2023 NFL Draft Just two days away, with the first round kicking off on Thursday night. The Miami Dolphins will probably have a quiet Thursday as they currently don’t pick their first group of selections. Without making a trade, the Dolphins will not be on the clock until the 51st overall pick, a second-round pick that will be made Friday night.
What is the history of the 51st comprehensive selection? We take a look at the last ten draft picks made at that spot, plus the only time the Dolphins held that pick — all the way back in their first draft in 1966.
Last 10 years 51st overall selections:
2022 – Philadelphia Eagles
Cam Jurgens, Center, Nebraska
When you get selected to play a position managed by Jason Kelce, there’s a good chance you won’t see a lot of playing time as a rookie. That’s what happened to Jurgens, who played 35 snaps on offense during the season. He actually played in all 17 games, primarily on special teams.
2021 – Washington leaders
Samuel Cosmi, TACL, Texas
Cosme’s rookie season was a roller coaster ride, getting Washington named to a right start, but then an ankle and hip injury forced him to miss playing time, including a stint on injured reserve. He played nine games as a starter, and is looking to come back stronger in his sophomore season. He found himself relegated to a reserve tackle role in the early part of the year before moving into a right guard role. He finished the season appearing in 14 games with six starts in 2022.
2020 – Dallas Cowboys
Trevon Diggs, cornerback, Alabama
Diggs appeared in 12 games, starting 11 times, as a junior, recording three interceptions, 14 passes defensed, and 58 tackles as a starter while dealing with a broken foot that landed him on injured reserve during the season. In 2021, he earned an A.D Pro Bowl selection and was a first team All-Pro as he led the league with 11 interceptions, two returned for touchdowns, along with 21 passes defensed and 52 tackles. He was again selected to the Pro Bowl in 2022 when he recorded three interceptions along with 14 passes defensed and 59 tackles.
2019 – Tennessee Titans
AJ Brown, wide receiver Be a miss
Brown caught 52 passes his rookie season, and reached 1,051 yards with eight touchdowns. In 2020, his 70 receptions for 1,075 yards and 11 touchdowns earned him a Pro Bowl selection. He followed that up with a 63rd receiving season in 2021, but was limited to 869 receiving yards with five touchdowns. Last season, he rebounded with 88 receptions for 1,469 yards and 11 scores, earning his second Pro Bowl appearance.
2018 – Chicago Bears
Anthony Miller, wide receiver, Memphis
Miller appeared in 15 games as a starter with the Bears, starting four times, and catching 33 passes for 423 yards and seven touchdowns. He caught 52 passes for 656 yards with two touchdowns in his sophomore campaign in 2019, and appeared in 16 games with seven starts. In 2020, he played in 16 games with six starts, and caught 49 passes for 485 yards and two scores. In 2021, he spent 2 games with the Houston Tx And one of the games with Pittsburgh Steelers, catching six passes combined for 25 yards and a touchdown. He was on injured reserve with Pittsburgh for the entire 2022 season.
2017 – Denver Broncos
DeMarcus Walker, Defensive End, Florida
Walker appeared in 10 games as a junior in 2017, recording one sack and seven tackles. He was limited to just three games in 2018, recording four tackles, a fumble recovery, and a sack. In 2019, he played in 10 games, including his first career start, with 22 tackles and four sacks during the season. In 2020, he played in 13 games, including four, with 18 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. In 2021, he transferred to the Houston Texans, where he played in 13 games, made two starts, with 31 tackles, a forced fumble, and two sacks. Last year with the Tennessee Titans, Walker appeared in 17 games, with six starts, made 32 tackles, and had seven sacks.
2016 – New York Jets
Christian Hackenberg, Quarterback, Penn State
Hackenberg did not appear in two seasons with the Jets before being traded to the Oakland Raiders in May 2018. He was waived by the Raiders in August of that year and claimed by the Philadelphia Eagles, but was waived at the end of the preseason. He spent part of the 2018 season on the Cincinnati BengalsTraining team before being released. He had a brief tryout with the Memphis Express of the Alliance of American Football, but was benched after three games, remaining the team’s third place until the league folded. In 2020, Hackenberg attempted to return to baseball, but now works as a high school coach.
2015 – Cleveland Browns
Nate Orchard, Defensive End, Utah
Orchard spent three seasons with the Cleveland Browns, appearing in 13 games with one start during that span, recording 65 tackles, one interception, four passes defensed, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and five sacks. He was released at the end of the 2018 pre-season, and spent parts of that year with the Buffalo bills (three games, four tackles, one pass defended) and Kansas City Chiefs (1 game). 2019 started with Seattle Seahawksbut was waived prior to training camp. He then joined the Miami Dolphins, but was released at the end of training camp. During the season he signed with the Washington Chiefs, spending parts of two seasons there and appearing in eight games with 16 tackles, one pass defensed, one fumble recovery, and a sack. After being waived by the Leaders near the end of the 2020 season, he had a brief sting with the Houston Texans but did not appear before finishing the year on the Tennessee Titans’ practice squad. signed with Minnesota VikingsHe was named to the training squad in November 2021, but was released after two weeks. Then sign on Green Bay PackersHe made the practice squad in late November before being snapped up by the Chiefs in mid-December, making two appearances for the team that year. He did not play in 2022.
2014 – Chicago Bears
Ego Ferguson, defensive tackle, LSU
As a junior, Ferguson appeared in 16 games, recording 24 tackles, three passes defensed, and two sacks. In his sophomore season, a knee injury landed him on injured reserve after only four games, including a start, with three tackles. He was suspended by the league late in the 2015 season for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy, and was then placed on injured reserve for the 2016 season due to a shoulder injury. He was released in March 2017. He failed a physical while trying to join the Green Bay Packers in April, then joined the Detroit Lions in June, but was waived at the end of the preseason.
2013 – Washington Leaders
David Amerson, cornerback, North Carolina State
Amerson served as the last safety and linebacker during his career, playing just over two years for the Washington leaders with 33 games, including 23 starts, recording 109 tackles, two interceptions with touchdowns returned, 18 passes defensed, and a forced fumble. He was waived during the 2015 season, with the Oakland Raiders claiming him. He made his Raiders debut just five days after joining the team, played 14 games with 12 starts for them that year, and finished with 58 tackles, four interceptions with a touchdown returned, 25 passes defensed, and one forced fumble. His 26 passes defensed led the league in 2015. He continued with Oakland for two more seasons, starting 21 games with 82 tackles, two interceptions, two passes defensed, and a fumble recovery. After his release by Oakland in February 2018, he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs but was waived at the end of the preseason. He then appeared in six matches, including five, with the Arizona Cardinals In 2018, he had 21 tackles, 1 interception and 2 passes defensed.
History of the Dolphins in Public Pick #51:
1966
Don Hansen, Linebacker, Illinois
Hansen was selected by the Dolphins in the 1966 AFL Draft, their first year as a franchise. He chose to join the Minnesota Vikings, who selected him with the 42nd overall pick in the NFL Draft. He played 11 years in the NFL, two with the Vikings, and seven with the AFL Atlanta FalconsHe split the 1976 season with the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers, and his senior year in 1977 with the Packers. He appeared in 142 career games with 113 starts, and recorded 10 interceptions along with a touchdown and 13 fumble recoveries.