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Dolphins Draft Dilemna

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by 2hollywood2, Apr 17, 2010.

  1. 2hollywood2

    2hollywood2 New Member

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    http://isportsweb.com/2010/04/16/dolphins-draft-dilemna/comment-page-1/?wpc=dlc#comment-115518

    Dolphins Draft Dilemma

    By Ronn Burner • on April 16, 2010
    [​IMG]Following their 2009 campaign the Dolphins off season needs seemed as insatiable as Ben Roethlisexoffender’s sex drive. Too soon? Send emails to getalife@nobodyreadsthis.com. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Just saying.

    Miami needed to fill five major holes in an otherwise solid team to put themselves in a realistic position to contend for a Championship. In no particular order we needed a big-bodied, play making true #1 receiver, a bulldozing nose tackle to anchor our 3-4, a ball hawking free safety, a tackling machine at outside line backer and an elite pass rushing defensive end.

    Dolphins brass i.e. Bill Parcells, Jeff Ireland and Tony Sporano were able to acquire two Pro Bowl players by signing Karlos Dansby via Free Agency to fill the outside linebacking void created with the departure of the mouth of the south, Joey Porter and obviously the blockbuster deal that brought us Brandon Marshall instantaneously transforming an anemic receiving corps into a lethal one. That about seals those two holes tighter than a frog’s rear end.

    Two paramount deals to fix two monumental weaknesses on your roster is certainly something to be ecstatic about but in the immortal words of our very own Big Tuna “We’ve got a ways to go so put away the anointing oil, okay?” He said that a few years ago referring to a young Tony Romo finding early success in Dallas but don’t think for one second that Parcells isn’t thinking the very same thing as I write this. The fact remains that we still need to figure out how to find a starting NT, S and DE between the combination of our current roster, not a great option, and Thursday’s draft.


    We currently sit at #12, which virtually ensures cementing the third of our five holes depending on the direction the crafty Parcells will manuever but our next pick isn’t until #73 (3rd Rd.) and not even David Copperfield could plug our three holes with only two picks in the top 100. In a perfect world (I know) the Dolphins trade out of the 12th pick and into the back of the 1st round while adding a 2nd round pick to replace the one (#43) they lost to Denver in the Marshall deal. With everyone looking to trade down it’s unlikely Miami will find a dance partner but you can bet your bottom dollar that Parcells is trying to do just that and the Philadelphia Eagles might just be our Huckleberry. [​IMG]
    If that deal were to happen then Miami would move from #12 to #24 and compromise to #55 in the 2nd round given us three picks in the top 73 of a very deep draft. That’s enough to make sure you at least know where the anointing oil is stored. That’s a “what if” scenario though and not worth anything more than a fantasy tale you tell your buddies over beers.


    Back to the real world, which isn’t all bad when you consider the immense talent that will be sitting there for the taking at #12. There’s no doubt in my mind that NT Dan Williams (Tennessee), DE Derrick Morgan (Georgia Tech) or S Earl Thomas (Texas) will be a Miami Dolphins starter the second they stand up and make the walk to shake Roger Goodell’s hand. The question is which one will it be? (I’ve linked them all to their scouting reports.)
    My brain tells me Williams is our guy, with Jason Ferguson suspended for 8 games and the uber importance of a play thrashing 3-4 nose tackle it would seem foolish to pass on Williams. Playing devil’s advocate here and I could say that there are a number of worthy prospects that you should be able to get in the 2nd, 3rd or even 4th rounds to at least split time with Paul Solai until Ferguson returns.


    My gut tells me Parcells wants to mold Morgan into shades of the great L.T. Devils advocate says there is only one L.T. and both nose tackle and safety are bigger needs and there will be a quality pass rushing end still available at #55, maybe even a stud like Ricky Sapp (Clemson).
    [​IMG]My heart wants Thomas, a ball hawking safety with tremendous cover skills and all around tools for one, and for two, did you see Gibril Wilson and every team we played last season repeatedly gouge us with big plays? The devil’s advocate would say that a nose tackle and a pass rusher are bigger needs… or would he? The heart wants what the heart wants.


    Imagine the coundrum, albeit a great one, if Jason Paul-Pierre (South Florida) or Dez Bryant (Oklahoma State) are still available there.
     
  2. Roman529

    Roman529 Senior Member

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    Nice article....except the part about Big Ben's sex drive......trading down seems like the smartest move but everyone else is going to want to do this as well. I was listening to a Bronco's draft show here in Colorado and it sounds like they also would rather trade down over taking Dez Bryant or McClain. Maybe we have to include Ronnie Brown in some kind of a package to get a couple extra picks???? The Iggs could probably use Ronnie Brown, don't you think???
     
  3. 2hollywood2

    2hollywood2 New Member

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    Of course not. I'm just a die hard Fins fan that just happens to be a sportswriter as wel. I love to hear my fellow Dolfans thoughts and opinions especially when they differ from my own. After I write the articles I like to share them. Honestly, I gain nothing from it other than the opportunity to see how the Fin faithful feel about the state of the team. I'm selling nothing... just inspiring football thinking.
     
  4. GMJohnson

    GMJohnson New Member

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    No chance of Dan Williams starting as a rookie IMO. Slim chance of Morgan, but he'll have a hard time beating out Q Moses strong side. E Thomas is the only sure fire starter.
     
  5. Phinatic425

    Phinatic425 MIA State of Mind

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    I doubt Moses would start over Morgan
     
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  6. Onehondo

    Onehondo Senior Member Club Member

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    I still think the Dolphins are in a prime spot to trade down with the talent available in the draft. The closer you get to the top ten the more it will cost the trading team to pull it off. Depends on which players slide to our spot and how bad another team wants him.
    Either way we get extra draft pick(s) or we get a good prospect.
    I wonder if they might consider drafting Dez Bryant if he slides that far and do a draft and trade?
     
  7. Larryfinfan

    Larryfinfan 17-0...Priceless Club Member

    First, while I agree that NT is a need, it is not a 'must-have' to me. If it were, they'd have looked harder and at least picked up a guy in FA that could suffice as a rotational help for Fergy while he's out. Soliai and Starks/McDaniels can fill that void as they did the last part of last year. That said there might be a few guys in the fourth round that could hold the fort and possibly develop to something even better (Jeff Owens, perhaps)...

    Second, I don't see DE as a weakness, I do however see both WOLB and SOLB as major weaknesses. Morgan, as you mentioned might be a guy to convert from #12, or later in the first guys like Hughes (whom I like the best), Graham, JPP, Sergio Kindle. There are options and we'll have to fill that need in at least the first round.

    Third, while a trade down is always possible, as you said...in the real world...That would be the absolute best option (Philly) as you suggested and we have an inroad/history there with Tom Heckert.

    I'm not even sure that a FS is a need, but it is a missing piece. I just don't think that Thomas, as good as he is, is worth the #12....Berry would be a different story, but again, this is the real world...

    To be honest, the best player available may end up being a guy like Ro McLain...not a need, but if the guys you mentioned are gone, he may end up being the BPA. That being said...how do you and the others here feel about us getting the BPA versus a need position ?? I'm not so sure it's very wrong....
     
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  8. brparkway

    brparkway Season Ticket Holder

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    LB makes the Tuna's 3-4 go. I don't remember his Giants' FS or NT, but I sure remember Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson. I'll be shocked if OLB is not priority in this draft. Even if Jason comes back (and I hope he does), he and Wake play the same position. Above all, this team needs a stud on the other side
     
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  9. FinFan316

    FinFan316 Banned

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    I don't really see this as a dilemma. I think you try to see if one of the guys there is worthy of the pick. I think Dan Williams is. I watched two UT games this season...one was UF and I think the other was UCLA. In anycase, he was good in both.

    I think he would play behind Soliai. But thats fine...as long as he is the 35-40% contributor that a first rounder should be. BP seems to believe, and I agree with him, that you build from the inside out. I think its a great idea to get a young stud NT playing between the two young ends.

    I have never seen Earl Thomas play. I hope if we select him that hes the real deal.

    I have never heard of Morgan being compared to LT before. Wow. That would be nice, but we are talking about quite possibly the best defensive player to ever put pads on in LT.

    I love McClain. I think hes a stud and he'd definitely be worthy of picking up with the 12th pick. We would be a tough physical team. I would love it if we traded down, were able to pick up McClain and get one of the good NTs in the second round.

    I think we might actually be able to get by at S for this year if we had to. I think Culver is better than Gerbil (not saying much).

    Bottom line...we may never have the perfect defense. Neither did the Saints. We don't have to be great. We have to be good enough.
     
  10. Agua

    Agua Reality: Try It!

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    Can we get by with Jason Allen at FS for a season? Apparently the coaches, if they had their 'druthers, wouldn't, as evinced by their FA chase. Safety is an iffy thing for a first round pick, especialy one that high (see Jason Allen). OLB and NT are both needs. IF the talent is there, a rookie NT could start. He'd have a rough start, but he'd get better with experience. There's the Parcels' LB thing too. I think its going to come down to BPA at any of those 3 positions.
     
  11. rafael

    rafael Well-Known Member

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    IMO Williams is very unlikely. He's a two-down player with questions about his consistency, effort and motivation. I don't think he projects to be any better than Soliai is now for at least two seasons and maybe never. He's the one player in this draft that would make me throw something at my TV if we took him at #12.

    Also Dansby is not being brought in to replace Porter. Ireland has confirmed that Dansby is expected to play inside.

    I also don't see a pass rushing end as useful in a 3-4. Now if you're talking about a college end that that will convert to a SOLB then I agree, but pass rushing will not be his primary duty. His job will be to set the edge first and then he must be able to rush some and cover a TE. That's why I think all the Morgan stuff is a smokescreen. He is a fantastic prospect as a 4-3 end but he's pretty bad when he's not moving forward. I also don't think there's much chance that he makes it to #12. My guess is Cleveland takes him, if not then Seattle or Jax.

    I do agree that Thomas is a possibility. He would probably be my first choice assuming Berry doesn't fall.

    I also think Brandon Graham is a strong possibility. He has the versatility to be that SOLB for us and he was impressive at the Senior Bowl (5 tackles, 3 for loss, 2 sacks and forced a fumble). They probably spent all game saying "we can't block that guy".

    The third guy I think is a possibility (although these are in no particular order) is Spiller. Reports out of Detroit seem to imply it's more probable than not that Brown is traded for a second during the draft. That would move running back up the need list. Parcells doesn't usually use high picks on backs, but he's made an exception for durable types (see Martin). And there were reports early in the draft season that Parcells was impressed with Spiller's durability. I think Ireland and Sparano are looking for more "chunk" yardage and Spiller would certainly provide that. Also Sparano focuses a lot on how many plays a player gives him. It's no secret that his favorite player on the team is Cobbs. Well Spiller would be a more explosive Cobbs. He would be a rb, wr, pr and kr. I don't think it would take much to convince any of the three to select Spiller.
     
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  12. Killerphins

    Killerphins The Finger

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    jason allen is a CB these days and has done fairly well there. I don't see him moving back to safety
    tyrone culver or chris clemons will be penciled in at FS in the event we don't find a legitimate starter at the position
    that is more than likely the reason we ventured into free agency to find a veteran player to fill the spot
    i thought will allen might have a shot to possibly play FS until we lost nate jones . now we will probably see will allen at the nickel
     
  13. 2hollywood2

    2hollywood2 New Member

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    Dan Williams is a very real possibility regardless if Derrick Morgan is still on the board or not. Though a stud pass rushing end is very important in a 3-4 the success of the scheme is directly related to the success of the NT. It's not sexy but it's imperative. Paul Solai is average at best and undersized. He got abused at the point of attack down the stretch last year and without Ferguson for the first 8 games NT is a major weakness on the roster.

    I'm sure they have a plan and may go pass rushing end early and get a guy they like at NT later. All I'm saying is Solai isn't the guy and Williams would be a tremendous addition to the team.
     
  14. MikeHoncho

    MikeHoncho -=| Censored |=-

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    This year's draft is so crucial because of the gap between our 1st and 3rd picks.
     
  15. Larryfinfan

    Larryfinfan 17-0...Priceless Club Member

    I don't think so...a guy like Jeff Owens would probably be available to us in the 4th and could hold the fort until Fergy gets back. Starks and McDaniels are potential rotational guys with Soliai. It's really time for Soliai to bust out, but we'll see. Williams is a 2 down player. I don't see them going that high for him....after a trade down to the 20's somewhere...possibly...

    Our true need this draft is OLB. We have to come away with not only at least ONE starter (probably SOLB), but also at least two depth/project guys that may develop into starters...Anderson is in his 7th year...if he hasn't done it by now....QMoses is in his 4th year and really still raw and I don't think they've given up on him, but he either bursts out or busts out...
     
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  16. Larryfinfan

    Larryfinfan 17-0...Priceless Club Member

    I don't see Allen being moved either and there are still a few guys out there in FA that might be able to fill in... I like Allen at FS in Saban's D, but I don't think Nolan runs his secondary the same and Allen has been bounced around since he's been here, really slowing his development...
     
  17. PHINANALYST

    PHINANALYST Well-Known Member

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    i agree, i don't see Williams even on our draft board to be honest -- he isn't on mine. IF we take a DL in rd 1 ... i hope we go with Odrick.

    what i see us doing is simply either taking Berry / Morgan or trading down. I do believe there will be several teams looking to move up ... no matter how slightly to get to 12. We need to get at least another 3d .... preferebly a 2d and a 3d == whether that is a combination of trade down and player trades (Smiley, Brown, etc .....)

    if we can trade down to late 1st, then you can still get a Graham or Hughes ... or Odrick yet again.

    Morgan would absolutely instantly become the SOLB from day 1 .... he can't be LT -- 1: he is a SOLB, not a WOLB .... 2: he isn't nearly quick enough

    lastly .. he had Leonard Marshall during his G-Men days ... a pretty good DT/NT ... but there are several we could pick up in rd 3 that could work out pretty well for us -- none named Williams ....
     
  18. 2hollywood2

    2hollywood2 New Member

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    I will say this, 27 of the 32 teams went to see Williams at Tennessee's Prod Day.... Miami was not one of them.

    Translation: Parcells loves him.

    It's just silly talk to say he's not even on our draft board. Of course he is. Maybe they don't value him at #12 but I assure you if Morgan, JPP and Thomas are gone Williams has got to be enticing barring trading down. NT is currently the biggest hole on the team despite our need at S and DE and it would just be foolish not to have all the 3-4 ones on the board.

    Look, I'm not saying I'm in love with Williams but he makes sense. Although everyone claims they loved Jake Long the truth is most Dolfans were drooling over Chris Long if you remember. I wrote articles saying it's not sexy but Jake Long should be the pick. In hindsight... it was genius pick.

    Jason Allen has roster security because he is one hell of a Special Teams player to go with the fact that he is more than capable in nickel and dime packages.
     
  19. rafael

    rafael Well-Known Member

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    IMO Williams is a horrible fit and generally Parcells has looked for NTs later in the draft. Williams looks like a two down player to me and I think it's a bad idea to take those in the first. There are also questions about his motivation which strikes me as decidedly that may cause this F.O. to take you off the board entirely. And frankly, I'm not sure there's much reason to believe that he could even beat out Soliai in the next couple of years. Basically I don't agree that Williams makes sense.

    As for J. Long and C. Long, I was decidedly in the J. Long camp and posted my mock and repeatedly posted my opinion as to why he should be the pick on this site. To my recollection the rest of this board was split down the middle between the Longs or at worst 60/40.
     
  20. PHINANALYST

    PHINANALYST Well-Known Member

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    while you might consider it silly, if i was the GM - no ... Williams is not even a consideration for me at any point in rd 1. Suh, McCoy and Odrick would be the only DL i would take in rd 1 ... but then again, isn't that what makes the draft so intriguing ....
     
  21. jazz

    jazz Active Member

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    i just have a feeling that we'll wind up trading down and with that later first round pick draft terrence cody. losing those two second rounders really stung and i'm sure they're doing everything in their power to get one of those back.
     
  22. rafael

    rafael Well-Known Member

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    Parcells has always ranted against overweight players. I don't see Cody as likely.
     
  23. jazz

    jazz Active Member

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    given tuna's choices to work with "problem" players, i don't see how this would be any different.
     
  24. rafael

    rafael Well-Known Member

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    Basically, b/c that's not a "problem" he usually chooses to work with. So whether or not you see it as different, Parcells seems to see it as different.
     
  25. gandalfin

    gandalfin Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    6'4" and 355 LB's is undersized?
     
  26. Xeticus

    Xeticus Junior Member

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    Of course he would. Sparano is very conservative about starting rookies even over mediocre veterans. It was only due to injury that Henne got his shot. Ted Ginn had to be so incredibly bad that he was finally benched and Hartline given a shot. Sparano would definitely start Moses over Morgan unless Morgan is insanely better in practice or there is an injury.
     
  27. dgb11112

    dgb11112 Hall Of Fame

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    No

    Your no sports writer you have to many spelling errors in your content..
     
  28. MrClean

    MrClean Inglourious Basterd Club Member

    I do. His FS was Terry Kinard, a first round draft pick out of Clemson. The initial first round pick made with Parcells as the Giants head coach. I read somewhere, that a Parcells run draft room had never taken a safety in the first. Well, George Young was who had final say on the Giants drafts back then, but Parcells surely had input.
    His NT was Jim Burt. An undersized blue collar type. An undrafted free agent out of The U. After the Giants won the first Super Bowl, Burt climbed up into the stands and was shaking hands with as many Giants fans as he could.
     
  29. CitizenSnips

    CitizenSnips hmm.

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    Vontae pretty much got Eric Green cut, and sean smith easily fended off jason allen and nate jones.

    Morgan would EASILY start every game for us. No doubt IMO.
     
  30. gunn34

    gunn34 I miss Don & Dan

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    I don't see Williams either. Soliai played well last year. He improved. Someone said average at best. He was average at worst last year and has shown flashes of greatness. If he only showed flashes of average, I would agree.

    I say our 1st pick is OLB.
     

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