After a few days more thought, it's really hard to grade this draft. I'd probably go a cautious B, with room to move either way.
What I liked...
Ok, we identified Waddle (or maybe Pitts or Chase) was our first pick, so after the Niners blockbuster trade we had to go back up to get him - none of the top bracket of WR prospects (including Smith) would have lasted until #12. Whether I agree or not, that's what we decided, and if that's the case, then it had to be done regardless of what's forgone. It will always be a loaded question drafting a WR this high, will it be a Julio Jones or A.J. Green, or one of the many flameouts the Raiders have made over the years? Considering we already had added Fuller, we could have picked up an additional gem further down in this deep WR draft and addressed something else, but still I love the conviction in how they did this.
Also, the skill sets of the players we picked were very high for our 2 upper round players, there's no way I can argue with that. Phillips addressed a key area of need and arguably had one of the best pro day showings and final year leading up to the draft. There is a measured risk, and concussions have become a much bigger factor than previous years because of time off the field while playing because of assessment (let alone the horrible effects after football). It's an area both NFL (and AFL here in Australia) are taking very seriously, and that has to be a consideration in drafts going forward. The good news is that most of Phillips issues were pre-Hurricanes - hopefully they are all over with so he can dominate.
I think I have mentioned earlier I like the philosophy in regard to OL - go cheap (as in $$$) and go often, and we have done that again in the offseason and draft. IMO we did really well to find three starters last draft (Jackson, Kindley, Hunt) who did a great job at the edges, especially in pass protection. We moved up to get got one of the better prospects in the 2nd round and picked a promising roughie bet in the 7th round. Flowers had one of the better years of his career for us at guard, yet I can't help think we are better off replacing him with one of these guys and/or Fluker who we got in FA. After being a major problem for what seems like forever, at last the OL finally looks like something where we have talent and depth for a while.
Likewise on my wish list was a possible upgrade at Safety from Maxwell - Holland could well be that guy, although I didn't anticipate it would be our first pick in the second round of this draft! To tie in with the above pick of Phillips, will an improved DL rush and upgrade at safety eliminate the headaches we have had covering damaging TE's for what it seems like an eternity?
Things that made me go, hmmmm....
Picking Hunter Long. Okay he's the second TE on the board (77 places after Pitts - man, that's a huge drop off in TE selected!), but was he really an area of need? We already have Gesicki, Smythe and Shaheen who seem to already have a good chemistry with Tua - between guys who with sticky hands that can catch in traffic, and red zone targets, I thought that was well covered. Sure Gesicki and Smythe come out of contract at the end of 2021, but if they prove their worth then stop bitchin' and get out the cheque book Ross! A young, second year QB needs his safety net, it's too soon to pull it away...
Speaking of which, that old chestnut - the RB position. I hope some of you guys can understand that some fans like me thought it was a priority, partly because leading up to the draft it certainly also looked like it to the Dolphins hierarchy. Last year we brought in Howard, then admitted we missed out on our guy in the draft and traded for Breida. Howard was a big, fat bust (and was cut), Breida has been a disappointment. During the offseason, we had "mutual interest" in Aaron Jones before he resigned with the Packers. So leading up to this draft, it was pretty clear landing a stud RB would be the go, right? Apparently not now - to quote a previous post here by EDGE, after the draft Flores said that the addition of Waddle and Fuller will greatly improve our rushing offense, because the defense now can't crowd the line for fear that Waddle and Fuller will blow right by them. Hmmm... I can't say I agree with that philosophy, and I think it will heap an additional amount of pressure on our 2nd year QBs shoulders instead of doing the opposite. Oh, and if we quietly sign up or trade for a RB before the season (for example like Duke Johnson, AP, etc) then that's an admission in itself.
LB was another area I was worried about with the loss of Van Noy and we passed on literally every LB available in the draft, but maybe the additions of Phillips and Holland with a tweaked hybrid structure will more than cover for this? I think like most of these selections it's a case of wait and see how it pans out, and we will know soon enough.
I agree with you on Waddle, we had to trade back up for one of the top WRs and I'm glad we got him. The more tape I watch on him, the more I like him better than the other receivers in this draft. Maybe I'm justifying it, but I love his speed, agility and hands.
Philips has the talent to be one of if not the best EDGE in the league, that's how good he is. The concussions are concerning though. If he busts, it won't be because of lack of talent or effort.
I like our OL, I agree with you there. The fact that just about all of them are so versatile is good too. Hunt can play guard or tackle, Kindley can play both guard positions, Davis can play everywhere and even got practice at center, Eichenberg can play tackle or guard, Dieter can play guard or center (although it's to be seen if he even makes the team this season).
Holland is arguably the best safety in the draft, the fact that he can play nickel and safety is probably why we drafted him. He has a lot of talent, and while I didn't like the pick at the time, once I looked into him some more I was very happy we drafted him. It's not a bad thing when experts compare you to Minkah Fitzpatrick.
The reason we picked Hunter Long is in case we don't resign Smyth or Gesicki. Their contracts are up after this season, and TE has shown to take a year or two before they shine. Hunter Long can be that Travis Kelce type that can do everything including block very well. At the very least, he'll be a solid pass catcher that can move the chains and open up holes in the running game.
I'm not too worried about the RB position. Gaskin has shown he can be a pretty good running back in a rotational situation. Him as RB1 (lightning) and Brown as RB2 (thunder) with possibly Ahmed progressing is good enough with our new deep threats opening up the offense preventing teams from stacking the box. Don't forget about Doaks either, the guy we got in the 7th round. He's a big boy at 230+lbs, I wouldn't be surprised to see him replace Brown next season. Gaskin was a 7th rounder that is now our starter, why couldn't we hit on another 7th round RB?
I wouldn't worry about LB too much. Van Ginkel will replace Van Noy, he played better than him last season anyway. Phillips will be the other outside LB. That leaves Baker and McKinney in the middle, plus we have some depth behind them.
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