| Rnd |
Pick |
(ovr) |
Player |
Comments |
| 1 |
1 |
(1) |
OT Jake Long |
The Dolphins signed Long to a 5 year deal worth approximately $58 million on Tuesday before the draft. This deal includes $30 million in guaranteed money. Jake Long was one of the top 4 or 5 players in the draft and the premier offensive lineman this year. He is expected to start immediately at left tackle, where the team hopes he will become a permanent fixture over the next 10 to 15 years.
|
| 2 |
1 |
(32) |
DE Philip Merling |
A junior who elected to come out early, Merling had 78 tackles with 7 sacks and 21 pressures last season while starting all 13 games on the nineth ranked defense in the NCAA. Merling is reportedly recovering from a sports hernia that has caused his stock to drop. If it wasn't for that, Merling was ranked as a low to middle first round pick.
|
| 2 |
26 |
(57) |
QB Chad Henne |
Acquired from San Diego for Chris Chambers. The Dolphins have been looking carefully at Henne as a possible QB for a while now. A four year starter at Michigan, Henne was a winner and a leader, but not a particularly productive passer. Statistically, his best year was actually as a freshman, when he completed 60% of his passes for 2743 yards, 25 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. As a senior, he had a shoulder injury which limited him to a 50% completion rate for 1938 yards with 17 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. His best qualities are his arm strength, size and poise in the pocket, but he lacks accuracy and doesn't always make good decisions.
|
| 3 |
1 |
(64) |
 |
Traded to Detroit for the number 66 and 176 picks. |
| 3 |
3 |
(66) |
DT Kendall Langford |
From the Detroit Lions for the first pick in the 3rd round. Langford is described as a defensive tackle in some of the draft publications, but the Dolphins have him listed as a defensive tackle/defensive end. That suggests that the Dolphins would like to move him to defensive end in their 3-4 alignment. As a senior, he recorded 72 tackles (32 solos), six sacks, 13.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage and twelve pressures in eleven games. He also caused two fumbles and returned an interception for a touchdown.
|
| 4 |
1 |
(100) |
|
Traded to Dallas for LB Akin Ayodele  and TE Anthony Fasano |
| 4 |
11 |
(110) |
OL Shawn Murphy |
From the Chicago Bears for picks number 115 and 208. The Dolphins traded up to draft Murphy, who is the son of former professional baseball star Dale Murphy. By all accounts, Murphy is a very intelligent, hardworking prospect with excellent size, strength and all the intangibles. He does not have exceptional footwork and grades out much better in the middle of the line than on the edges. According to NFL.com, he compares favorably to Justin Smiley. He only started one year at guard in college and is an older prospect, who will turn 26 this year.
|
| 4 |
16 |
(115) |
|
Traded to Chicago to move up to number 11.
From the Philadelphia Eagles for RB Lorenzo Booker.
|
| 5 |
1 |
(136) |
|
Traded to Kansas City for Trent Green last year. |
| 6 |
1 |
(167) |
|
To the Dallas Cowboys for Jason Ferguson and the number 29th pick in the 5th round. |
| 6 |
10 |
(176) |
RB Jalen Parmele |
From the Detroit Lions for the first pick in the 3rd round. Parmele is a running back of the type generally associated with Bill Parcells football. He is known for his ability to break tackles and pick up the tough yards up the middle, but is not a great cut-back runner and does not change directions well. In 2007, he picked up 1571 yards in 276 attempts for a 5.69 ypc average while scoring 14 touchdowns. He is not a great receiver, but could win a spot on the roster as a backup or as a special teams player. He also returned kickoffs in 2007, averaging 28 yards per return and scoring one touchdown.
|
| 6 |
29 |
(195) |
OG Donald Thomas |
From the Dallas Cowboys in Jason Ferguson deal. Thomas started his career as a walk-on, who was discovered in the weight room. He has progressed rapidly for a player with relatively little experience, but he still has a long way to go to become a complete player, especially at the NFL level. The best that Thomas can probably hope for this year will be a spot on the practice squad.
|
| 6 |
38 |
(204) |
RB Lex Hilliard |
Compensatory Selection. Hilliard is a big, bruising running back who can play either at the tailback or fullback position. His sized suggests he's a fullback, but his production (over 1000 rushing yards in 2007) says he can also run the ball well. The Dolphins are looking to him to provide some versatility in the backfield and possibly be a backup who can help out in either position.
|
| 7 |
1 |
(208) |
|
Traded to Chicago to move up to number 11 in the 4th round.
|
| 7 |
38 |
(245) |
DT Lionel Dotson |
Compensatory Selection. Dotson is a late-round developmental project who was somewhat hampered in college by playing for a poor team. As a senior, he racked up 50 tackles and 6.5 sacks from the interior of the defensive line. He has decent size at 6'4" and 286 pounds - for a defensive end in Miami's 3-4 defense. But there are quite a few players that he will have to beat out to prove he belongs on the regular roster.
|