Dolphins’ pick of Wilkins seems safe, smart

DAVIE – How about it, Dolfans, are you jumping for joy about the pick of Christian Wilkins in the first round Thursday?

The ebullient defensive tackle from Clemson was after Miami selected him with the 13^th pick. Wilkins was so delighted he leaped shoulder-first into stunned NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and followed it up with a chest bump and bear hug.

Whether or not Miami GM Chris Grier and Co. made the right call in selecting Wilkins over Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins – there were several other solid options on the boards at several positions – will be the debate that follows this Dolphins draft.

The first one to weigh in on that was Wilkins.

“He told us it was the best decision we ever made when we picked him,” Grier said.

Wilkins is immediately likable and interesting, and certainly not lacking for confidence. He said he can’t wait to get to Miami and try to help fill the void of Dwyane Wade’s retirement.

He’s got a winning personality. Now he must back it up on the field. That will take time to play out.

But it’s tough to quibble with the first choice. If the Dolphins considered Haskins the quarterback they’ve been seeking, he was there for them. Some other teams with quarterback needs also lacked conviction about Haskins before the Redskins took him two picks after the Dolphins grabbed Wilkins.

The big surprise was the Giants picking Duke’s Daniel Jones at No. 6. They will groom him as the successor to Eli Manning, whom he resembles in stature and style.

But the current NFL quarterback that most comes to mind in watching Jones is Ryan Tannehill. The Dolphins, who showed some interest in Jones in recent weeks, certainly didn’t need to reprise that episode.

It was no surprise Miami opted for a defense player, considering coach Brian Flores’ background as a defensive coach in New England. Marion Hobby, the Dolphins’ new defensive line coach, recruited Wilkins and coached him as an assistant at Clemson.

What the Dolphins got Thursday was a needed building block. If this rebuilding team doesn’t lay a solid foundation on the offensive and defensive lines it won’t get far.

For all their shortcomings in 2018, none was more glaring than their inability to stop anyone.

An offensive lineman in one of the next two rounds would make sense with only Laremy Tunsil the only starter with pedigree.

Eventually, they must find a quarterback to lead them into playoff contention. But the available quarterback choices didn’t seem worthy of the No. 13 pick this time. As Grier pointed out recently, quarterbacks in the first round are hit-and-miss.

They may yet select a quarterback in this draft to compete with veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, or that may become the top priority in 2020, when Tua Tagovailoa heads what is regarded as a loaded crop of passers.

The Dolphins have plenty of work to do in roster building before then. That began and continues the next two days.

This draft carries extra importance for the Dolphins because they have committed to building with young talent after striking out with high-priced free agents and other veteran signees in recent years.

 For this to be a clear success they need to land starting level talent in the first three rounds. It’s not easy to do, but it’s long past time for the Dolphins to exceed the norm.

Poor drafting has held Miami back for the past two decades and a big reason they’ve won just one game in the postseason this millennium.

This is Grier’s fourth year directing the Dolphins’ draft. The previous three have been a mixed bag in the crucial top three rounds.

Minkah Fitzpatrick, Laremy Tunsil and Xavien Howard were solid editions. Others, including Charles Harris, Mike Gesicki and Cordrea Tankersley have yet to pan out, and linebackers Raekwon McMillan and Jerome Baker are starters but still have some convincing to do that they are long-term answers.

Wilkins looks like a solid choice to start with. If the No. 1 pick was correct in his assessment, Grier only needs six comparable decisions over the next two days.

Craig Davis (@CraigDavisRuns) is a veteran newspaper writer who now contributes to Dolphin Maven and Five Reasons Sports, among other outlets.