Some of the greatest players in NFL history have donned the aqua and orange.
In ESPN’s look back at the best NFL draft pick ever at every draft slot from No. 1 to No. 262, 14 Dolphins selections found their way onto the list.
ESPN’s Ben Solak took “best” to mean some combination of “most talented” and “most succesful” and added some extra weight for players that were lifers with one franchise.
Here’s a look at the 14 Dolphins NFL draft selections that garnered inclusion from ESPN.
No. 27: Dan Marino, QB, 1983No. 73: Jason Taylor, DE, 1997No. 81: Curtis Johnson, CB, 1970No. 99: Joe Theismann, QB, 1971No. 132: Chris Gray, G, 1993No. 151: Andrew Van Ginkel, LB, 2019No. 154: Zach Thomas, LB, 1996No. 156: Ed Newman, G, 1973No. 159: Jake Scott, S, 1970No. 212: Harry Galbreath, G, 1988No. 223: Mark Clayton, WR, 1983No. 230: Vern Den Herder, DE, 1971No. 239: Jeff Cross, DE, 1988No. 257: Norris Thomas, CB, 1976
Dolphins Hall of Famers Dan Marino, Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas were no-brainers on this ESPN list.
Marino passed for 61,361 yards to rank ninth all-time in NFL history. Marino finished with 420 touchdown passes and guided the Dolphins to an appearance in Super Bowl XIX. During that 1984 season, Marino became the first NFL quarterback to pass for more than 5,000 yards in a season and set a single-season passing touchdowns record at the time with 48.
Taylor was a six-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro. Taylor was named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2006 after registering 62 total tackles, a team-high 13.5 sacks, two interceptions returned for scores, 11 passes defensed, 10 forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
During his 12-year stretch with Miami, Thomas led the Dolphins in tackles in 10 seasons and racked up 100 tackles in each of his first 11 seasons. Throughout his career, Thomas registered 20.5 sacks and amassed 17 interceptions for 170 yards and four touchdowns. Thomas was voted first-team All-Pro five times and was a seven-time Pro Bowler.
Six players from the list were selected in the 1970s, four in the 1980s, three in the 1990s and one in 2019.
Of course, quarterback Joe Theismann never played for the Dolphins. Theismann was drafted by the franchise in 1971, but he initially opted to play in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts.
In an ironic twist, Theismann would later beat the Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII with the then-Washington Redskins who Miami traded Theismann’s rights to in 1974.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: 14 Dolphins selections named best NFL draft picks ever taken at slot
