The biggest problem I have with Mock Drafts is that we don't know who will be on the board when the Dolphins pick. The threads are usually littered with comments like "There's no way the kid from LSU will still be there in the 3rd round." Its a circular argument that can never be won until after draft day. So what I like to do is go back after the draft and put together a Mock based on who I liked prior to the draft but with the knowledge of who was actually available. For example I really liked Robert Ayers in the 1st round but now we know he wouldn't have been on the board. This would have been my draft. Round 1 (25) - CB Darius Butler, Connecticut Round 2 (44) - OLB Connor Barwin, Cincinnati Round 2 (61) - CB Sean Smith, Utah Round 3 (87) - WR Juaquin Iglesias, Oklahoma Round 4 (108) - SS Chip Vaughn, Wake Forest Round 5 (161) - OG Duke Robinson, Oklahoma Round 5 (165) - OT Andrew Gardner, Georgia Tech Round 6 (181) - NT Vance Walker, Georgia Tech Round 7 (214) - ILB Robert Francois, Boston College Round 7 (237) - TE Kory Sperry, Colorado State I only cheated a little bit. My first four rounds would have gone down just like that regardless of having hindsight. However I probably would have taken Vance Walker at #165 instead of Gardner if I'm being 100% honest. With the advantage of hindsight I'm going to take Gardner at #165 because let's face it this is all a fantasy. Obviously I'm not cheating with my 7th round picks since those guys weren't even drafted. For the most part I'm pretty happy with the Dolphins actual draft. I'm glad they drafted Davis and White instead of Butler and Barwin. I would have loved to steal Darius Butler from the Pats but if Parcells and Ireland liked Vontae Davis better then that's good enough for me. They have a lot more access and information than I do. Obviously they have a lot of confidence in Cameron Wake as well as Tearrius George and Pat White should be explosive in the Wildcat. I'd like to see him return punts as well. I would not have traded back in the 2nd round with Sean Smith still on the board but obviously it was a great move by the Dolphins. Especially if Chris Clemons pans out. I still like Iglesias more than Turner but not by a wide margin. They're very different types of wideouts so its hard to compare them. I believe Iglesias will end up starting for the Bears and they got a steal late in the 3rd round. That being said I'm a big fan of Turner as well. I don't dislike the Hartline pick either. He was a stud on special teams for Ohio State and has all the things you look for in a wideout minus the production in college. I wouldn't be surprised if Ginn put in a good word for him. I just can't shake the feeling that we made a mistake passing on Chip Vaughn for Hartline. Vaughn is also a standout on special teams and fills more of a need. The selection of Chris Clemons alleviates that need however we could have drafted Vaughn as well as Clemons. I don't know enough about Nalbone to say whether Robinson would be better or not. I don't know enough about J.D. Folsom either but I will be surprised if he turns out to be better than Robert Francois or Kory Sperry. Here is another example. This was one of my favorite Mocks going into draft day. Butler, Sintim, Beckwith, Scott, Dillard, and Feinga were all on the board when we picked but I wonder who Aqua4Ever04 would pick now knowing that Reynolds, Carey, and Johnson were not available.
I'm happy that we didn't land Darius Butler of Connecticut. I thought he was overrated to be honest with you and I couldn't help but shake my head when I heard Mike Mayock say he was worthy of a top fifteen selection. He's very soft IMO. He's got good ball skills but he struggles to tackle in the open field consistently. He's the opposite of what this management looks for IMO. I like Iglesias too but not more than Turner. I think Turner is just as good of a route runner and his size advantage is what I like over Iglesias. I think Iglesias is best fit in the slot, I really do. I don't think he's a guy who will make plays down field despite being able to stretch it pretty well. He's not a burner by any means but he does a decent job of getting downfield. However, he struggles a lot when it comes to hauling the pass in over his shoulder. He works the sidelines really well and plays really well against the zone IMO. In the slot, he can find the soft spot of the zone across the middle and he can run extended drag routes.
Hopefully he was overrated because he's a Patriot now. You might be right about Iglesias. I heard all the talk about him being a slot receiver but I don't buy it. Look how he compares to Michael Crabtree. Iglesias 74 receptions 1150 yards 10 TD 24.5 YPC Crabtree 97 receptions 1165 yards 19 TD 12.0 YPC Obviously you have to factor in 2007 in which Crabtree was phenomenal but Iglesias has a very impressive YPC average. Double that of Crabtree in 2008. As well as a respectable number of touchdowns. Crabtree is a little taller but they're both about the same size. I've watched them both play several games and I feel they're comparable. So my question for the NFL scouts would be how is it that Crabtree is a #1 but Iglesias is a possession receiver? Its all a projection when it comes to wideout. You never know if these guys will be as productive as they were in college.
Haha, well I think that Belichick will make him a very productive player simply because Belichick builds his defense around the strengths of his players. I could be wrong here but I believe they primarily use a cover 2 in New England and they will just ask him to jump routes, which he will make him an effective DB. It depends on who you ask about Crabtree. Personally, I'm not sure he's a number one because he has a boat load of work to do on his game.
And on a team with so many slot WR's, it's just overkill. Iglesias is a good WR (I had no qualms drafting him in GML) but not necessarily the right guy for the team. He won't necessarily bring anything Camarillo or Bess already provide. Turner does. P.S. Get rid of that Barca avatar. It's bad enough my girlfriend is wearing their jersey or any soccer jersey for that matter.
Completely agree. The results over the next two games in the final will determine how long this avatar is up. I'm hoping for positive results, therefore extending the time of the avatar staying up. EDIT: Speaking of Barca jerseys, I wore my authentic one yesterday.
Which is why I had Turner going in the 5th (didn't think the FO would really reach that far ) for my old mock : Had Smith too but higher obviously since I'm a big Smith fan. Thought we'd take 2 corners though not one so early of course. It was Parcells and Co. after all. You'll probably be mad at me for not wishing them luck. Though I'm guessing you'd take my "When did you buy a shirt at the circus" comments in better stride than she did...
Dude, your Mock was solid. Butler, Sintim, Scott, Dillard, Reynolds, and Carey all went right around where you had them slotted. That's like a 65% success rate. Not too shabby. I was also a big fan of Gartrell Johnson. The Chargers drafted him in the 4th even though they already have LT and Sproles. Guess we weren't the only ones who considered him a steal in the 7th. Robert Brewster was my other sleeper but the Cowboys took him in the 3rd round. I was never a big fan of Beckwith and that was the only problem I had with your Mock. However San Diego has signed him as an undrafted free agent and two of their current linebackers went undrafted so he has a chance to make their roster.
That's only if you consider Iglesias a slot receiver. I don't. However I could be wrong. We will find out in a couple years. Nice call on Turner. Sintim was a reach but other than that you put together a very solid Mock too. You must have been pissed when we traded back and Kruger was the very next pick. Another Robert Francois fan? I thought I was the only one. He may or may not be an every down linebacker but Minnesota got a steal signing him as an undrafted free agent. I like the Dolphins draft better than yours. Davis is way better than Lewis. I believe Gardner will prove to be a much better offensive lineman than Thomas. Plus we can always draft a RB like Josh Vaughan next year if we don't re-sign Ronnie or Ricky. Unlike many other positions running backs seem to be able to come in and contribute right away. What do you think? Did you like the Dolphins' draft or do you prefer yours? Remarkably we could have drafted every guy on your list. I also liked Scott in the 3rd but if I'm being honest there's no way I would have taken him with Iglesias still on the board. Like you I also thought OLB was more of priority. How do you feel about Pat White?
I think for now he profiles best out of the gate in the slot. It's where he's likely to make a more immediate impact especially now for the Bears who need WR help bad. With more coaching and experience, he can find himself outside. lol, yea, I was pissed we didn't pick Kruger but I'm happy with Smith so 1 out of 2 is good enough. Really felt there was a lot going for Sintim though considering the position and his background (Virginia -> Groh -> Parcells -> LB). Davis is better than Lewis at least on paper but the difference I felt wasn't the same as the round difference. And the character separation is just wide-spread too. I think Minnesota got 2 steals that I wanted. Francois and Kahlil Bell. Bell I really wanted here not just because he's a fellow alum but he's got experience in the Wildcat especially since UCLA started using it to cover up poor OL blocking. Francois is a thumper and I like to see more of that in our D. I still prefer my draft but I can stomach ours since it still got one of my fave players on it. Even then, my own mock had a few picks (Scott, etc) I wasn't too happy about since I had to try to fit Parcellian mode (i.e get a boner for LB/DE/NT). Didn't feel Gardner would've fallen that much else he'd be the pick. Pat White I don't mind having though wasn't too happy at where he was taken and who he was taken over. If he were say, a 4th round pick, I'd be happy with it. ILB, OLB will probably have to wait for next year.
I couldn't believe they took him that early. I thought he was a developmental T all the way and would go late second day.
ILB wouldn't have to wait until next year if we had taken Robert Francois or Frantz Joseph. We could be developing one of those guys right now. I wonder what it is about the two of them that didn't meet Parcells and Ireland's criteria for an ILB. Not athletic enough? It is always possible that J.D. Folsom is a better prospect than both of them or maybe they're higher on Erik Walden and Reggie Torbor than we realize. Crowder is better than most give him credit for. He just doesn't make a lot of impact plays. If we paired him with a playmaker like Brian Urlacher or Ray Lewis we would be looking good. I guess you're not going to find a lot of players like that in the 7th round.
Frantz wasn't a great cover linebacker IMO. He was decent at best and that probably doesn't cut it in the Quarters coverage. I'd be lying to you if I told you I've seen some of Folsom but I do know that he's apparently played Safety in college, which would help him translate well to ILB. If he makes the team, he'd probably be a STer and a coverage LB.
I liked him because Ball State ran the ball extremely well last season and at 6-4 and 325 lbs you knew his size would appeal to Parcells, Ireland, and Sparano. The scouting report had me at "flashes some nastiness."
True. I saw him have so many fits though. I saw him get dominated by Connor Barwin and then I saw other pass rushers - I think it was Frank Zambo - who tore him up. He got beat a lot IMO.
Hey Alen let's see your draft now that you know who would have been on the board. Remember it should be based on guys you liked prior to the draft. Try not to cheat. It's hard not to because you're going to be tempted to wait on a player because you know he'll be available later. This is not to say that you dislike the Dolphins draft or necessarily prefer yours but it gives you an idea of what you were thinking as opposed to what they were thinking. Plus if you do disagree on a pick they made you can zero in on a player or two to follow over the next few years. When they become a free agent in four years you'll be in the know. For example D'Qwell Jackson was a player I liked in 2006. He'll be a free agent in 2010. I doubt that Cleveland will let him get away but if they do I know he's a guy I would want.
I'm not too sure I understand this. Do we make the picks based off of who we liked and had rated the highest but at the same time was available at the pick?
Yeah you got it. Prior to the draft you might have had a Mock where the Dolphins picked Robert Ayers at #25. Now you know that can't happen. Try to be honest because there are a lot of benefits to hindsight. Don't take Dorrell Scott at #87 because you now know he'll be gone at #108. If you had the Dolphins drafting Coye Francies at #108 don't take a different player just because you now know Francies will be available at #181. Stick to your board. For example prior to the draft I liked Connor Barwin, Sean Smith, Kenny Britt, Larry English, Robert Ayers, and Max Unger at #44. Pat White wasn't even on my radar. Britt, English, and Ayers were all off the board so for me the choice was between Barwin, Smith, and Unger. I would have drafted Barwin. In fact after the Panthers took Everette Brown at #43 I yelled "Here comes Barwin!"
Gotcha. Btw, lol at the Barwin comment. Here it is by the way. 1. Sean Smith - CB - Utah - I was hoping that Clay Matthews would fall here - which he did - but I didn't think he would so I had Sean Smith in my mocks at 25 because I felt he was that good. He's still a bit raw because he's only played the position two years but I think whats impressive about him is that he's a complete defensive back. He's got unusual height and height that usually doesn't compliment the backpedal too well but he's smooth flipping his hips, changing directions, he's got good recovery speed and he's got pretty good ball skills. I believe he's got nine interceptions the last two years. To add to that, while people question his physical ability, I have to ask one thing; how many DB's played bump and run coverage this past season? Not many but one of them was Sean Smith. 2A. Paul Kruger - DE/OLB - Utah - Kruger actually went fifty-seven to Baltimore but I had him valued higher than that because I go with Parcells traditional value chart so to speak, meaning I rate players higher than they should be rated because they are a need for my team and I don't want to risk losing the player later. Kruger I felt had very good straight-line quickness, had a good burst, pretty good spin move and I thought he played the run very well. I would have liked to see him wrap up better when tackling however. 2B. Dorell Scott - NT - Clemson - I actually did have him here at 87. I thought we'd snatch him up there because he was a good player and I felt that he could handle the nose spot. Apparently they thought otherwise, haha. 3. Jarrett Dillard - WR - Rice - Jarrett Dillard went about two rounds later and I had him at 3. Honestly, I did over-value him as you can tell but I feel that he's going to be a really good wide receiver at the next level and now for the Jaguars. He's got very good hands, good body control, only 5'11" but has a vertical leap of 43", red zone target despite his height, runs the best routes in the class probably and sinks his hips incredibly low to create separation from defensive backs despite his lack of long speed. I really think that he can become a good number two for a team. 4. Lawrence Sidbury Jr. - DE/OLB - Richmond - Lawrence Sidbury Jr. was a guy that I felt they should have targeted because while he's raw, he's got quite a bit of potential. He's got a good first step off the edge and does a pretty good job of shedding blocks. I thought the small school competition would hurt him a bit and I noticed watching him that his motor wasn't always running. 5. Cedric Peerman - RB - UVA - Not a big back but he's a tough one, quick and has good hands out of the backfield. He's had some durability issues IIRC and questions about his small hands that may lead to fumbles - see bowl game - but I liked him overall. Thought he would fit well in here. 5B. Frantz Joseph - ILB - FAU - I can't remember when the Quarters coverage report came out but I don't remember it coming before I had Joseph on my radar. I still like him, not a great cover linebacker but decent and I felt tha the showed a great motor and ability to get to the sidelines. He's decent at handling trash at his feet and sheds blocks pretty well. He went undrafted, lol. 6. Don Carey - CB - I thought he was a good player who could run well with wide receivers as he showed in the Senior (or Shrine? One of the two. Can't remember which.) Bowl and I thought he was a pretty physical CB. 7. I don't think I had anyone here honestly. I wasn't too focused on the seventh.
My only guess is that they like Torbor and Walden better. I just don't see it out of Torbor. Potential only keeps you going for so long. You'd think he'd have broken out by now. You don't really find a lot of those players like Urlacher, Lewis, etc period.
