They first participated in the 1966 AFL Annual Player Selection Meeting, more commonly known as the NFL Draft.[2] In the annual NFL Draft, each franchise seeks to add new players to its roster. Teams are ranked in reverse order based on the previous season's record, with the worst record picking first, the second worst picking second and so on. The two exceptions to this order are made for teams that appeared in the previous Super Bowl; the Super Bowl champion always picks 32nd, and the Super Bowl loser always picks 31st. Teams have the option of trading away their picks to other teams for different picks, players, cash, or a combination thereof. Thus, it is not uncommon for a team's actual draft pick to differ from their assigned draft pick, or for a team to have extra or no draft picks in any round due to these trades.[3]
As an expansion team in the AFL, the Dolphins were granted the first two picks in the 1966 American Football League Draft.[4] They selected Jim Grabowski and Rick Norton with the first and second picks, respectively. The Dolphins' first selection as an NFL team was Bob Griese, a quarterback from Purdue. The team's most recent first-round selection was DeVante Parker, a wide receiver from the University of Louisville.
A Each year is linked to an article about that particular AFL or NFL Draft.
a On December 27, 1967, the Dolphins traded quarterback John Stofa to the Cincinnati Bengals for first (#27 overall pick) and second-round picks in 1968.[5]
b On January 27, 1970, the Dolphins traded their #3 overall pick in the 1970 Draft to the Cleveland Browns for wide receiver Paul Warfield.[5]
c On April 13, 1970, the Dolphins sent their #22 overall pick in the 1971 Draft to the Baltimore Colts as compensation for head coach Don Shula.[5]
d On June 7, 1972, the Dolphins traded their #26 overall pick in the 1973 Draft to the Buffalo Bills for wide receiver Marlin Briscoe.[5]
g On May 1, 1984, the Dolphins traded their #26 pick along with two third-round picks to the Buffalo Bills for the #14 overall pick.[6]
h On October 9, 1985, the Dolphins traded their first (#25 overall pick) and second-round picks to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for linebacker Hugh Green.[6]
i On April 28, 1987, the Dolphins traded their #14 overall pick to the Minnesota Vikings for the first (#16 overall pick) and fifth-round picks.[6]
j On April 2, 1989, the Dolphins traded their second and third-round picks to the Chicago Bears for the #25 overall pick.[7]
l On April 24, 1994, the Dolphins traded their #16 overall pick to the Green Bay Packers for the first (#20 overall pick) and third-round picks.[7]
m On April 18, 1998, the Dolphins traded their #19 overall pick to the Green Bay Packers for the first (#29 overall pick) and second-round picks.[7]
n On April 17, 1999, the Dolphins traded their #24 overall pick to the San Francisco 49ers for the first (#27 overall pick) and fifth-round picks.[7] On the same day, the Dolphins traded the #27 overall pick to the Detroit Lions for the second, third, and fifth-round picks.[8]
o On April 16, 1998, the Dolphins traded their #23 overall pick in the 2000 Draft to the Carolina Panthers for the second-round pick in the 1998 Draft.[7]
p 12 On March 8, 2002, the Dolphins traded their #25 overall pick and fourth-round pick in the 2002 Draft along with the #18 overall pick in the 2003 Draft to the New Orleans Saints for running back Ricky Williams and fourth-round pick in the 2002 Draft.[8]
q On April 24, 2004, the Dolphins traded their #20 overall pick along with fourth-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings for the #19 overall pick.[8]
r On April 22, 2010, the Dolphins traded their #12 overall pick, a fourth-round selection (110th overall), and a sixth-round selection (173rd overall) to the Chargers for the #28 overall pick, a second-round selection (40th overall), a fourth-round selection (126th overall), and a linebacker Tim Dobbins.[9]
s On April 25, 2013, the Dolphins traded their #12 overall pick to the Oakland Raiders for the #3 overall pick and second-round pick.[8]
