Full 2018 Miami Dolphins Draft Picks & Review

Perfect picks.

Ballage is a perfect complement to Drake.

Minkah same for Jones/McDonald.

Gesicki/Smythe.Baker/McMillan.

Perfectly complementary.

"Carmen Cygni wrote:

I like that take. Instead of immediately diving into an entire body's worth of work, use highlights to scope out what possible high end or general talent/skills the prospects may or may not possess by viewing their highlight reel. I dig it.

I really came to that view after Ted Ginn.
At first I wasn’t worried that much about his lack of contested catches because his otherwordly speed got him so open on so many plays.
It was when I went back and looked at the highlight reel again after he had been here 2 years that it really hit me that there weren’t any contested catches on his highlight reel because he didn’t do contested catches (except for that one game against Buffalo where he had 200+ recieving yards).

Ever since then I have been very careful to look at highlight reels with a careful eye for what isn’t shown. It’s why I was skeptical about Dion Jordan from day one. It’s why I am generally happy with the quality of players drafted over the last 3 years, the tape usually shows a good mix of players succeeding in a variety of ways.

Per Barry Jackson if minkah unavailable would have been tremaine Edmunds or a trade down.

"Hoops wrote:

Per Barry Jackson if minkah unavailable would have been tremaine Edmunds or a trade down.

I read that yesterday as well, which means we were committed to defense no matter what. I honestly believe that we got one of the top 3 overall players in the first round.

reads to me as Edmunds was the primary target not expecting minkah to be there.

I was in the minority on Edmunds, didn’t think he deserved top 10 consideration, and didn’t want to invest our pick in him..

"djphinfan wrote:

I was in the minority on Edmunds, didn’t think he deserved top 10 consideration, and didn’t want to invest our pick in him..

Picking Edmunds would be like picking Dion Jordan again. You’d be betting on him to do things in the pros he hadn’t shown in college. NB I do think Edmunds is much closer to being a real NFL player than Dion Jordan ever was or ever will be

"Pauly wrote:

Picking Edmunds would be like picking Dion Jordan again. You’d be betting on him to do things in the pros he hadn’t shown in college. NB I do think Edmunds is much closer to being a real NFL player than Dion Jordan ever was or ever will be

That statement would only make sense if buffalo was using him as a primary edge rusher instead of off the ball lb. which they aren’t. My understanding is he’s been the first team mike since he showed up.

Buffalo swung for the fences with both it’s top 2 picks.

"Hoops wrote:

That statement would only make sense if buffalo was using him as a primary edge rusher instead of off the ball lb. which they aren’t. My understanding is he’s been the first team mike since he showed up.

Buffalo swung for the fences with both it’s top 2 picks.

Yeah they have put him at mike, they say he’s looked good so far..

Too risky for my blood at 11..just not a fan of the kids game.

"Hoops wrote:

That statement would only make sense if buffalo was using him as a primary edge rusher instead of off the ball lb. which they aren’t. My understanding is he’s been the first team mike since he showed up.

Buffalo swung for the fences with both it’s top 2 picks.

I was referring to the physical talent -v- college production issue not his playing position.
Personally it’s a risk I would have been happy to take at #11, but Minkah Fitzpatrick has much better college tape and is at least a good athlete even if he is not an exceptional athlete.

I wasn't a fan of Edmunds at 11. I didn't see the instincts many claimed. And I thought his athleticism was over-rated. I would have been disappointed if we'd selected Edmunds. I would have had Derwin James as my pick if Minkah wasn't there. I love both Minkah and James as prospects so I I would have been thrilled with either guy. I saw improving our pass coverage as our biggest defensive need and I saw getting a better coverage S as the best way to do that. IMO a S gives you more versatility than getting a coverage LB. And I expect that the Dolphins will be using more dime this year so that further diminishes the value of a LB for us since we'll 6 DBs and only have two LBs on the field a greater percentage of the time. Burke stated that we lacked the versatility in the defensive backfield to use more dime and then we hired a defensive assistant who specializes in dime defenses. Additionally, that's the way the league has gone for a while. All that pretty clearly signals a move to more dime.

Between Minkah and James, I had Minkah as my slight preference. As I said before the draft, they were both exceptional, well-rounded prospects. I don't see any weaknesses in either guy. I had them both as top 5 overall and in particular for Miami given what I saw as our biggest need. James was the better athlete and Minkah was better on the mental side. Our defense has lacked that great communicator back there that got everybody in the right place and minimized mental errors in the secondary. We were better in 2016 in that regard when we had Isa back there (I'd say about middle of the league or so), but in 2017 after we lost Isa, we were bottom 5). I think Jones is a great S, top 5 when used correctly, but he's not that QB of the defense who gets everybody in position. Neither is TJ. He's a decent S and useful in a pseudo-LB role or as near the line S, but he isn't that QB of the defense guy either. I believe that James could be that guy, but I know that Minkah largely functioned as a coach on the field for Saban. I saw him as a perfect pick for what we needed and the safest pick in the draft for us. And according to camp reports he is exactly as advertised. You can't tell much on the physical side in padless practices, but you can get a feel for how smart a player is and how much he's studying. By the second day of mini-camp we were hearing reports that Minkah was correcting defensive alignments for other players. And also according to reports he led the secondary in INTs. I think we have our QB of the defense.

I don't think you can overstate how much of an impact minimizing coverage breakdowns and having a ball-hawking S can have in a passing league. IMO the addition of Darren Sharper at FS was the primary difference between 2008 7-9 New Orleans team and the 2009 SB champion New Orleans team. I'm not saying that we should all make SB reservations or anything, but I am pointing out how big of an impact a FS with Minkah's skill set can have.

I fully expected us to take a TE in our first three picks and I thought the second rounder was the most likely spot, but I had Goedert rated above Gesicki as I prefer a more well-rounded TE. That being said, I can fully recognize that Gesicki could potentially be that receiving weapon at TE that Gase has been searching for. I see elite hands and jumping ability. And he's a quick jumper. He doesn't seem to need to gather himself to get up there. Goedert wasn't as dynamic in that regard. I don't think it's difficult to imagine Gesicki being a mis-match in a jump ball situation against any defender. If he can get to a spot, say at a first down or in the end zone, he could literally be an unstoppable weapon. He'll have to know the playbook and timing and be able to avoid/fight through press coverage and understand zone spacing, etc., but if he can get there I like his odds of coming down with the ball.

I love the first two picks. In that thread awhile back, before the draft, on who are your top three choices for our pick regardless of their rankings. Minkah was one of mine, but I never thought he'd make it to 11, so I didn't even really consider him as a real option. I've been wanting a good S for so long now and he can play all over the secondary. Good, much needed pick.

I really like Gesicki. I have mentioned that I don't care if he isn't a great, more classic, inline blocking TE. I don't even think of him that way nor want him in that way. I think of him as bigger, receiver, who can be a match up nightmare for DBs and a go up and get it, red zone threat type of receiver. I have wanted that type of receiver on the team for many years now. I guy like that may not be a good on the line type of blocker, but I'm sure he can be a good downfield blocker. There's a lot of smaller receivers who are good downfield blockers. I love a TE that has b-ball skills and the volley ball stuff can actually be good as well as in having balance and agility and jumping on the move, etc.

I am really looking forward to seeing these two new young phins play.

"Sceeto wrote:

I love the first two picks. In that thread awhile back, before the draft, on who are your top three choices for our pick regardless of their rankings. Minkah was one of mine, but I never thought he'd make it to 11, so I didn't even really consider him as a real option. I've been wanting a good S for so long now and he can play all over the secondary. Good, much needed pick.

I really like Gesicki. I have mentioned that I don't care if he isn't a great, more classic, inline blocking TE. I don't even think of him that way nor want him in that way. I think of him as bigger, receiver, who can be a match up nightmare for DBs and a go up and get it, red zone threat type of receiver. I have wanted that type of receiver on the team for many years now. I guy like that may not be a good on the line type of blocker, but I'm sure he can be a good downfield blocker. There's a lot of smaller receivers who are good downfield blockers. I love a TE that has b-ball skills and the volley ball stuff can actually be good as well as in having balance and agility and jumping on the move, etc.

I am really looking forward to seeing these two new young phins play.

Agree with looking at Gisicki as a big receiver only, you really don’t want me to show you what I saw the other day as far as inline goes..

Haven't seen any film on Gesicki's blocking or how bad it is but a) it can't be worse than Julius Thomas (particularly at a fraction of the cost) and b) at worst, hopefully the majority of his blocking will be a 'getting in the defenders way' style of blocking & screening off the defender from a receiver/back running with the ball. Also, surely he can learn some basic blocking techniques?

"Patster1969 wrote:

Haven't seen any film on Gesicki's blocking or how bad it is but a) it can't be worse than Julius Thomas (particularly at a fraction of the cost) and b) at worst, hopefully the majority of his blocking will be a 'getting in the defenders way' style of blocking & screening off the defender from a receiver/back running with the ball. Also, surely he can learn some basic blocking techniques?

Blocking comes down to technique and explosiveness on run plays, and technique/footwork on passing plays. I could teach any of you to block at a high school/college level in a week or two....then it comes down to execution. So it's definitely not a case of "can he learn to block" at the NFL level, it's whether or not he can execute at that level.

If I was 23-24 all over again, I could probably not be an NFL lineman even though I played/coached line...I'm just too small/short. I do think I could be an NFL fullback or TE on blocking plays though because it's not about driving someone much bigger/stronger than me to the ground, it's about breaking their stride to buy 1.5-2.0 seconds. So that's definitely coachable and not something you'd necessarily have to see in a promising TE receiver.

It's sort of like Dennis Rodman in basketball- one of the most ELITE rebounders to ever play the game. Many others could rebound like Rodman but they weren't giving it 100% effort every trip down the court. That doesn't make them bad rebounders though- it's just not what they're known for. Fasano is the same thing in NFL blocking TE's.

"Patster1969 wrote:

Haven't seen any film on Gesicki's blocking or how bad it is but a) it can't be worse than Julius Thomas (particularly at a fraction of the cost) and b) at worst, hopefully the majority of his blocking will be a 'getting in the defenders way' style of blocking & screening off the defender from a receiver/back running with the ball. Also, surely he can learn some basic blocking techniques?

Gisickis blocking technique is as bad as it gets, on top of that he has legit fear in his head.

When you see it coming, then turn your body to avoid the violence of the impact and your guy shoves you into the lane and blows up the play, where a player could of made a play,you got more issues then you bargaining for..

Seriously, hopefully we keep him far away from the line and look at him like a big wide receiver and tight end matchup in the passing game.

Never heard of a blocking technique or ask called getting in the way

IMO the biggest factor with tackling/blocking is a willingness to put your body on the line. If you have that you can be taught better technique, but you can have all the technique in the world which won’t matter a damn if you shy away from contact.

"Pauly wrote:

IMO the biggest factor with tackling/blocking is a willingness to put your body on the line. If you have that you can be taught better technique, but you can have all the technique in the world which won’t matter a damn if you shy away from contact.

Stop the play at 1:25 then freeze frame it through the whole play, watch closely as he recognizes the defender and watch what he does and then watch what happens to the qb

Listen I want the guy to be successful but I also don’t want complete pu##ies On our team

Hopefully someone checks his azz..

"djphinfan wrote:

Stop the play at 1:25 then freeze frame it through the whole play, watch closely as he recognizes the defender and watch what he does and then watch what happens to the qb

Listen I want the guy to be successful but I also don’t want complete pu##ies On our team

Hopefully someone checks his azz..

That’s a zone read blown up by immediate post snap qb read penetration more than anything else.

"Hoops wrote:

That’s a zone read blown up by immediate post snap qb read penetration more than anything else.

I know what play it is, doesn’t absolve gisicki from the ugliness that ensues.

I watched the whole clip and my impression is less of a guy afraid of contact than a guy who often doesn't know he's doing and who is getting pushed around a lot.

"sunworshipper wrote:

I watched the whole clip and my impression is less of a guy afraid of contact than a guy who often doesn't know he's doing and who is getting pushed around a lot.

Yea I don't see him shying from contact. If anything it's poor footwork/technique. But I'm no scout.

"jdallen1222 wrote:

Yea I don't see him shying from contact. If anything it's poor footwork/technique. But I'm no scout.

I agree. I wouldn't characterize that as "scared" either.