Sam Madison arrived as a second round pick from Louisville in 1997, and by the next season, he was their starting Right Cornerback.

Dan Marino was a superstar Quarterback, and he would have some high-profile weapons at his disposal, but none were better than Mark Clayton.

Cameron Wake had a good career at Penn State, but he went undrafted in 2005.  He received a tryout with the New York Giants but was unable to make the team.  Rather than give up, Wake found work in the Canadian Football League with the BC Lions, where he was a two-time All-Star and two-time Most Outstanding Defensive Player in as many years.  His work in Canada made him coveted by NFL teams, and he signed with the Miami Dolphins in 2009.

When Bill Stanfill played at the University of Georgia, he helped the Bulldogs win the Cotton Bowl, and as a Senior he was an All-American and the winner of the Outland Trophy as the top interior lineman in college football.  The Miami Dolphins would land him with the 11^th Overall Pick in 1969, and Stanfill would be a part of the budding defense that would become a National Football League power.

Jake Scott left the University of Georgia after his sophomore year to play in the Canadian Football League, which was only meant to be for one year until he was eligible for the NFL Draft.  After his year with the BC Lions, Scott was chosen by the Miami Dolphins with their seventh round pick in 1970.

Looking like a grizzled vet long before he became one, Bob Kuechenberg had a strange start in his NFL career.  The product of Notre Dame was taken in the fourth round by the Philadelphia Eagles, but he quit during training camp and played semi-pro for a year.  The Dolphins signed him in 1970, and he would find a home in pro football for the next fourteen years.

Dick Anderson played his entire pro career with the Miami Dolphins, and it did not take long for the Strong Safety to prove his worth after being taken in the third round in 1968.

After two unremarkable seasons as a backup Guard with the San Diego Chargers, Larry Little was traded to the Miami Dolphins for Mack Lamb.  Little was not thrilled as the Dolphins were not particularly good at the time, but that feeling would quickly change as Miami was building something special.  As for the Chargers, Lamb never played for them. 

We guess we know who won this trade.

Jim Langer went undrafted in 1970 after a college career at South Dakota State, and after a failed attempt to make the Cleveland Browns, he found a home with the Miami Dolphins.  After a pair of non-descript seasons, Langer was about to rise to the top of the food chain of NFL Centers quickly.

Following the merger of the NFL and AFL, Bob Griese was the first pick (4^th Overall) by the Miami Dolphins, and he was one of the first pieces on what would become an eventual powerhouse.

Zach Thomas came to the Miami Dolphins as a fifth round pick from Texas Tech, and he would prove to be the most dynamic defensive player that Miami ever had. 

A two-time All-MAC player at Akron, Jason Taylor was a Third Round pick in 1997, where he was an All-Rookie player.  That first year was a good start for a Defensive End who would become a great player.

Dwight Stephenson played mostly on Special Teams in his first two seasons in the NFL after being chosen from Alabama in the second round of the 1980 draft, but by 1982 he was ready to become one of the best Centers in the game.

With the ninth overall pick in the 1990 Draft, the Miami Dolphins chose the hulking Richmond Webb with the purpose of protecting Dan Marino’s left side.  The former Texas A&M Aggie did just that.

A First Round pick from Pittsburgh, Dan Marino would win the starting Quarterback job during his rookie season in 1983.  He was an All-Rookie and Pro Bowl selection, but that was just the beginning of what would become one of the most phenomenal careers ever by a Quarterback.

Bob Baumhower played the entirety of his pro career with the Miami Dolphins, and he was, without a doubt, one of the greatest defensive players in franchise history.

Larry Csonka was the first Back drafted in 1968, but the first two seasons were a struggle due to poor play and injuries.  While the start would not be great, the arrival of Don Shula in 1970 changed all of that.

2024 Pre-Season Rank #56, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #63, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #99, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #108, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #140.  Peak Period 2019-23.

Minkah Fitzpatrick was traded back to the team that dealt him to Pittsburgh, the Miami Dolphins, and since he debuted in 2018, he has been one of the top Safeties in Football. 

Fitzpatrick went to four Pro Bowls and earned three First Team All-Pros as a Steeler, and earned the reputation of having one of the highest football IQs.  Able to shift effortlessly in any Defensive Back position, Fitzpatrick is still in his prime.  If he remains healthy and replicates what he did the last five years, Canton should come calling, even though Safeties have a hard time gaining induction.

A member of the prestigious Miami Dolphins Honor Roll, Bob Baumhower, played all nine of his NFL seasons with the team from Southern Florida.  A former star with the Alabama Crimson Tide, Baumhower was a five-time Pro Bowl Selection, and he would be chosen for an All-Pro roster (one First Team and four Second Team) in all of those years.  Baumhower was a key figure on the Dolphins defense in the early '80s that was considered among the best in the league.