The Dolphins have a GM and a head coach in 'lockstep' as draft nears

When watching film of offensive players in the next NFL Draft, Miami Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, understandably, asks his defensive-minded head coach, Jeff Hafley, for thoughts.

"I'll ask him or sometimes he just offers it up like, 'Hey, this guy wouldn't scare me," Sullivan said before the NFL Draft. "If I'm game-planning against guy, I'm not worried about taking him out. And that's valuable for me to hear."

Sullivan and Hafley, who come to Miami from Green Bay, arrive on the same timeline. This, and the fact that they work well together, should be an advantage for the Dolphins.

While they're not best of friends, constantly hanging out together at Joe's Stone Crab and Top Golf (as some might guess), they really seem like-minded in approach.

"The relationship hasn't changed," Sullivan said. "I mean, we're tight as ever, thick as thieves. We're in lockstep."

Sullivan and Hafley may have dreamed of this moment on one snowy day in Wisconsin last season. It's Sullivan's first draft as an NFL GM and Hafley's first as a head coach.

And they're doing this together.

"I've woken up in the middle of the night, literally, with my hand, like dreaming that I'm taking a tag off the board," Sullivan said.

Miami Dolphins future riding on Jon-Eric Sullivan's picks

And yet Sullivan knows not every player he picks is going to be the favorite of Hafley or perhaps a coordinator or position coach.

"The coaches are incredibly important to what we do," Sullivan said. "Make no mistake about it, and they put a ton of work into it. I think anytime they have a vision for a player, it gives me clarity, sometimes more so than others. I appreciate their feedback. I appreciate their vision. And it's important to me, but by the same token, I have a responsibility to do what I feel is best for the Miami Dolphins.

"And I'm not going to ever go out of my way to shove a player down the throat of a coach that he doesn't want. But there will be times when maybe we see things differently. Ultimately, the final decision comes down to me, and I'm going to do what's best for this place."