The Miami Dolphins have had plenty of success in the NFL Draft, selecting and developing Hall of Famers like Dan Marino, Jason Taylor, and Zach Thomas. They’ve drafted hundreds of players from dozens of schools since the first NFL Draft in 1966, but have had varying degrees of success with in-state selections. Miami has picked more than 40 players from the University of Florida, Florida State, Florida A&M, and the University of Miami. Some have had highly successful careers, while others haven’t played a single game in the NFL.
Here’s a look at some of the best players who have the unique distinction of playing the bulk of their college and pro football careers in Miami.
DE Olivier Vernon
A Pro Bowl defensive end who played with the Dolphins from 2012-15, Olivier Vernon was born in Miami, played for the University of Miami Hurricanes, and was selected by Miami in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He was limited to just six games with the Hurricanes in his draft year, but was 10th in the ACC with six sacks in 13 games in 2010. With the Dolphins, Vernon was a consistent force on defense for over four seasons, becoming one of the highest-paid defensive ends in the league in 2016.
Vernon had 196 tackles and 29 sacks, including a career-best 11.5 sacks in 2013, in 64 games with the Dolphins. He signed a five-year, $85 million contract with the New York Giants in 2016, which at the time was the most expensive contract ever for a defensive end. He had a relatively successful three-year tenure in New York, recording at least 6.5 sacks each season and making the Pro Bowl in 2018.
Vernon played two more seasons with the Cleveland Browns before retiring following the 2020 season. He concluded his career with 389 tackles, 63.5 sacks, nine forced fumbles, and one interception in 127 games.
WR Randal Hill
One of Miami’s four first-round picks from the University of Miami, wide receiver Randal Hill had 3,849 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns over seven seasons with the Dolphins, Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, and New Orleans Saints. He won two national titles with the Hurricanes.
Miami selected Hill in 1991 after a productive senior season in which he had 653 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 11 games. However, he played just one game with the Dolphins—and didn’t record a reception—before the team dealt him to the Cardinals for a first-round pick in 1992. He had 2,419 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in four seasons with the Cardinals.
Hill returned to Miami in 1995. He played two seasons with the Dolphins and, while his receiving numbers weren’t as good as in Arizona, he tied a career high with four touchdowns in 1996. He had 761 receiving yards, the second-highest total of his career, in his final NFL season in 1997 with the Saints.
T Vernon Carey
Another first-round pick, tackle Vernon Carey spent his entire football career in Miami, initially playing four seasons with the Hurricanes and then eight with the Dolphins. The Miami native won the BCS national championship in 2001 and was an All-Big East selection in 2002 and 2003. The Dolphins selected him with the 19th pick in the 2004 NFL Draft.
After playing sparingly in his rookie season, Carey started 14 of 16 games in 2005 and was the team’s best offensive lineman by the following season. Pro Football Focus ranked him as the seventh-best tackle in the NFL in 2008, when he allowed just six sacks. Carey retired following the 2011 season.
DL Jaelan Phillips
Miami’s first pick, 18th overall, in the 2021 NFL Draft, Jaelan Phillips has been productive when healthy, but has missed significant time in each of the last two seasons due to a torn Achilles and torn ACL. He had 42 tackles and 8.5 sacks in his rookie season and 61 tackles and seven sacks in 2022.
Phillips was on pace for a career year in 2023, recording 43 tackles and 6.5 sacks in just eight games before suffering a season-ending Achilles injury. He had a clean bill of health heading into the 2025 season.
At the college level, Phillips played two seasons at UCLA before transferring to Miami in 2020. He had 45 tackles, eight sacks, and one interception in his lone season with the Hurricanes.
RB Lamar Miller
Selected by the Dolphins in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft, running back Lamar Miller had 2,930 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns in four seasons with Miami. He had a career-high 1,099 rushing yards and eight receiving touchdowns in 2014. He was also an adept receiver out of the backfield, catching 117 passes for 887 yards and three touchdowns.
Miller later played three seasons with the Houston Texans and made the Pro Bowl in 2018. He retired in 2020 after one game with the Chicago Bears. In college, Miller had 1,918 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in two seasons with the Hurricanes.