Multiple sources are reporting this, and a general opening of facilities happens tomorrow. So who you got as UDFA's coming to Miami? In broad strokes: -3 Rb's (including a FB) -1 Center -2 Qb's depending, we may just acquire a Vet and with limited time only have 3 Qb's, but usually a team needs 4 just to have enough Qb's to throw passes in practice. -5 Db's -2 tackles -4 linebackers (at least) -1 maybe 2 Te's/they may churn last yrs' group and they make room on the ps for Te's -4 dlinemen -1 punter That is 23 UDFA's, though you never know when a Street FA vet can be in that mix. Rb's:Saine/Hynoski/Fannin C: Kevin Kowalski qb: Abe Froman/ Db's are anyones' guess, literally. T's:Pete Hendrickson/Trevis Turner Te: Andre Smith Dline: Doug Bair/ Well, time pressure prevents me from filling the whole thing out, but folks should have the flavor of what they will be looking for and where, feel free to add your own names as this sort of list will be completed quickly and probably still be turned over as guys show up in Davie out of shape.
Domo arrigato Mr C. I think what we will see is more experienced players brought in to fill out the roster, simply because there is such a limited time to assemble a roster, hopefully Vern Gholston is one of them..
It's really hard to predict any sort of numbers with the number of free agents out there and the new 90 man roster rule.
I'm really not sure we're going to see that many. I could actually see a couple of teams taking it pretty slow with UDFAs. With limited time to get season ready and with limited snaps to do just that, teams that have new coordinators and/or schemes might just concentrate on getting their core squad on the same page and ready to roll instead of looking for that #5 WR or #3 TE with longterm potential. If you only have so much time and snaps available, do you "waste" it on guys that you probably can't properly evaluate before you have to cut them again?
As I just posted in another thread, I would like to see us bring in the following UDFAs: OLine: David Mims, Zac Hurd, Jake Kirkpatrick QB: Adam Froman RB: Brandon Saine, Mario Fannin LB: Mark Herzlich DLine: Ian Williams DB: DeAndre McDaniels, Deunta Williams
Wow, those are like #1 picks in the UDFa draft...! Williams and Saine would not surprise, especially Saine as they added Hartline and Rose, fmr OSU players that were not particularly well thought of at the time. The great leveler in all of this is..signing bonuses are capped at 75K...for every team, completely level playing field.
Padre31, I know that is wishful thinking for the Fins to land all those UDFAs. Realistically I would be happy with Zac Hurd, Adam Froman, Brandon Saine, and either one of the DBs, but considering we have so many roster spots to fill to get to 90 players I would hope they could end up with more than just four of those players.
Yet you can only spend a maximum of $75,000 in signing bonuses to the UDFAs. A lot of the more acclaimed UDFAs demanded $10k and $20k signing bonuses. I wouldn't expect the Dolphins to be able to sign the most coveted UDFAs, because they're going to have to bring in a lot of them.
Maehl and Devine, please...Injury prone, shminjuy prone, a 90 man roster takes that out of the equation. I bet we'll start seeing a ton of jackrabbits out there breaking ankles left and right.
Well, what it really boils down to is they will go to the best opportunity as the bonus money is the same, and I "think" it is prorated over 3 yrs to boot, which makes an opportunity to play paramount as they won't collect all 3 yrs most likely.
Mike Lombardi also brought up a good point today that too many UDFA's might be cause for safety issues during training camp. He expects teams to sign a lot of 2-3 year borderline roster guys that are floating around out there as they at least have a clue as to what to expect and can better deal with the expected faster pace of putting a team together this year.
Something else to consider in this "gold rush" for UDFAs is that you're only going to have 4 weeks to evaluate your entire roster. With the new practice schedule (which I don't even claim to begin to know all the details of) you're looking at a lot less time for players to make an impact in practice. With the extended lockout and no time for OTAs and such, starters are going to play a lot more minutes this pre-season than they regularly would. Now there's even less time for these UDFAs to make an impact. So, while a lot of these guys will be picked up simply to make it to the 90 man roster limit, it's going to be damn near impossible for any of them to make an impact. That's not to say these kids can't play, it's just to say that this isn't an environment conducive to being a "longshot." A lot of coaches/GMs are going to be faced with making a decision between giving their starters extended reps to get them into game shape and make sure the rust is off or giving extra reps to UDFAs and back of the roster players who you're probably not going to be able to evaluate to the extent you would want to before making a commitment anyway. And what happens if you don't get to evaluate a player fully but you want to keep him on because you have a good feeling about him, how do you justify the decision to cut someone else for someone so unproven? And even worse, what if you let someone get away who turns out to be a solid player but you don't know because you just didn't have enough time to evaluate them. I know they've had months since the end of the draft to watch game tape and evaluate these kids, but watching tape is no substitute for having a guy in camp and seeing first hand how he works and how he runs your system. There's going to be some good players, UDFAs, Low-Round Drafted Rookies, and Unheralded mid to bottom of the roster vets who fall through the cracks and get cast off from NFL teams simply because there wasn't enough time for this whole process to play out. I don't envy coaches and GMs the next 4 weeks.
Well trowa, this is no different then the league from say 1970-1993 or so, prior to the "yr rd football" approach that has emerged and in that era plenty of UDFA's made rosters even in a 4 week time period. Put it this way, Dolphins had 2 yrs with Anthony Armstrong and got nothing out of him, he went to DC and voila! 18 ypc.
That's an extremely over simplified way of looking at things, and I think simply a means to justify to yourself the hopes you have for some of these UDFAs. It isn't 1970-1993 anymore. The talent evaluation process is much more extensive now. The talent required simply to make the back end of an NFL roster is exponentially higher than it was in those years. You also have to consider the mentality shift of coaches and GMs. The majority of HCs and GMs in the league currently were not in charge in any capacity during the years you mentioned. They approach the game with regard how coaches interact with players has changed. That's why camps and practices were so grueling. Coaches want to know everything about a player. What he can do and more importantly what he can't. Coaches wont have the time to figure these things out and wont be able to make an informed decision. And because of that a lot of UDFAs wont get their shot.
FWIW, here is a Top 40 UDFA list from Scouts Inc: 1. Joe Lefeged, S, Rutgers (Scouts Inc. grade: 73) Lefeged possesses a nice combination of size and straight-line speed, and the range, discipline and toughness to contribute as a sub-package safety and special-teams player early in his career. He also has the skills and potential to develop into a starting strong safety in time. 2. Kendric Burney, CB, North Carolina (68) Burney's lack of size (5-foot-9⅜, 186 pounds) and top-end speed (4.74 in the 40) are likely the reasons he went undrafted, but he has the instincts, short-area quickness and ball skills to add depth and eventually compete for a starting job in a Cover 2-heavy scheme. 3. Cedric Thornton, DT, Southern Arkansas (64) Thornton has enough size and short-area power to develop into an adequate reserve as a one-gap lineman for a base 4-3 team. 4. Darvin Adams, WR, Auburn (62) Adams lacks top-end speed and suddenness in his routes, but he is a smooth athlete with the body control, hands and toughness to develop into a No. 4 or No. 5 receiver at the next level. 5. DeAndre McDaniel, S, Clemson (61) McDaniel has limitations in terms of fluidity and top-end speed, but he has the size, strength and instincts to become an effective in-the-box safety and also flashes above-average ball skills. 6. Jeron Johnson, S, Boise State (60) Johnson is still developing in terms of instincts and discipline in coverage, but has the quickness and agility to contribute in sub packages. 7. Ian Williams, DT, Notre Dame (58) Williams is a limited athlete with a squatty build but it provides him with natural leverage to anchor in the middle and bolster a team's interior run defense. He also has the versatility to line up in three- or four-man fronts. 8. Mark Herzlich, OLB, Boston College (58) We ranked Herzlich as the No. 1 overall defensive prospect in the nation following the 2008 season, but he missed the entire 2009 season while battling cancer and was not the same player when he returned to the field in 2010. He lacks elite athleticism, especially when asked to play in space, but Herzlich has the frame, smarts, toughness and intangibles to develop into an effective strongside linebacker if he returns to 100 percent. 9. Derrick Locke, RB, Kentucky (58) Locke's size (5-8¼, 188) and lack of power limit his potential as an every-down player, but he has the instincts, lateral quickness, body control, hands and toughness to make an impact as a third-down back and special-teams contributor. 10. Nick Bellore, ILB, Central Michigan (56) Bellore is limited in coverage and as a pass-rusher but has the size, smarts, motor and toughness to develop into an effective two-down run-stopper and contributor on special teams. 11. Zach Hurd, G, Connecticut (56) Hurd has good size (6-6¾, 316), strength and long arms, plus the natural ability and toughness to develop into a quality backup guard in the NFL. 12. Ricardo Lockette, WR, Fort Valley State (56) Lockette is a well-traveled, unpolished prospect with limited football experience, but he has the size and raw talent to become a solid fourth or fifth receiver, given enough time and coaching. 13. Scott Lutrus, OLB, Connecticut (54) Lutrus comes with durability concerns but he showed well at the NFL combine and has the speed, toughness and smarts to provide depth on the strong side for a base 4-3 defense. 14. Dane Sanzenbacher, WR, Ohio State (54) Sanzenbacher is undersized (5-11⅜, 182) and lacks the speed to threaten vertically in the NFL, but he shows the quickness, hand-eye coordination and competitiveness to contribute as a sub-package slot receiver and help on special teams. 15. Orie Lemon, ILB, Oklahoma State (52) Lemon has a good combination of size (6-0¾, 242), strength and closing burst to fit nicely as a two-down strongside inside linebacker for a 3-4 defense. 16. Willie Smith, OT, East Carolina (52) Smith has the frame (6-5⅜, 310) and athletic ability to develop into an effective reserve tackle, though he needs to get stronger and improve his technique under the direction of NFL coaching. 17. Will Hill, S, Florida (51) Hill has upside because of his above-average athleticism, though his instincts still need developing and character concerns probably helped cause him to go undrafted. 18. Terrence Toliver, WR, LSU (51) Toliver's size (6-3½, 212), deceiving top-end speed, body control and good hands give him the potential to develop into a No. 3 or 4 receiver at the next level, though he is a bit tight in his routes. 19. David Sims, S, Iowa State (49) Sims is undersized and older than most prospects, but he shows good instincts, adequate range and coverage, and a willingness to mix it up against the run and on special teams. 20. Brandon Bair, DT, Oregon (49) Bair lacks the anchor to line up inside, but his frame (6-5⅞, 276) gives him the length to contribute as a five-technique for a 3-4 team if he improves his fundamentals. 21. Kai Forbath, PK, UCLA (49) Forbath has the leg strength and accuracy to eventually become an effective place-kicker at the next level. 22. Ryan Winterswyk, DE, Boise State (48) Winterswyk is disciplined and plays with a consistent motor, and while he is a limited athlete he would fit well as a reserve five-technique in a 3-4 scheme. 23. Ryan Jones, CB, NW Missouri State (47) Jones has above-average speed and athleticism and he plays the ball well in coverage, though his tackling in run support needs some work. 24. Martin Parker, DT, Richmond (47) Parker has the size (6-2⅛, 303), athleticism and skill sets to develop into an adequate reserve three-technique for a team that runs a 4-3 defense. 25. Zack Pianalto, TE, North Carolina (47) Durability issues kept Pianalto from being drafted, but he has good hands and the ability to get open against zone coverage, and is an effective downfield blocker. 26. Weslye Saunders, TE, South Carolina (46) Major character concerns scared teams off on draft weekend, but Saunders has the frame (6-5⅛, 270), ball skills and enough speed to become a solid NFL tight end if he reaches his full potential. 27. Deunta Williams, S, North Carolina (45) Williams' top-end speed is above-average and he moves well laterally, and he is at his best in zone coverage. He flashes good ball skills as well but lacks size/power and is timid at times in run support. 28. Garrett Chisolm, G, South Carolina (44) Chisolm comes with durability concerns and needs developing in terms of footwork, but he is a high-character player with the frame and power to provide depth at guard. 29. Ryan Donahue, P, Iowa (44) Donahue shows the leg strength and directional punting ability to become an effective punter in the NFL. 30. Graig Cooper, RB, Miami (Fla.) (44) A major knee injury in 2009 robbed Cooper of explosiveness and lateral quickness, but he offers enough vision, short-area quickness and third-down ability to become a change-of-pace back at the next level. 31. Charlie Gantt, TE, Michigan State (44) Gantt is not elite in any area but has the potential and overall skill set to develop into an effective No. 2 tight end at the next level. 32. Armon Binns, WR, Cincinnati (43) Binns is limited as a route-runner and lacks explosiveness, but he shows good hands and body control to contribute as he develops. 33. Alex Linnenkohl, C, Oregon State (42) Linnenkohl's athleticism is limited but he is a hard worker who flashes instincts as a pass blocker and could provide depth along the interior with proper development. 34. Mario Addison, OLB, Troy (42) Addison plays with good pad level and appears strong enough to set the edge against the run, and he shows active hands as a pass-rusher. 35. Joe Torchia, TE, Virginia (42) Torchia runs sharp routes, clearly works hard on the little things, shows good hands and runs hard after the catch. 36. Terrance Turner, WR, Indiana (42) Turner runs good routes and has above-average ball skills, and if he can contribute on special teams he could become a solid No. 4 or 5 receiver in the NFL. 37. Ricky Henry, G, Nebraska (41) Henry is a blue-collar player with excellent toughness and a mean streak, and he flashes above-average upper-body strength in the run game. 38. Tori Gurley, WR, South Carolina (41) Gurley's size (6-4⅛, 216) and athleticism give him a chance to develop into a strong fourth or fifth receiver for an NFL team. 39. Pierre Allen, DE, Nebraska (40) Allen has the size (6-3½, 273), upper-body strength and long arms to provide depth and possibly develop into a starting left end in a four-man front. 40. Mike Holmes, S, Syracuse (40) Holmes is a tough, versatile defensive back who played both corner and safety in college, and his ability to contribute as a kick and punt returner could also be an asset for an NFL team.
Mark Schiechl from CSoM should be on that list somewhere as well, would love to see him have a look in Miami.
Mark Herzlich to the Ravens (damn you Tim!) and DeAndre McDaniel to the Saints. Anthony Gray to the Steelers.
Wesley Saunders to the Steelers http://twitter.com/#!/NFLDraftInside...58497357791233 Kendric Burney to the Panthers http://twitter.com/#!/NFLDraftInside...58856121774080
TE Zach Pianalto to the Bills (FAHK!) DB Brian Lainhart to the Bengals OT Corey Woods to the Patriots WR Tori Gurley to the Packers KR Shaky Smithson to the Packers OL Donovan Edwards to the 49ers LB Mark Herzlich to the Ravens (FAHK!) RB Damien Berry to the Ravens SS DeAndre McDaniel to the Saints (FAHK!) DL Anthony Gray to the Steelers TE Weslye Saunders to the Steelers TE Preston Dial to the Lions WR Davieun Curry-Chaplin to the Cardinals RB Graig Cooper to the Eagles CB Mario Butler to the Cowboys FS Joe Lefeged to the Colts DE Marc Schiechl to the Jaguars (FAHK!) RB DuJuan Harris to the Jaguars (FAHK!) DB Matt Estrada to the Jaguars WR Greg Ellingson to the Jaguars QB Scott Riddle to the Jaguars TE Kyle Miller to the Jaguars CB Kendric Burney to the Panthers OC Ryan Pugh to the Panthers DE Jonathan Freeny to the Dolphins CB Devon Torrence to the Vikings OT Brent Osborne to the Seahawks CB James Dockery to the Rams
http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=77106&draftyear=2011&genpos=DE Draft Bio - Looks like OLB prospect, and aside from his bench #'s he had pretty good workout #'s imo.
