once we hit the first week. We have athletic guys in that second level. We’ll give them opportunities to make plays, and they’ll make them.”McMillan and Baker were nowhere to be found on McCaffrey’s long

The Miami Dolphins are tearing down the team in an effort to rebuild the foundation and set the conditions for sustained success rather than trying to continually throw quick fixes at an aging..."The Miami Dolphins are tearing down the team in an effort to rebuild the foundation and set the conditions for sustained success rather than trying to continually throw quick fixes at an aging roster. It has lead to players like Ryan Tannehill Jakeem Grant Jersey , Cameron Wake, Frank Gore, Robert Quinn, Danny Amendola, Ja’Wuan James, and Andre Branch being released, traded, or signing with another team in free agency. Miami is clearing their salary cap issues from years of signing big name, and big money, free agents while setting the stage of a dramatic overhaul of the roster, with younger players growing together and, hopefully, jump starting a franchise mired in mediocrity. That jump start is going to begin with the NFL Draft. Teams needs to build through the draft, then band-aid with some key free agent signings. Miami is getting younger, and their starting point is not this year’s Draft or the 2020 Draft, but rather, last year’s Draft. If the team can put together three strong drafts Vincent Taylor Jersey , then they will be headed in the right direction.2018 NFL Draft1 - Minkah Fitzpatrick, S, Alabama2 - Mike Gesicki, TE, Penn State3 - Jerome Baker, LB, Ohio State4 - Durham Smythe, LB, Notre Dame4 - Kalen Ballage, RB, Arizona State6 - Cornell Armstrong, CB, Southern Miss7 - Quentin Poling, LB, Ohio7 - Jason Sanders, K, New MexicoFitzpatrick is going to be a star in the league Albert Wilson Jersey , Baker took his place as a starting linebacker, and Sanders is the team’s kicker. That’s three starters right off the bat for the Dolphins in the 2018 Draft. Gesicki and Smythe will develop, and they are playing at a position where few rookies shine. If Gesicki can become a starting tight end, Miami is ahead of the curve when it comes to good draft classes. Ballage is the primary backup - and could be a full platoon option if Miami does not go with a true workhorse running back - to starter Kenyan Drake. Armstrong and Poling are both depth options on the roster right now.That is a good start to making 2018 a really good Draft for the Dolphins, and could be the first of the three good Drafts in a row that will really set up the franchise. That leaves the 2019 and 2020 Drafts as the key to Miami’s rebuild.And the Dolphins should have plenty of ammunition to make things happen over the next to years. Here are the team’s picks in 2019 and 2020 as of April 3rd.2019 NFL Draft123457 (TEN - Tannehill)7 (PIT via CLE - Landry)(MIA 6th to TEN in RT17 trade)(MIA 7th to DET in Spence trade)2020 NFL Draft12344 (TEN - Tannehill)566 (DAL - Quinn)77 (KC - Lucas)(Plus comp picks for James, Wake)Miami has 17 picks in the next two years, with James and Wake potentially moving that number to 19. The 2019 Draft is likely going to be the inside work for the team, taking advantage of a deep class of prospects along the line of scrimmage. While there will be temptation to move around and grab a flashy player, this year could be focused primarily on offensive and defensive lines, as well as trading back to add more draft choices in 2020. If the Dolphins are able to come out of the 2019 Draft with a solid group of contributors, that could set Miami up to crush a three-year span of selections with their 10-plus pick 2020 Draft. While there is talk Miami could look to grab their franchise quarterback this year, it seems more likely that the team could look to select a developmental quarterback on the second- or third-day of the Draft, with the intention of having him as the long-term backup for a first-round quarterback in 2020. With the bounty of picks Miami has in 2020 - especially if they can add a few more with 2019 Draft-day trades - the Dolphins could be in position to make a move up the draft board if they so need to grab the quarterback they want. The Dolphins currently have an estimated $37.2 million in salary cap space this year, according to OverTheCap.com. In 2020, with an assumed $200 million cap, the Dolphins, without rollover from this season Robert Quinn Jersey , have around $100 million in space. Some of that could be used in re-signings this year (Xavien Howard’s contract is likely to pay him like an elite cornerback), but the team could be set up to have their three good drafts and a ton of salary cap space - the third most in 2020 according to OTC’s numbers - all at the same time. Miami could be in position to turn 2018, 2019, and 2020 into the three years this team needs to climb out of mediocrity and back into relevance in the NFL.The next two draft classes hold the key to Miami’s rebuild. DAVIE, Fla. (AP) — Adam Gase says the Miami Dolphins‘ run defense will be better than last year.The preseason says otherwise.Miami has allowed 299 yards rushing in the first two exhibition games. That includes 226 yards Friday at Carolina, and 71 on one play — a touchdown run by Christian McCaffrey on the second snap of the night.The leaky ground defense is especially worrisome because the same problem contributed greatly to a 6-10 finish in 2017. The Dolphins gave up over 170 yards rushing three times during a five-game losing streak that sent the season south.Despite evidence to the contrary, Gase says his run defense is improved.“I can see how it’s starting to come together,” he said Sunday.“Clean up some of the mistakes, and we’ll be all right,” middle linebacker Raekwon McMillan said.The front seven is still adjusting to the loss of five-time Pro Bowl tackle Ndamukong Suh, who was cut when his enormous contract became too burdensome. Last week the Dolphins signaled they’re struggling to replace Suh when they signed veteran Kendall Langford, who had been out of the NFL since early November.Langford was rushed into action at Carolina. He played 18 snaps, made no assignment mistakes and is in excellent shape, Gase said.Langford joins a group of tackles that also includes veteran newcomer Akeem Spence, perennial underachiever Jordan Phillips and two players taken on the final day of the 2017 draft, Davon Godchaux and Vincent Taylor. New defensive line coach Kris Kocurek plans a heavy rotation to keep everyone fresh.The defensive lineman making the biggest impact so far is former Pro Bowl end Robert Quinn, an offseason acquisition who had two sacks at Carolina. He had 19 sacks with the Rams in 2013.“Hopefully I can get back to those good numbers T.J. McDonald Jersey ,” Quinn said. “That’s kind of my mindset — to break records and do something extreme.”Overall, Gase said, the remaking of the front four is on schedule.“I like where our d-line is,” the coach said. “We’ve just got to make sure we do a better job of fitting the runs right, but they’re attacking.”There are fresh faces at linebacker, too, and both are youngsters from Ohio State. McMillan is starting in the middle after missing all of his rookie season in 2017 because of a knee injury. Rookie Jerome Baker, a third-round pick, is the front-runner to start on the outside opposite veteran Kiko Alonso.McMillan and Baker are two big reasons Gase remains optimistic about the direction of the run defense.“We’ll get those guys up to speed,” Gase said. “They’ll be doing it right once we hit the first week. We have athletic guys in that second level. We’ll give them opportunities to make plays, and they’ll make them.”McMillan and Baker were nowhere to be found on McCaffrey’s long run, however, and defensive backs Bobby McCain and T.J. McDonald took bad angles.“We had two guys get too aggressive in the secondary,” Gase said.Such mistakes are correctable, the coach said. He has less than three weeks to fix them.