The Miami Dolphins certainly do not have the war chest of draft picks that fans have grown accustomed to in recent years heading into the 2022 NFL Draft, but that does not mean that the team is not doing its due diligence when it comes to who it plans to select.
Of course, Miami parted ways with a hefty number of its picks earlier in the offseason to complete a trade for superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
As a result, the Dolphins only have four picks this year. Those include the No. 102 overall selection in the third round, the No. 125 overall selection in the fourth round and two picks in the seventh round.
One player the Dolphins seem interested in is University of Maryland safety Nick Cross, who reportedly visited the team recently.
“League sources confirmed that Maryland safety Nick Cross and Wisconsin defensive tackle Matt Henningsen were spotted at Dolphin offices on predraft visits,” Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported.
“Cross had 66 tackles, three sacks and three interceptions last season. The Dolphins are looking to potentially add a fourth safety, one who would eventually compete for significant playing time.”
Cross is a rangy safety that showed off lots of skill during his time at Maryland. During the 2021 season, he recorded 66 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and three interceptions. He definitely has what it takes to make an impact at the next level.
It seems like Miami could focus more on defense during the upcoming draft.
That makes a lot of sense given the fact that a lot of the team’s money has gone to the offensive side of the ball so far this offseason. The team has made it a priority to surround Tua Tagovailoa with the talent he needs to be successful.
However, the defense must keep up as well. For that reason, it would not be a shock at all to see the Dolphins use what draft capital they have on bolstering up some positions of need on defense.
