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My Thoughts on the 1st Round

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by KeyFin, Apr 24, 2020.

  1. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    The Miami Dolphins went into this draft with one objective folks- and it was to land Tua at #5. He's been the pick for the last 18 months and I truly believe that if this organization was picking #1 overall, the pick would have been the same. Trading up for Burrow has been our smokescreen all along, Flores didn't really want Burrow and Cinci didn't want to give up Burrow, so we used it as ammo to discuss trades with teams in the #'s 1, 2, 3, and 4 slots.

    Only, we really had no intention of trading...the goal was to drive the price up to a premium so other teams couldn't jump us for Tua. This was a chess match folks and Grier played one heck of a game. I honestly sat there with each of the early picks not knowing whether or not we'd be on the board....I didn't think we would, but I didn't know for sure either because Grier did his job and got his quarterback at the price he wanted to pay. Burrow had a great 2019 year but played like crap in 2018...betting on him at #1 was actually more of a gamble in my eyes than taking Tua at #5. And I think that's why we make the facade of pushing so hard for Burrow...we weren't convincing ourselves, we were convincing Cinci to lock that pick in early.

    Do I love the pick? I've been vocally against Tua this whole time because we don't know what the future holds in that hip. It has scared me taking a player coming off a big injury and for me, it's not worth the gamble...but that no longer matters. Grier/Flores gambled and they hauled in a fantastic QB. I am now 100% all-in on Tua and I think he can be a great QB for us someday- I think long-term, he will be the top QB from this draft class.

    A+ pick- it's exactly what the Dolphins wanted, without trading up.

    For our second pick in Austin Jackson, we slightly overpaid but I also understand why since there was a run on tackles. Jackson was on track to be among the "elite 4" when he had the surgery to save his sister- a bone marrow transplant takes a while to fully heal from and I love this kid's character. Some have said it would have made more sense to trade up for one of the other tackles but I'm confident that Grier was going to draft his board after the first two picks (a QB and an OT). It could have just as easily been a run on WR's instead, but it wasn't and I think Jackson could be a day-one starter with some semblance of a mini camp. He's a big, tough kid that can really brawl.

    B- pick- he was the best OT on board and we desperately needed a solid OT

    For Noah Igbinoghene, this was a Flores selection to build that dominant defense with superior athletes on the field shutting down passing routes. Personally, I really wanted RB Swift or Taylor with this pick and would have loved an edge rusher as well, but I can understand the philosophy here as well- now the team has three really talented man/press corners that will give opposing QB's fits. If this kid develops in the slot or at safety, we are going to have the top secondary in football for a very long time.

    C+ pick (up to a B- since we traded back)- he was the BPA that fits Flores defensive philosophy of shut-down man coverage

    Overall, I think the Dolphins had an excellent first round. They played their board and got exactly what they wanted out of this draft without having to overpay. I am excited for rounds 2 and 3 since I think Grier/Flores have a lot of guys in the later rounds that they see starting on day one- so far they've shown that they can identify and maximize talent as well as anyone. Personally, I didn't get any of my "favorites" on day one but that's why I'm a fan and not an NFL GM. I think it's important to judge these selections not on what we wanted, but what our team wants to fit a long-term vision and how they executed on that. From that perspective, it's hard to knock any of these three picks since the Dolphins are definitely a better team for 2020 and beyond.

    B+ overall 1st round grade
     
    Last edited: Apr 24, 2020
    Puka-head, Irishman and Surfs Up 99 like this.
  2. mlb1399

    mlb1399 Well-Known Member

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    Good analysis. You’re grade is way higher then mine would be.

    I think Noah will be a good corner and allow us to move on from Howard if he doesn’t return to old form but don’t like the BPA pick there when you’ve got $32mm tied up with your starting corners.

    jackson was a major reach and didn’t like what I saw out of him in the bowl game. He got manhandled by AJE. Maybe he develops but I doubt under normal conditions, he’d be playing this year.

    The Tua pick will be the most highly discussed player for the foreseeable future. Like a forced marriage, we have no choice but to root for him now. I didn’t like him before the injury and liked him less after. It’s easy to be accurate when you’ve got 1st round picks blocking for you and multiple first round picks that you’re throwing too.

    Overall my draft grade would be a C- for the first round.
     
  3. The_Dark_Knight

    The_Dark_Knight Defender of the Truth

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    No one here is a sports “expert” though some of us may be more knowledgeable in certain areas than others. That being said, the WORST critics of players drafted are fans themselves.

    We’re so confident in what we “know” but if we truly knew what we thought we know, we’d have a 6 figure salary scouting for NFL teams.

    Now what I’m about to say may sound a little familiar and hopefully it doesn’t come back to bite me. Last season, on paper, we were only supposed to win 1 or 2 games. We ended up winning 5 and lost a few close ones with a roster of nobodies...NOBODIES!!!!! Now Flores is building the team that HE wants with the players that HE wants. Now we can gripe and bellyache all we want about who was picked, thinking we know better but if Flores was able to generate the production with a roster of nobodies last season, imagine what he’s going to be able to do with the talent HE is getting this season.

    If you have faith in Flores; if you believe in what he’s doing then sit back and let him do HIS thing.

    If it works, then no one is going to remember who was drafted.

    If it doesn’t everyone will cry out for Flores’ head and no one will remember who was drafted
     
    Irishman likes this.
  4. mlb1399

    mlb1399 Well-Known Member

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    Fair points Dark Knight. I played some college ball but an by no means an expert.

    for the record, I love what Flores is doing. Do we know if Flores is driving who were drafting? Not super impressed with Grier at this point.
     
  5. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    I mean, if Tua is a bust then so is Flores...it really is that simple. We bet everything on him being the guy and it's great that we didn't overpay, but he still has to deliver for many seasons before we can pass judgement on if we made the right pick or not. The best a team could hope for in a draft though is get their primary targets, and we clearly know that Tua was Miami's #1 goal.

    That's how it is for every GM though- produce or you're out the door.
     
    Surfs Up 99 likes this.
  6. Surfs Up 99

    Surfs Up 99 Team Flores & Team Tua

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    Nice write up, Key! I was with you in that I was (am) concerned about Tua's health. That said, I couldn't have said it better and I am on board 100%, too. Before the draft, I didn't really read up on Tua because of those concerns, so today I spent a little time doing that and came away thinking that if he can stay healthy we have a potential franchise QB. ( I am not using that term lightly. I didn't think of Herbert in the same light). What he did at Alabama may be similar to what he will be asked to do in the NFL. He did that at a very high level, so providing we can shore up the OL and give him time to heal, learn the playbook, etc. he should be able to slide right in there and run the offense next year ( or perhaps even this year midway-late season). I am not saying that he, or any of our guys, is a finished product. Far from it. But, he has a very good foundation to build on. For me, the key is to continue to build an OL to protect him. It will be interesting to see what Grier does tonight and tomorrow. I have read that it's not a very deep draft for interior linemen. On a somewhat related note: I read a CK Parrothead tweet where he said don't be surprised if a player is traded. Hmmm...maybe a little birdy has told him something...
     
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  7. Finatik

    Finatik Season Ticket Holder Staff Member Club Member

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    I don't think so. If he flames out but the team puts a really great defense on the field and the offense is workable in a division that is down right now, then its not that simple IMO.
     

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