Guts Check: 5th Overall Pick – The Gift That Keeps on Giving

Typically, this column is reserved for words about everybody’s favorite basketball team by the bay. Don’t worry Heat Nation, that is not about to change any time soon.

That said, last night’s Miami Dolphins draft is worth deviating from the normal script just this once.

One of the things that I have always loved about Pat Riley and his team building philosophy is the propensity to think big.

However, thinking big doesn’t always have to amount to big risk.

Flashback (get it) to the 2003 NBA Draft, when the Heat were debating the merits of Chris Kaman and Kirk Hinrich as complimentary players to an already existing max contract shooting guard in town, Eddie Jones. Despite positional needs, injury concerns and advanced metrics, the Heat took a player with the 5^th pick in the draft and it literally changed everything.

It turned out that they got the transcendent player, the star, the franchise cornerstone. They drafted Dwyane Wade. The rest is NBA history.

I’ve been waiting for the Dolphins to go get that player for decades.

In the NBA it can be argued that wings are more important than bigs, that point guards are more important than power forwards, etc.

The reality is, in the NBA you just need stars, regardless of position.

The NFL is not alike in that regard. Position matters, a lot.

So yes, as Dolphins fans, we have talked ourselves into every big acquisition since Dan Marino was sacked off the field in Jacksonville. Yet, deep down inside we always knew that without a top-notch signal caller, the Dolphins were going to need everything to go perfectly for the team to win a Super Bowl. Hell, even to win a playoff game.

Last night felt different. Almost Tua good to be true. (couldn’t resist)

The Dolphins will have the best quarterback in their division before too long

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 24, 2020

#TankforTua has been a movement in Miami for almost 2 years. Anybody that knows me, knows that I despise losing on purpose. However when it came to the Dolphins, I was desperate enough to see them try anything at this point.

Tank for Tua was even the name of my office league fantasy football team last season – to which I received messages last night like “Congrats on a well-executed plan”

The Dolphins have a plan? Holy shit. THE DOLPHINS HAVE A PLAN.

I have been a Miami Dolphins fan since as long as i can remember im from Southern california so i been loving a team from across the country , im now 41 lived through alot of missery being a dolphins fan this draft im all in on getting Tua thats my Plan A move i have no plan B

— Socal_dolfan (@SoCal_Dolfan) April 23, 2020

See, that’s the thing, for the ups and downs of Riley’s tenure in Miami, even when the future has looked bleakest, the fan-base always could lean on an intuition that among the mess, Riley had a message. Fans can handle pain if they think there is a plan.

Today, it feels like the Miami Dolphins have a process, a plan and a star at the most important position.

The Miami Dolphins finally have a franchise quarterback. One that essentially fell in their laps at the 5^th pick overall.

The Heat organization carved out quite a spot in the NBA history books from a similar spot back in 2003.

Tua Tagovailoa, it’s your turn. I think I speak for all of us when I say we are happy as hell it’s Tua time.

#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/tdayzqUJMM

— The Extra Yard: 5RSN (@5ReasonsFins) April 24, 2020