 NFL draft is LOADED with incredibly good DE/LB’s and having Waddle, Harris and Tua playing professional football together would have been special! 

Both Jonathan Taylor (#1) and Najee Harris (#6) are ranked in the top of the league as RB’s while Myles Gaskin our starting RB is ranked 31st and as much as I absolutely LOVE Myles the fact is he is not a BULL but is a Chihuahua due to his stature and thus he fails to break tackles and is easily taken down at the line of scrimmage. 

Miami did draft a young power RB this year but once again they dug in the bottom of the draft and used another 7th round pick on RB Gerrid Doaks and there is a reason he was ranked as a lower round pick. I am holding out hope that next year in training camp that Doaks comes in and earn some playing time. 

This now leads me to year 3 and the 2022 NFL draft and I have a new favorite RB that I can only hope Miami wises up and take in round 2 if he is there and he is Iowa State RB 
Breece Hall he is exactly what I like in a RB as he is 6′-1″ and 220LBS with room to add 5-10 LBS and then Miami will have a young Bull to help this team in the RB room. 

Breece Hall College Career: 

Freshman season 

Following the departure of David Montgomery for the NFL, Hall became Iowa State’s starting running back during his true freshman season. He was named the co-Newcomer of the Week after rushing 132 yards and three touchdowns 38–14 win over West Virginia. Hall repeated as Newcomer of the Week the following week after rushing for 183 yards and two touchdowns while also catching three passes for 73 yards. He finished the season with 897 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns while also catching 23 passes for 252 yards and one touchdown and was named second team All-Big 12. 

Sophomore season 

Hall rushed for over 100 yards in eight straight games to start his sophomore season. Hall finished the season as the FBS leader in rushing yards with 1,572 on 279 carries and 21 rushing touchdowns while also catching 23 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns. Hall was named first team All-Big 12 and the conference Offensive Player of the Year and became the first unanimous first team All-American in school history. 

I can only hope Miami will wise up and show respect to the RB position as this is the time of the year where we NEED a power RB and sifting through worn down veteran RBs to come in and help why not get a young stud highly valued in the draft? 

I am prying harder that it happens this year. 

Runner Up’s: 

• Isaiah Spiller, Texas A&M 
• Kenneth Walker III