2008 Miami Dolphins NFL Draft Thread

[DolFan619]

  I was reading Shawn Murphy's analysis, I thought it was funny when he was compared to one of the guys we already have...  Justin Smiley!

[run_to_win]

I like this pick...he's 6'6'', 295 lbs, and has prototype size for a 3-4 defense. You can see Parcells has a blueprint in place, and he's molding the roster to fit his overarching scheme. This fellow is raw, but has a big upside if the football gods choose to smile on Miami.

Langford led Hampton in both sacks and tackles for losses as a sophomore and junior, when Hampton had success stopping the run. His dominance against the ground game stands out in his performances. In 234 running plays going directly at Langford during his career, the opposition managed only 63 yards, an average of 0.27 yards per attempt. In 47 games with the Pirates, the opposing team has produced just seven first-down runs on plays directed at Langford.

[KC]

"Older than most prospects, as he will be 26 years old during the course of the 2008 season...He still is quite raw around the edges and is an over-aged prospect. He has the tools to develop into a starter in a few years. He just needs patient coaching to help him unearth his talent and is a nice late second-day project."

Really don't like the sound of that.  In a few years he'll be 30 and ready to retire.

[bsfins]

Didn't Murphy just cost us a 4th (that we picked him with) and a 7th...I think we traded up a few spots...but the NFL network didn't say anything..and thier scroll went to commercial....(I was on the treadmill,and couldn't hear)

[Sunstroke]

  I was reading Shawn Murphy's analysis, I thought it was funny when he was compared to one of the guys we already have...  Justin Smiley!

^^^ Yeah, I smiled (smileyed?) when I saw that as well. I think the similarities are in the finesse points of play (hand position, switching, etc...), but Smiley is a much more physical G at this point than Murphy is.

Smiley wasn't very physical when he came in though...he worked that area of his game up to where it is now. Interestingly enough, back in the 2004 draft, the perceived lack of a physical side (and a good bit of size) were the primary distinguishing points between two very good "guards" in that class. The other OG isn't an OG anymore, he projected as an OT, and Miami traded up to get him. Yep...Vernon Carey. Smiley ended up sliding to the middle of the second round.

[YoFuggedaboutit]

A guy who can push Drew Mormino for the starting job at left guard.  Looks like Tuna is starting his rebuilding project from the point of attack. 

So far, LB and DB have not been addressed yet.

[DolFan619]

http://www.miamidolphins.com/newsite/news/top_story.asp?contentID=5765

Kendall Langford Conference Call

April 27, 2008
  
(On if the Dolphins spoke with him at the Senior Bowl) – “I talked to them at the Senior Bowl. I talked to the defensive line coach (Kacy Rodgers) and the defensive coordinator (Paul Pasqualoni).”

(On if he is surprised the Dolphins took an interest in him and drafted him in the third round) – “I’m just blessed. I’m glad they got me. They surprised me. I’m glad to wear the aqua and orange. I’m glad that everything is over and I’m ready to come down there and play ball.”

(On if the Dolphins spoke with him about playing either defensive tackle or defensive end) – “Traditional defensive end.”

(On his strengths and weaknesses at the position) – “I think I am a power player. I get after the ball. I chase the ball. I believe I make plays. My weaknesses are I need to work on my technique and playing lower.”

(On if he is concerned about the level of competition he will be facing in the NFL after playing in the MEAC) – “Not so much. I believe that I am going to go out there and compete. I’m a competitor. That’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to go out there and compete every down and give the guys my best. I’m not so much concerned about it.”

(On what it means to be drafted on the second day) – “As long as I get an opportunity that’s all I can ask for.”

(On where he is while the draft is happening) – “I’m at home in Petersburg, Virginia with my family and my girlfriend.”

(On how he ended up at Hampton University) – “They stuck with me through the whole SAT process.”

(On what schools were recruiting him) – “Virginia Tech, UVA, Morgan State and a few other I-AA schools.”

(On what round he and his agent thought he would be drafted) – “We were looking at the first day, but this is close. We were looking at anywhere from the two to four range. I’m just blessed. I’m happy I got the opportunity to be a Dolphin.”

(On how he feels he measures up to the other defensive ends in the draft) – “I feel like I’m amongst the best. I feel like I’m right along with those guys that went yesterday. I look forward to coming in and showing that I am.”

(On what it means to be coming to a Dolphins’ team that is in full rebuilding mode) – “An opportunity. There is plenty of opportunity. I think that Coach (Bill) Parcells is a great guy. I think the whole coaching staff are great guys. I’m trying to get the Dolphins back to where they used to be.”

(On what NFL player he would compare his game to) – “I would say a bigger style end like a Richard Seymour or someone like that.”

(On if he spoke with Head Coach Tony Sparano) – “No.”

(On who called him when the Dolphins drafted him) – “Bill Parcells.”

(On what he does that is similar to Richard Seymour) – “Being that he’s a bigger end, he can play end and tackle. He’s a physical player. He’s not a speed guy. That’s how I look at myself.”

(On what it was like to receive a call from Bill Parcells) – “That’s big. That’s big. I grew up looking at that. That’s big.”

[Sunstroke]

Dear Mr Ireland and Mr Parcells...

It would be really cool if you guys could please package up a couple of 6ths, or a 4th-5th next season to move up now and grab NT Athyba Rubin out of Iowa State.

Thanks for your attention,

'Stroke

[DolFan619]

Dear Mr Ireland and Mr Parcells...

If you would be really cool if you guys could please package up a couple of 6ths, or a 4th-5th next season to move up now and grab NT Athyba Rubin out of Iowa State.

Thanks for your attention,

'Stroke

  I'm shocked that he hasn't even be selected.

[Sunstroke]

The 5th round sucks balls...Phins and Niners have zero picks. I'm taking this round off to grab some lunch, do some laundry and maybe a little navel lint extraction.

Back for rd 6...

[DolFan619]

http://www.miamidolphins.com/newsite/news/top_story.asp?contentID=5767

Shawn Murphy Conference Call

April 27, 2008
  
(On what it means to him that the Dolphins traded up to select him) – “It’s an honor to me to be drafted by any team, at any pick, let alone that they traded up to draft me. It’s a great honor and it’s also, I feel, a responsibility.”

(On who called him with the news of being drafted) – “I talked to a few people. I talked to Coach (Tony) Sparano. I talked to the head scout. I talked to a few people.”

(On if the Dolphins told him what they saw in him) – “The only thing they really said was they wanted me to come out and play the way they saw me play on film, which was a great compliment. They didn’t mention any specifics. It was just the basics, along those lines of they liked the way I played and they wanted me to come out and try to play that way down in Miami.”

(On how his father, Dale Murphy, helped prepare him for playing professional sports) – “He prepared all of his kids well, no matter what profession they enter. He’s given me advice these last few months leading up to the chance of me becoming a professional athlete. He’s been a great guide and a great mentor. He’s always there. He’s never forceful or pushed any of us in any direction, but he’s always there. He’s been a great comfort and a great help these last few months.”

(On what advice his father has given him leading up to the draft) – “The main thing he would always talk to me about was just to do everything that was within my power to do and to let the things that are out of my control take care of themselves. It’s not worth worrying about stuff you can’t control and that you have no power over. You have to worry about what you can control and you have to do that to the best of your ability.”

(On what strengths he believes he brings to the Dolphins) – “I feel like I have a large upside. I’m relatively new at the position, but in the two years I’ve played, I feel like I’ve learned and progressed a lot as a player. That’s all I can hope for coming in to Miami, just the chance to be able to learn even more and progress even more as a player. I feel like in a place like Miami I can really expand and grow as a player with the coaching staff out there.”

(On if he thinks he can be a starter from Day 1) – “We’ll have to see what happens with what the coaches decide. I feel like I’m a very competitive person. I feel like I have a great ability. I have to come in and prove myself first and be able to do the best that I can and see what the coaches have to say. I have no idea.”

(On how he started playing football) – “The basic way – 12 years old, pee wee league. I just started playing as a defensive end. I played that up until about two years ago.”

(On being a defensive player that was moved to the offensive line) – “Yes. I was a defensive guy in junior college. They asked me if I wanted to try out the offensive line and it stuck. I was pretty natural at it. I ended up being a better o-lineman than a d-lineman, so I stuck with it.”

(On Miami not being too far from his hometown of Atlanta) – “Not at all. It’s right there in the neighborhood, too. We spent a lot of my childhood springs in West Palm Beach, Florida. My family loves Florida. They love it down there. They’re down there all the time. It’s going to be real exciting.”

(On how he feels about going from the snow of Utah to the beaches of Miami) – “It sounds really good to me right now. It’s almost May and we’re still getting snow storms every now and then. It’ll be nice to get in warm weather.”

(On feeling a responsibility to the Dolphins) – “It’s obviously a responsibility if a team picks you. It’s an honor and a responsibility. In a way, to me, it feels like you’re indebted to them to prove yourself as a player and to become the player they want you to be. The fact that they traded up to get me just reinforces that fact even more to me. From a psychological standpoint that they expect a lot out of me and I know I’m capable of delivering it. I have to deliver it.”

(On if he has gone on his mission) – “Yes, I went to Brazil.”

(On his age) – “I’m 25.”

(On if being with a team that was 1-15 gives him a better chance at more playing time) – “I don’t necessarily think so. It’s obviously the NFL and every team has exceptional athletes and dominant players. So any team in any situation, it would be difficult to come in, It’s going to be a tough fight no matter what team you’re on.”

(On why he chose to play football over baseball) – “It was just a sport that stuck with me. I liked baseball for certain qualities. It was a little bit more relaxing to me, but when football season came around it felt like the sport that felt more natural to me as a sport that I enjoyed playing. It just struck a cord with me more than baseball did.”

[DolFan619]

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/football/pro/dolphins/sfl-flsphydespec27sbapr27,0,6831077.column

It's QB roulette for Dolphins in NFL draft

Will Henne pay off? It's luck of the draw

Dave Hyde
Sports Columnist

April 27, 2008

DAVIE - Kansas City's head coach worked out two quarterbacks, on successive March days, at schools a few hours apart. He told each he would draft one of them. He kept his promise, too.

The quarterback who wasn't drafted sat at home, simmering, as he fell on draft day, and kept falling, all the way into the Dolphins' lap.

Not Chad Henne on Saturday.

Dan Marino, 25 years ago.

"It's a day of mistakes," Marino said this week. "Look how I ended up here. How many teams made a mistake?"

Saturday, the Dolphins continued their annual offseason game of Searching For Dan Marino by catching a falling Henne. Maybe this new regime made a mistake in the way every previous regime of the past decade has made. Or maybe, this time, it will benefit from others' mistakes in passing on the Michigan quarterback.

That's the perfect word for this day, the only one if you have some common sense and sense of history: maybe. Because no one knows the answer, no matter how sure they are today, as this same second-round draft pick has shown through the years on Dolphins quarterbacks.

In 2004, A.J. Feeley was The Hope.

In 2006, Daunte Culpepper was The Man.

In 2007, John Beck was The Future.

Now, Henne's just The Latest One.

That's four second-round picks used. In fact, if you want to tally the full cost of attempting to find a franchise quarterback since Marino left, add in two fifth-round picks, three sixth-round picks and two seventh-round picks.

The question is whether the cost will keep rising, because you can't stop taking quarterbacks until you're certain of having one. That's the First Law of Football.

"You never have enough of these guys to me," Dolphins General Manager Jeff Ireland said.

The best personnel guy the Dolphins ever had, Joe Thomas, took Rick Norton with the first overall pick in the expansion year of 1966. When Norton flopped, Thomas used the No. 1 pick the next year on another quarterback, Bob Griese.

"I was going to keep taking one until I had one," Thomas said.

The thinking is no different now. The wait is just longer. The Dolphins are nine years out from having a franchise quarterback, and that's why they're in their fifth regime since then. Do you want to hear again how New England took Tom Brady in the sixth round?

Ireland said he likes Beck, likes Josh McCown and obviously likes Henne. But the only certainty is that there's another quarterback controversy coming to a training camp where the primary controversy is whether there is a quarterback.

Henne, in the only valid comparison to Marino there is, could list those who showed interest in him and didn't take him on draft day.

"St Louis, Seattle, Baltimore, Chicago, Atlanta," he said.

He left out Green Bay, which took Louisville QB Brian Brohm with the 56th pick, one ahead of Henne.

Ireland said he liked Henne over Brohm anyway and dug out a nifty stat to show his thinking. He said Henne had nine come-from-behind wins in the fourth quarter, the most of any quarterback in this draft. That's a good stat, one Mel Kiper never found.

So the first day of the draft is done. Jason Taylor remains a Dolphin, which shows the necessary trade didn't happen. Specialist Lorenzo Booker was shipped away for a fourth-round pick, which isn't much considering he showed some talent on a team with so little last year.

A "system" trade, Ireland said of Booker, meaning this regime likes running backs who play every down.

But the big news is the Dolphins have used high picks on two Michigan players, tackle Jake Long and Henne. As long as they keep Appalachian State and Ohio State off the schedule, maybe it will work out.

"I know John Beck's there, so I'll go down there and compete," Henne said.

By the way, Kansas City rookie coach John Mackovic took Todd Blackledge over Marino with the seventh overall pick in 1983. His career record was 30-34. That's what the kind of decisions made on another draft day mean to careers.

[dolphins4life]

I'm not sure what to make our late round picks.  They never seem to work out for us, except for Yeremiah Bell.

I may be mistaken.  If you guys can give any examples of late picks that did work out for us, please enlighten me.  I just can't think of any off the top of my head.

[afphinfan]

I'm not sure what to make our late round picks.  They never seem to work out for us, except for Yeremiah Bell.

I may be mistaken.  If you guys can give any examples of late picks that did work out for us, please enlighten me.  I just can't think of any off the top of my head.

Dan Van Herder
Mark Clayton
Zach Thomas
... to name a few

[Sunstroke]

I like the fact that Shawn Murphy is the son of hall of famer Dale Murphy (I know, Dale's not in the hall yet, but he should be). They say you can't teach size...you either have it or you don't. Shawn has it. You can't teach genetics either, and Shawn has that too.

The more I look at our picks, the more I feel that Miami has added a helluva lot of talent in the last 24 hours. I'm looking forward to training camp already. My only question is on Langford, and he gets the pass for now because Tuna and Ireland like him, and that's enough for me on an unknown player.