2013 Dolphins Draft thoughts

[MikeO]

Well I said the day after the season last year the Fins should use Free Agency to fix the offense (no time for rookies and a learning curve there) and use the draft to get younger and faster on defense. Ireland must read this board...lol. Some quick points...

1) The 2 rookies who will make an immediate impact are Jordan and Simms. Jordan obviously playing opposite Wake will open things up for Wake or will get man on man blocking which at his size and speed he can take advantage of hopefully. Those 2 are gonna make a nice tandeum. What Jordan has you can't teach...size and speed! Simms clearly isn't anything like Egnew. Simms is a big body blocking TE who I think will catch a lot (a real lot) of Red Zone touchdowns.  Simms will see the field alot this year just because of his blocking alone (since Keller and Egnew are weak blockers). And a by product of that might be him catching a lot of short red zone TD's.

2) Defensive backs...took 3 hope a couple can play. Jamar Taylor, Will Davis, and Don Jones. I think Taylor has a chance to win a starting job. Don Jones looks like a jack of all trades type who can play specials and maybe challenge for a roster spot. At worst a practice squad spot. (last 5 years the Fins 7th round pick has made the 53 man roster). Out of these 3 guys you hope 2 make the 53 man roster and the other gets a spot on the practice squad.

3) Dan Carpenter...start packing. You don't take a kicker in the 5th round to take up a practice squad spot. Or to have him "compete" for a job. Sturgis is our new kicker. Only thing that worries me about Sturgis. Kicked in Florida and in the SEC. Will be kicking in Miami. Can this kid kick in cold weather? Miami is always on the road late in the year with games in Buffalo, NY, NE...hope this kid can kick a cold football. Don't know if he has had to much if ever in his career thus far

4) Gillislee the running back..if this kid has a strong camp and preseason he could win a roster spot. If Daniel Thomas keeps getting hurt and fumbling in the preseason he will get a roster spot. But he might be a practice squad guy early on in his career.

Won't know if this draft is good or bad for a few years but as of today I can't really complain with what they did. I understand their logic

[masterfins]

IMO this draft will be deemed a success or failure based upon whether Jordan is the All-Pro stud they think he will be.  Losing that early second round pick to move up seemed to put them out of position to draft some really good players that fell below where they may have been.  Kind of disappointing that Miami struggled to draft a QB last year, and this year the QB's easily fell into the hands of the Jets and Bills.

[EDGECRUSHER]

It does, except then you realize that both QB's they drafted are likely to be laughable garbage.

[Pappy13]

I liked the top of the draft, the first 2 picks, but beyond that I'm not impressed. They took players at all the right positions, I'm just not convinced that the ones they picked beyond the first 2 are the right players. The kicker does seem to be an upgrade or at least as good as Carpenter and will be cheaper, so I get that pick and Gillislie seems like a decent prospect and a better blocking back than what we have, but the others I didn't think were great fits for Miami. Simms looks more like a tackle than a TE. Thomas doesn't seem nimble, he looks like a mauler, I can't see him playing tackle in the NFL especially left tackle, won't be able to handle a speed rush, so is he gonna play guard and on the right or the left? Doesn't seem like a good fit. Did we really need to draft 3 DB's? Would have really liked to seen them spend 1 pick on a WR instead to replace Bess. I like what I see of Jenkins, but did we really need another LB, we already have tons of young LB's.

I don't know, I was kinda excited about this draft in the beginning, but now I'm a little worried. I had high hopes they would get 3 or 4 starters, I'm not sure they did that. I'm not disappointed, just not as juiced as I was hoping I would be. With all those picks in the top 3 rounds, doesn't seem like they came away with a lot of players. The ones they selected had better produce.

[Pappy13]

Well I just listened to Irelands presser and he said that Simms lost some weight in the spring and was moving around much better, that's good news because the tape on him he looked very slow and lumbering and I didn't think he would add anything in the passing game, but perhaps if he dropped some weight that could change. I also liked he said that he has good hands and played some basketball. Maybe game tape is not the best indicator of what he'll be in the pro's. I hope so.

[Sunstroke]

I think the rookie that will make the biggest impact will be Jamar Taylor.  I believe he will start from day one, either covering for Grimes, if he's still nicked up, or just flat out taking Sherman's starting job in camp. I also like the other corner Miami grabbed, Davis, and think he'll make it into the regular rotation by his second season.

I think Dion Jordan will have a very inconsistent rookie season. I believe strongly that Miami's coaches can take his off the charts physical gifts and develop him into a star edge rusher, but I think he'll have a tough transition this season.

The other "impact rookie" will be - duh - K Caleb Sturgis. We laugh at those drunk stupid kickers, but a good kicker is a great weapon. If Caleb's accuracy is as-advertised, he will definitely have a positive impact on the offense.

[Pappy13]

I think Dion Jordan will have a very inconsistent rookie season. I believe strongly that Miami's coaches can take his off the charts physical gifts and develop him into a star edge rusher, but I think he'll have a tough transition this season.

I see Jordan as much more than an edge rusher. The tape that I watched of him he has the ability to make plays in the run game getting across the line of scrimmage and dragging down runners before they get to the line of scrimmage. He can also drop into coverage. He's an extremely well rounded player. I think everyone wants a pass rusher on the opposite side of Wake, so they see Jordan as that guy, but he's much more than that. Certainly his skill set will contribute to rushing the passer, but I still think you will see plenty of Odrick, Vernon and Shelby doing that as well. It's going to be team effort getting to the QB, not simply Jordan rushing off the edge. I see Jordan potentially taking Koa Misi's job this year.

That's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

[MikeO]

I like what I see of Jenkins, but did we really need another LB, we already have tons of young LB's.

Name them? Behind Ellerbee, Wheeler, and Misi we don't exactly have a who's who of talent. Freeney, Kaddu, Spitler, and Trusnick. We have bodies but any talent? I like Kaddu a little but its not like you can say we have LB depth by any means.

[MikeO]

I see Jordan as much more than an edge rusher. The tape that I watched of him he has the ability to make plays in the run game getting across the line of scrimmage and dragging down runners before they get to the line of scrimmage. He can also drop into coverage. He's an extremely well rounded player. I think everyone wants a pass rusher on the opposite side of Wake, so they see Jordan as that guy, but he's much more than that. Certainly his skill set will contribute to rushing the passer, but I still think you will see plenty of Odrick, Vernon and Shelby doing that as well. It's going to be team effort getting to the QB, not simply Jordan rushing off the edge. I see Jordan potentially taking Koa Misi's job this year.

That's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

They didn't trade up and make this move so Jordan can cover tight ends!! They drafted him to get to the QB! Period!  Yes he is a well rounded player and it might take a year in an NFL weight room for him to get to the necessary size for him to get to be where he needs to be, but he is gonna be out there to get to the QB.

[Pappy13]

They didn't trade up and make this move so Jordan can cover tight ends!! They drafted him to get to the QB! Period!

Thanks Jeff...oh wait you're not Jeff.

Yes he is a well rounded player and it might take a year in an NFL weight room for him to get to the necessary size for him to get to be where he needs to be, but he is gonna be out there to get to the QB.

That's funny Jeff, because you just said in your presser that you weren't sure how he was going to be used....oh wait you're not Jeff, I keep forgetting.

[Pappy13]

Name them? Behind Ellerbee, Wheeler, and Misi we don't exactly have a who's who of talent. Freeney, Kaddu, Spitler, and Trusnick. We have bodies but any talent? I like Kaddu a little but its not like you can say we have LB depth by any means.

I didn't say Miami had LB depth, I said they DON'T have WR depth. By my count they have added at least 9 LB's in the last couple of years to the roster and they still added one more in the draft, I don't see why they couldn't have added a WR in the draft too. That's just my opinion, I could be wrong...then again you might be wrong too. 

[MikeO]

Thanks Jeff...oh wait you're not Jeff.
That's funny Jeff, because you just said in your presser that you weren't sure how he was going to be used....oh wait you're not Jeff, I keep forgetting.

You want Ireland to walk to a press conference with a chalk board and stat drawing X's and O's to describe how he will be used 5 months before the season starts? If we TRADED UP to draft a guy who is going to be covering TE's and NOT rushing the passer every time he is on the field then this entire franchise is doomed. That's why Mike Nolan didn't even get an interview for the head coaching job here...his final year in Miami he had Cam Wake dropping into coverage 53 times in 2011  and nobody understood it. Even players came out against it in the media saying that it made zero sense.

Jordan isn't playing in the Pac 12 anymore vs wacky college made spread offenses. In the NFL with his size and speed he will rush the passer. That's why they went up to #3 to get him.

[MikeO]

I didn't say Miami had LB depth, I said they DON'T have WR depth.

The coaches like Binns, Fuller, and Matthews they feel that is there WR depth. I might actually agree with you that WR depth isn't great (not bad though either, just not great), but I am telling you what the coaches feel. They think they do have WR depth.

They also like Marcus Thigpen lined up as a WR as well and he could be used in 4 WR sets this year as well.

[Pappy13]

If we TRADED UP to draft a guy who is going to be covering TE's and NOT rushing the passer every time he is on the field then this entire franchise is doomed.

They had JT doing that at times. Granted it was at the tail end of his career, but not tipping your hand to where the rush is coming from is a GOOD thing in my humble opinion.

That's why Mike Nolan didn't even get an interview for the head coaching job here...his final year in Miami he had Cam Wake dropping into coverage 53 times in 2011  and nobody understood it. Even players came out against it in the media saying that it made zero sense.

And yet they still did it. If Wake can do it, I'm pretty sure that Jordan can too.

Jordan isn't playing in the Pac 12 anymore vs wacky college made spread offenses. In the NFL with his size and speed he will rush the passer. That's why they went up to #3 to get him.

I'm sure he will. He'll also be expected to play the run and in my opinion on occasion he'll even be expected to drop into coverage so you can do things like a corner blitz for example.

[MikeO]

And yet they still did it. If Wake can do it, I'm pretty sure that Jordan can too.

Huh? They did it. It didn't work. And the coach was run out of town!! Not exactly a ringing endorsement of copying that plan!