Hindsight is always 20/20 but a look at what the Dolphins could've been

For several years now, it has been a pretty well-known fact that the Miami Dolphins have not drafted well. Granted, they have drafted better in recent years, but they still haven't been very good. In this article, I will be reviewing who the Dolphins could have drafted in the spot they were in the draft starting back from the 2009 Draft.

2009 Draft
Round 1: Vontae Davis | CB
Round 2: Andy Levitre | OG
Round 2: Sean Smith | CB
Round 3: Rashad Johnson | S
Round 4: Brian Hartline | WR
Round 5: Chris Clemons | S
Round 5: Jarius Wynn | DT
Round 6: Andrew Gardner | OT
Round 7: Julian Edelman | WR

2010 Draft
Round 1: Earl Thomas | FS
Round 2: Koa Misi | LB
Round 3: Jimmy Graham | TE
Round 4: Geno Atkins | DT
Round 5: Antonio Brown | WR
Round 5: Reshad Jones | SS
Round 7: J'Marcus Webb | OT
Round 7: Austin Spitler | LB

2011 Draft
Round 1: Nate Solder | OT
Round 2: DeMarco Murray | RB
Round 4: Julius Thomas | TE
Round 6: Charles Clay | FB/H-Back
Round 7: Malcolm Smith | LB
Round 7: Jimmy Wilson | CB/S

2012 Draft
Round 1: Ryan Tannehill | QB
Round 2: Alshon Jeffery | WR
Round 3: Olivier Vernon | DE
Round 3: T.Y. Hilton | WR
Round 4: Ben Jones | C
Round 5: Alfred Morris | RB
Round 6: Danny Travethan | LB
Round 6: Rishard Matthews | WR
Round 7: Bryce Brown | RB

2013 Draft
Round 1: Xavier Rhodes | CB
Round 2: Jamie Collins | LB
Round 2: Terron Armstead | OT
Round 3: Demontre Moore | DE
Round 3: Will Davis | CB
Round 4: Jelani Jenkins | LB
Round 4: Earl Watford | OG 
Round 5: David Quessenberry | OT
Round 5: Caleb Sturgis | K
Round 7: Don Jones | S

2014 Draft
Round 1 Ja'Wuan James | OT
Round 2: Jarvis Landry | WR
Round 3: Billy Turner | OG
Round 4: Walt Aikens | CB/S
Round 5: Corey Linsley | C
Round 5: Jordan Tripp | LB
Round 6: Terence Fede | DE
Round 7: Seantrell Henderson | OT

When you look at the changes made in these drafts, you begin to realize the kind of talent that the Dolphins missed out on. When taking into account all the draft changes and assuming the Dolphins still signed some of  free agents they already have, here's a rough look at how the Dolphins roster could look right now.

QB: Ryan Tannehill, Matt Moore
RB: DeMarco Murray, Alfred Morris, Bryce Brown, Damien Williams
WR: Alshon Jeffery, Antoino Brown, T.Y. Hilton, Brian Hartline, Jarvis Landry, Rishard Matthews
TE: Jimmy Graham, Julius Thomas, Charles Clay (FB/H-Back)

OT: Nate Solder, Ja'Wuan James, Terron Armstead, Seantrell Henderson 
OG: Andy Levitre, Billy Turner, Earl Watford, David Quessenberry, Andrew Gardner,
C: Ben Jones, Corey Linsley

DE: Cameron Wake, Olivier Vernon, Demontre Moore, Chris McCain, Terrence Fede
DT: Geno Atkins, Randy Startks, Earl Mitchell, Anthony Johnson
LB:  Koa Misi, Malcolm Smith, Danny Trevathan, Jamie Collins, Jelani Jenkins, Jordan Tripp

CB: Brent Grimes, Xavier Rhodes, Vontae Davis, Sean Smith, Will Davis,
S: Reshad Jones, Rashad Johnson, Earl Thomas, Jimmy Wilson, Don Jones

K: Caleb Sturgis
P: Brandon Fields
KR: Jarvis Landry
PR: Antonio Brown

While this is just an exercise and would be impossible because of the salary cap, it goes to show that the Dolphins have clearly not drafted as well as they should or could have. In order for the Dolphins to get better, their front office and coaching staff need to get better.

The front office needs to get better by drafting better and signing free agents only to fill minor holes. The coaching staff has to get better by developing better players. Players like Dion Jordan, Jamar Taylor, and Will Davis are all players that come to mind when you think of player development. 

Stability is certainly something that can help an organization - think the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots. But change is also necessary sometimes in order to improve, and this exercise has shown that there is change that needs to be made in the front office and coaching staff across the board.  

This column was written by Seth Fisher. Follow him on Twitter: @SethAFisher13