Although the Miami Dolphins have selected numerous outstanding players over the years, none have gained as much notoriety as quarterback Dan Marino, and Dolphins supporters are unlikely to argue with him.
A list titled “The best NFL draft pick ever at every slot from No. 1 to 262” was just released by ESPN’s Ben Solak. This list, which dates back to 1967, rates the top players selected at each spot. The Dolphins wouldn’t be much impacted because they didn’t join the NFL until 1966.
Here is Solak’s rough criteria (before you enter the comments section and unload on the poor guy):
-I took “best” to mean some combination of “most talented” and “most successful.”
-In order to be the best draft pick, you kind of have to play for the team that drafted you.
-There isn’t a bump for QB value (unless it was inescapable).
Dan Marino, No. 27, 1983
“Another extremely simple choice for me. Marino was just as talented as any of the historically great quarterbacks, while without their accessories (one MVP, no rings, etc.). Marino was the first player to ever surpass 5,000 yards in a season and led the league in passing yards five times, second only to Drew Brees’ seven most productive seasons, according to Solak. “In 1984, when unlawful contact was also regarded as legal contact, he did it.”
Despite only playing in one Super Bowl and losing to Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers in 1984, he is unquestionably one of the best quarterbacks of all time. Could you could name a few of his running backs from memory? Yes, but I’ll take care of it for you. You get the idea from Tony Nathan, Lorenzo Hampton, Sammie Smith, Bobby Humphrey, Irving Spikes, and Bernie Parmalee.
How badly the New York Jets handled this
Hearing media and fan criticism of a team’s draft selections after the fact is annoying. particularly if a team passed on a guy who didn’t fit a position they were interested in. But what if, say, twice in a three-year period, a team desired a particular role and hired the incorrect person?
Fun fact: In the history of the NFL (the Super Bowl era, of course), it has only happened once, in 1982, when both clubs in the conference championship game selected a quarterback in the first round the following year. Both teams selected a signal caller in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft after the Dolphins defeated the New York Jets in the 1982 AFC Championship Game. Strange, huh? Because their quarterback was so good, most people would assume that at least one team was present during those games. In 1982, David Woodley was with the Dolphins while Richard Todd was with the Jets.
Thus, Ken O’Brien was selected by the Jets 24th overall from UC Davis, surpassing Marino. Since that is what Jets supporters do, it goes without saying that they jeered the selection when it was made. Do Philadelphia Eagles fans boo a lot, as you believe they do? Watch the Jets fans vent about their team on tape during any NFL Draft. O’Brien wasn’t Marino, but he wasn’t a poor quarterback either.
The Jets were looking for a wide receiver in 1985. Fantastic, get one! They did, selecting Al Toon from the University of Wisconsin with the tenth pick. Toon was a superb receiver, but regrettably, concussions ended his playing days. Though guess who was still on the board, it wasn’t a poor choice. Rice, Jerry.
For how many years, then, could the Jets have had Marino throwing to Rice? That must hurt, and if you’re a Dolphins supporter, you must like their enduring incompetence, don’t you?
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