After the Miami Dolphins finished their 2023 campaign with a 11-6 record and in second place in the AFC East, they used their first-round pick (No. 21 overall) in the 2024 NFL draft on Penn State linebacker Chop Robinson .
Over the last two years, Robinson hasn't exactly lived up to his first-round status, recording 47 tackles (12 for a loss), 21 quarterback hits, 10 sacks, five passes defensed and one forced fumble in 32 games.
Could the Dolphins have found a better option? CBS Sports' Zachary Perales seems to think so, as he recently released a 2024 re-draft, and in it, he has Miami passing on Robinson and taking Oregon State offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga instead.
"Fuaga finds a home in South Beach after his slight hypothetical fall," Perales wrote. "The Dolphins have had a rotating cast of characters on the offensive line the past two seasons, and even if Fuaga hasn't quite delivered on his draft position yet, he's a solid player who would fill an area of need. Also, the Dolphins ended up taking a different left tackle -- Patrick Paul -- one round later."
Fuaga originally went to the New Orleans Saints at No. 14 in the first round. Through two years, the former Beaver has started 30 games for the Saints, receiving a 65.7 overall grade (48th out of 81 qualified tackles) from Pro Football Focus in 2024 and a 64.5 overall grade (53rd out of 89) in 2025.
In this scenario, Miami would've replaced Paul with Fuaga and could've used that second-round pick on another position. However, at the same time, Paul is still on the board, so they may have been able to find their capable tackle in the second round and addressed another need in the first.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Dolphins address different need in first round of 2024 NFL re-draft
