Link Some highlights... After meeting with Chris Long, Jake Long and Matt Ryan on their college campuses, the Dolphins are now focusing on prospects beyond the top pick. Although the team doesn't release names, we have identified several players (excluding the UM prospects) who are being brought to Davie for meetings with coaches and team executives. Purdue tight end Dustin Keller -- a converted receiver who caught 68 passes for 881 yards in '07 -- will visit next Tuesday, but many believe he will be drafted before Miami's first of two second-round picks. The Dolphins, who are making linebacker a priority, are bringing in Auburn's Quentin Groves, a potential second-rounder with 26 career sacks, and UNLV's Beau Bell, a potential third-rounder. (FYI: Miami requested more tape of Georgia's Marcus Howard and has closely studied several potential second-round linebackers, including Oklahoma's Curtis Lofton, USC end/linebacker Lawrence Jackson, Purdue's Cliff Avril and Tennessee's Jerod Mayo, although none of those five was booked for visits.) • The Dolphins scheduled at least two left tackles for visits, Nebraska's Carl Nicks (highly skilled, but character issues) and Virginia Tech's Duane Brown (a converted tight end who impressed at the combine). • Besides Michigan QB Chad Henne, among others on the Dolphins' radar as a possibility to open Round 2 (if he's there) is Boston College offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus, who met with top Dolphins officials on the day they worked out Ryan in Boston. Cherilus projects as a quality right tackle, but struggled somewhat at left tackle as a senior. The move to look at Keller surprises me somewhat. He does not fit the usual Parcells/Ireland/Henning tight end AT ALL. In fact, he's the kind of guy I would seriously expect CannedRanCam to have looked at at the top of round 2. Then again, Jermichael Finley, who we know the FO is interested in, is also someone we've looked at closely. Cherilus at the top of round 2 would not surprise anyone, I suspect. And Chad Henne's name just keeps coming up.
The surprise for me here is that linebacker is a PRIORITY. I knew it was one of our needs, but thought OL, DL, QB, CB were all just as high on that list, with OL at the top. Kinda felt like LB was maybe 3rd-4th on the list. Bpk
If you are running a 3-4 it makes sense. Linebacker is the position that is the most important in a 3-4
Weren't we interested in Anothony Collins? Looking at all those OLB tell's me Jake Long at 1 IMO. I like the idea of drafting Nicks because he is a Mammoth Tackle. I think Keller would be better suited as a WR or a role like Dallas Clark.
