He has the Pats taking Tebow at 22 and us taking Lefell in the second. I think if we took Paul, we already addressed ILB in free agency.
I'd love to walk away with Paul/LaFell in rds 1 and 2. He has Spikes going at 50 though and Hughes at 58. Not sure I'd take LaFell before either though. And I'd cry if the Patriots got J. Dwyer.
I agree. With how poor our ILB play was last year I am way in favor of McClain in the 1st. McClain is a playmaker who can blitz AND cover. Hello, I think we could use a little help covering the TE couldn't we. In the 2nd I'd go for LaFell if he is there.
JPP is a great player but he is not experienced. It will be a couple years before he reaches his full potential. McClain would have more of an immediate impact in an area of greater need. Cameron Wake and Jason Taylor will rush the passer from the weakside next season. If Merling cannot convert to OLB on the strong side then that creates a need but only on the strong side. However a player like JPP only comes along once in a great while. We will not have a shot at a player like him if we make the playoffs next year and pick late in the draft. Although we might not make the playoffs if we do not address our glaring weakness at ILB. Its a tough call.
Jerry Hughes, Jason Pierre-Paul, Everson Griffen, Sergio Kindle, Brandon Lang, A.J. Edds, or Jermaine Cunningham will be available in the 2nd or maybe even the 3rd round. The reasons JPP could slide? 1. He has only played at South Florida for one year. 2. The Big East is not as tough as the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, or Pac 10. 3. Some his best games last year were against Syracuse, Louisville, Rutgers, and Northern Illinois. He had zero sacks against Cincinnati, Pitt, and WVU. I am not saying he isn't a beast. He is. However draft scouts are not like fans on chat boards. They do not fall in love with players. They evaluate guys and lay out all their pros and cons. It would not surprise me if JPP got past two or three teams and slid to the 2nd round.
Its not set in stone. I just ask myself what would I do if I was the Dolphins GM? I've got needs at ILB, FS, NT, WR, TE, OLB, and maybe even center and guard. I cannot fill all those needs in one draft. However I can fill at least one of those needs by signing Jason Taylor. What would you do?
I'd try and sign JT but I wouldn't spend too much. I'm just not sure that they will be interested in him if they have youth/development in mind.
I think they address ILB in FA regardless. It wouldn't surprise me to see them sign someone and still draft McClain. I would be pretty happy with this draft. JPP is a little scary because he's so raw. You hear a lot of the same things with him that you did with Aaron Maybin last year (they even compare the two in this writeup), and Maybing did very little in 2009. That being said, his upside seems to be enourmous. You're seeing him fly up draft boards all over the place and is generally thought of as a top 10 talent right now by many drafnicks. So while there are other guys I'd prefer (namely Bryant and McClain), it wouldn't be hard to get excited about him. What I really like is LaFell. I know some of the draft gurus on this site have been very luke warm on him, but when I've seen him play I've really liked what I seen. You can't deny he has that great size/speed ratio that many of the newer elite WR's in the NFL have.
I disagree on a couple of counts, actually. One, there is very little chance that Jason Pierre-Paul slides out of the top 15, much less into the 2nd round. If DeMarcus Ware can be taken 11th overall as a division 1AA player, then Jason Pierre-Paul can go 12th, IMO. DeMarcus Ware was just as raw of a player when he came out. The things that Jason Pierre-Paul needs to work on are very coachable. You can't coach 6'6", 260 lbs with the wingspan of a condor and the speed of a running back. There is a very real chance that he actually goes before Miami picks. Second, I don't agree that Miami doesn't have a need at both outside linebacker positions. Jason Taylor is on his last legs, IMO, and needs to become more of a part time player. Cameron Wake has potential, but he has a long way to go before he's an all around outside linebacker. I think Miami definitely has to draft two outside linebackers in this draft along with at least one inside linebacker. To me, inside linebacker is the weakest spot, and I'm not sure Miami will be able to find a starter at inside linebacker without taking either Rolando McClain or Brandon Spikes early. After them, the pickings are very slim. AJ Edds would probably be my next guy, and I like Micah Johnson as a two down guy. Micah is a liability in coverage though.
My problem is I hate gambles in the first round. I want a solid prospect, a finished prospect and one who's pretty bright. Ted Ginn and his learning disability have turned me off dumb players. I want someone who was a 3 or 4 year starter and someone with great instincts. Too me McClain is the pick for us if he's there at 12. If he's there at 10 I say offer Joey Porter to Jacksonville to swap picks with us.
Not so sure I want to draft any project that draws comparisons to Maybin. Not saying I disagree with JPP's talent, but I dont think it wise for Scott Wright to say a guy deserves to be the #12 pick who is compared to Maybin. Encourage me with some one from a past draft that actually did something his rookie year. LOL.
Looking at how he has the players being drafted, I'd take McClain and Spikes. Let them grow together on the inside of our 3-4.
Yes but the reasons I laid out for why JPP might slide are level of competition and his lack of experience. Nothing you wrote refutes that. DeMarcus Ware was a three year starter at Troy. He left college with 27.5 sacks and 57 TFL. JPP only has 6.5 sacks and 16.5 TFL. Like it or not he carries the tag of one-year wonder. That being said it would not surprise me if JPP went as early as #3 to Tampa Bay. However Everette Brown slid to the 2nd round last year. You just never know what might happen when it comes to the draft. Love Edds. This is the third time I've seen him mentioned as a possibility at inside linebacker. Personally I see him as more of an outside linebacker in the 34. I thought Koa Misi might be a fit inside but Boomer disagreed. Not a fan Micah Johnson. I like Perry Riley, Boris Lee, and Josh Hull in the later rounds. And yes Jason Taylor is on his last legs but he can still play at a very high level. I see no reason why he and Cameron Wake couldn't hold down the weak side. At some point you have to commit to Wake and say he is the guy. Otherwise he is just taking up space on the roster.
