MIAMI GARDENS — Calais Campbell had an impressive career at the University of Miami. So impressive that some  Miami Dolphins fans wished their team drafted him. Turns out a certain future Miami Dolphins head coach would have seconded the motion.

So how close did Calais Campbell come to perhaps spending his entire NFL career in Miami, rather than just the final act?

Closer than you might think.

“My rookie year I thought I was going to be drafted out here,” Campbell said.

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Campbell said his agent went so far as to call as Miami was about to go on the clock in the 2008 draft.

“He was like, ‘Hey, Miami is really interested,’ ” Campbell said. “And then I was shocked when they took Phillip Merling.”

Yes, the Dolphins did address a need on the defensive line with the 32nd overall pick, but it was Merling, an end from Clemson, rather than Campbell, who remained on the board until Arizona came up at No. 50.

Jeff Ireland was the Dolphins’ general manager at the time.

How’d it turn out? It wasn’t as if Merling didn’t give the Dolphins any return. He lasted four seasons in Miami. But there is no comparison between the two careers. It’s Campbell in a blowout:

Career starts: 225 to 5.

Tackles: 865 to 66.

Sacks: 105.5 to 3.5.

QB hits: 254 to 10.

Tackles for loss: 175 to 5.

Pro Bowls: 6 to 0.

Calais Campbell: I look good in aqua

Campbell also was named winner of the 2019 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award and won the 2017 defensive player of the year as voted on by the Pro Football Writers of America and The Sporting News.

“But hey, here I am today,” Campbell said. “I’m happy to be here. That aqua, I feel like it looks good on me.”

Like current Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, 41, Campbell, who’s 37, grew up in the Denver area, with a reputation big enough — not to mention a body big enough — that McDaniel was aware of him even back then.

“There was this monstrosity of a human in Denver, Colorado, athletics, Colorado football,” McDaniel said of Campbell, the tallest Dolphin at 6-feet-8 and 307 pounds.

McDaniel, on the other hand, was a receiver.

“I have no problem stating that if he was if he was about to tackle me as a high schooler, I was turning the down-down,” McDaniel said.

McDaniel couldn’t hide his respect for Campbell to be entering his 17th NFL season at a taxing position. And durable? Never in Campbell’s previous 16 seasons has he failed to play at least 12 games.

“He is doing his job over a crazy amount of time at a high level,” McDaniel said. “ … You can't fake that career.”

Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at  hhabib@pbpost.com. Follow him on social media @gunnerhal. Click here to subscribe.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins nearly drafted Calais Campbell in 2008. Instead ... hmm