There are players with first-round grades who will inevitably fall out of the first round. There are players that the Miami Dolphins might be targeting as a day-2 selection who will be off the board in the top 32. This is the fun of the NFL Draft.
The Dolphins will enter draft night needing as many as two CBs, two WRs, a TE, a LB, an Edge-rusher, a safety, and at least one offensive lineman. Then there is the presumed drafting of a quarterback. One player, Chris Johnson, has been linked to the Dolphins in round two. He may not make it that far.
Johnson isn't just starting to sneak up draft boards; he is bulldozing his way through players in front of him. ESPN notes that he could go as high as 20 to the Cowboys.
Miami Dolphins interest in Chris Johnson could force them to use pick 30 if is still on the board
In an ideal situation, the Dolphins could use their first pick at 11th overall on an offensive lineman, or a top WR should one fall. With the 30th pick, they could land whichever one they didn't take. Johnson has been a dream pick at 43 for Miami, but this draft season has seen him soar up and possibly out of the 2nd round.
"A prospect who is scorching hot in league circles is San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson."
Jordan Reid ESPN
Reid goes on to say that many of the executives he spoke with view him as the third-best at his position. He maintains through his contacts that Johnson has "Aced the predraft process." That's great news for Johnson, but if the Dolphins were hoping for a wrapped gift in round two, that may not happen now.
What is interesting is that only two teams have shown enough interest to host him on a 30-visit. The Steelers and the Jets. Reid believes this is because teams are hiding their true interest in him.
This draft is going to be one of the more interesting three days in the last 20 years of Dolphins' history. Chris Grier has no input in the process for the first time in nine seasons, and the Dolphins' new GM and HC are both first-timers in their roles but have strong backgrounds in the game.