Miami Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland has channeled his inner Dan Snyder this off-season, throwing gobs of cash at big-name free agents, scheduling visits with seemingly every notable player available, and making it known that the Dolphins are ready to seriously contend behind the second-year duo of head coach Joe Philbin and quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
2013 NFL mock draft: Desmond Trufant to Miami Dolphins
Sean Smith left via free agency, and the Dolphins could draft his replacement early.
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They did, however, lose cornerback Sean Smith on the open market, and could be on the lookout for a replacement early in the 2013 NFL Draft.
| Team | Player | Position | Height | Weight | Class |
| Miami Dolphins | Desmond Trufant, Washington | CB | 6'0" | 190 | SR |
| Kevin Nogle: "With all of their free agency moves, the Dolphins have opened this spot to just about any pick. Guys like Jonathan Cooper, Lane Johnson and Sheldon Richardson are all worthy of looks here, but I think this comes down to West Virginia wide receiver Tavon Austin or Trufant. I would not be surprised at all for Miami to take Austin, which would bring a ton of speed to an offense that has sorely missed it the past few years. However, with Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline, Davone Bess and Brandon Gibson, the wide receiver position is starting to back up. Rumors that the team could be looking to trade Bess would open the pick back up to Austin, but for now, I don't see it - even if he is the pick I, personally, would like the most. "Instead, I think Miami looks to shore up their biggest need remaining, cornerback. With Dee Milliner off the board, Trufant and Florida State's Xavier Rhodes are the best corners available. I don't think the Dolphins will look at Rhodes, as he’s not a fit for the system they are trying to build, especially after Sean Smith struggled. Rhodes appears best in a press coverage type of defense, while Trufant is at home in man-to-man or zone schemes. Trufant's instincts and coverage ability will be exactly what the Dolphins want. He holds his own against bigger wide receivers, and his closing speed will help with the quicker wide receivers. He is not afraid of contact and will be an asset in run defense as well as in coverage, something that is important to the Dolphins. "Don't be surprised if the Dolphins throw the first curveball of the draft, especially after the free agency period we have seen, but most likely, Trufant tops Austin come April." |  | ||||
Here’s our own Dan Kadar to break down the pick:
I’m not quite as confident the Dolphins will be looking at a wide receiver after giving big money to Mike Wallace and re-signing Brian Hartline. For a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2008, investing multiple times at the same position in one offseason would be unwise.
In our scenario, the best pick is probably Lane Johnson. While Jonathan Martin could move to the left side, the whole line could be bolstered by a player of Johnson’s caliber. It’s much like Chargers pick. The offensive tackle group drops off after Johnson. The cornerback class is deep this year. There’s going to be a few good ones to choose from when Miami comes up in the second round.
That’s the third and final pick today, so we’ll see y’all bright and early Wednesday morning for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and pick No. 13.
Top 5 Players Remaining
| # | Player | Pos. | College | Ht. | Wt. |
| 5 | Sheldon Richardson * | DT | Missouri | 6'3" | 294 |
| 11 | Bjoern Werner * | DE | Florida State | 6'3" | 266 |
| 12 | Jonathan Cooper | OG | North Carolina | 6'2" | 311 |
| 13 | Lane Johnson | OT | Oklahoma | 6'6" | 303 |
| 15 | Arthur Brown | LB | Kansas State | 6'0" | 241 |
2013 SB Nation NFL Writers’ Mock Draft Results
| No. | Team | Player | Pos. | College |
| 1 | Kansas City Chiefs | Luke Joeckel | OT | Texas A&M |
| 2 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Geno Smith | QB | West Virginia |
| 3 | Oakland Raiders | Sharrif Floyd | DT | Florida |
| 4 | Philadelphia Eagles | Eric Fisher | OT | Central Michigan |
| 5 | Detroit Lions | Ezekiel Ansah | DE | BYU |
| 6 | Cleveland Browns | Dion Jordan | OLB | Oregon |
| 7 | Arizona Cardinals | Barkevious Mingo | OLB | LSU |
| 8 | Buffalo Bills | Jarvis Jones | OLB | Georgia |
| 9 | New York Jets | Chance Warmack | OG | Alabama |
| 10 | Tennessee Titans | Dee Milliner | CB | Alabama |
| 11 | San Diego Chargers | Star Lotulelei | DT | Utah |
| 12 | Miami Dolphins | Desmond Trufant | CB | Washington |
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