1. Mike Pouncey: A-. My biggest needs entering the draft were WR, LG, RB, and TE. We addressed two of those with our first two picks. There are just too many good things to say about Pouncey for me. I like him a lot. The only reason he isn't an A+ is because I wanted to trade down so badly and I think Pouncey was a slight reach. Either way, I said it before the draft...if we stick at 15 I want Pouncey. Great pick. New OL: Long-Pouncey-Incognito-Jerry-Carey. Scary (yes, rhyme intended). 2. Daniel Thomas: B. I had him rated as my 7th or 8th RB in the draft, but that's not that bad considering this draft class is loaded at the RB position. I have some concerns for him, but he reminds me a lot of Beanie Wells (with a little less speed). That could be great with a good offensive line and another complimentary back with him. He's big, powerful, has a good burst, and played in an offense similar to ours. Like I said, he has some concerns but they are teachable. Not a bad pick. Over all grade: A- so far. This front office realizes we need offense and they are doing something about it. That is something you guys cannot doubt. We are drafting needs. I know a lot of you wanted a QB, but fact of the matter is 4 QBs were taken before us in the 1st and Mallett obviously has a ton of questions (hence the reason why he fell to the 3rd). Henne has instantly improved over the past couple of days. He's getting help from the running game and should be able to get a little more time in the pocket. I like it. Btw, don't compare us to the Patriots. Grade us honestly. In my honest opinion, it has been a very solid draft so far. Hopefully we try to address these needs: TE, pass rusher, OL depth, WR possibly, Safety, and possibly another RB.
A-? You say you had Thomas as your 7th or 8th RB and you're ok with us giving up multiple picks to get this guy? Liked the Pouncey pick, hated giving up picks to trade up to get Daniel Thomas. Admittedly I know NOTHING about the guy but I know there is no reason to trade up to take a RB in this draft. C - is my grade.
C Pouncey is not his brother but a good safe pick Thomas?? Don't know much about him, but the pick should have been Mallett.
Well, like I said this draft class was loaded at the RB position. 4 of the top RBs were gone already (Ingram, Williams, LeShoure, and Vereen). That means he was my 3rd-4th best RB available. If this front office has faith in the guy and likes the guy, then no I don't have a problem trading up for him. We have 1 RB under contract and he has 0 career starts. We needed to do anything we could to get one of the top RB prospects in this draft. A lot of people even had Daniel Thomas as one of their top 5 RBs in the draft (including walterfootball). I think he can be a great player for us if our OL stays healthy and if we get another guy to pair up with him to take some of the load off. I'm pretty sure our projected started at LG before the draft was Ray Feinga.
A- The biggest issue with our team last season was the inability to run the ball. So we spent our first 2 picks fixing that area by drafting Pouncey and Thomas who are both highly regarded and will make an immediate impact. I really don't understand why so many people are *****ing relentlessly. We have holes to fill and we're filling them. We still have the rest of the draft and free agency to fill the other holes and add some speed.
Pouncey is good and a need, safe but not great -(B) Thomas is unrefined and could be great but at an immediate need position too unrefined. Passing on 1st rd talent with Mallett at another need position -(C-) overall (c+) with room for improvement
C-. It's a Dolphins draft, they're all C's until they win a playoff game. But giving up all those picks for a RB with good strength but average speed when we need speed? And one who might have been there in the 3rd round???
Pouncey is not an exciting pick, however I do love linemen. If he can block nose tackles then he is a great pick. I find it interesting to read, "He is a reach. He will go to some probowls, but you do not take a probowl center that early." Thomas is Parcell's third rated runningback. I like watching him run when I look at the highlights. Some people think he is like Ronnie Brown, however there are some differences. He doesn't have the burst Ronnie Brown had before the injuries, however he has much better vision and cutback ability. Overall grade, Incomplete. Grading drafts before the draft is done is even more useless than grading the draft before any draft pick plays a down.
Solid B+ Loved the Pouncey pick. If we were going to move up to get a RB like that, I would've preferred Leshoure, but obviously he was taken. I think Daniel Thomas is a good solid pick as well, but that was a good bit to give up for him. My only qualm is that they'd better add a speed back with him somewhere down the line. My hopes for the 4th round pick tomorrow: 1) Virgil Green/D.J. Williams - tie, I like them both. 2) Chris Carter 3) Jacquizz Rodgers
A so far. Best Olineman available at 15 and traded up ahead of the Pats for best all purpose back in the 2nd. After the TE & COP back/and or speed WR, it's an easy A. Jordan Cameron, Virgil Green, DJ Williams, or Julius Thomas in 4. Nic Grigsby in 6 or 7.
Is there anyone who would prefer our current draft thusfar to potentially having Pouncey, Mallett and T Jones (from E Wash)?? Could have had it and still loked for a solid TE or S with the next......UGH
so far a B+ i mean pouncey is great he is a great offensive lineman he IMO is just as good as his brother as a blocker and daniel thomas i like his power and he had great production he needs some polish but the talent is there we had holes and we are filling them we still have FA and the rest of the draft to go
have at it------ Some fans, not naming names, will end up looking foolish when their posts are quoted back come December.
C+ I'm giving a C+ so far. I like Pouncey but I hope they don't play him at Center. I also felt the trade up wasn't needed for Thomas. We still need to address the issue of lack of speed on the offensive side lacking a vertical receiving threat. I'm hoping for Dj Williams, Virgil Green, or Aldrick Robinson in Round 4 if we go OLB or QB I'll be sad.
have at it------- Some fans, not naming names, will look foolish come December. You should really become a Bills' fan and spare us your cancerous, whiny attitude.
Didn't you become a Pat's fan for a bit. Stop blasting people for having a differing opinion than you.
So your reason to complain was legitimate and others are not? Everyone has a right to have a different opinion, whether it's coaching changes or draft picks.
I grade them "R" for ******ed We take the beta Pouncey higher than his brother. Been hearing things like, "Can't play Center", "half the player his brother is", and "Well, nobody wanted to trade up to take him." We trade up and miraculously have a chance to take Mallet and we pick Jimmy Johnson 2.0...I saw the highlights of this kid and he doesn't look like much...at all. I said to myself "Damn, look he's got 19 TDs his senior year...Oh wait, I see at least three TD's in his highlight reel scoring on an easy option pitch that the other team looks like they have never seen before." Some scouts had him at 6'0", others at 6'2" (WTF?). Saw that he played QB in Juco and that he also ran the Wildcat and my stomach sunk. But hey, we only gave up 3 extra picks for someone who looks like he would have been there anyway. Then the coup de gras was Mallett going to the Pats... We're pretty effed, but knowing this regime we're probably not effed enough for it to matter in 2012...Huizenga should be on suicide watch, handing the reins over to these *** clowns.
I'm not a big fan of Thomas, he runs to high for me & he does that in the NFL he'll be coming to the sidelines with his liver hanging from his hip pads. And he fumbles too much, but that's correctable. But, like any rational person, I'll reserve judgement until I see him on the field. Mayock had him has the #3 back in the draft, the guy he had #2 (Ryan Williams) was gone too early for us to trade up for, so we took what was available. I like the Pouncey pick, I'm anxious to see whether we have him at LG or C. Early reports say C, but we don't have a starting caliber LG on the roster right now. The staff said we had to get the running game going, and both of our picks fell in line with that strategy. I would much rather have traded down, but so far I'd give them a B.
I still can't believe they gave up 3 picks for a running back they probably could've gotten in the 3rd. Yes we need a RB but it is so much easier to find one. I wonder if Ireland can just give two $hits about 2011, hoping for Cowher and Luck. We won't be getting Luck anyway. Dolphins will be good enough to win 6-8 games but have no hope for a playoff appearance. And forget about the division, it belongs to the Patriots. It's official: The Marlins have a better front office than the Dolphins. They may have fire sales, but at least they know how to win championships. At this rate the Dolphins will never pass the Marlins in titles won in Sun Life Stadium. They'll probably win a third World Series this year just to put the icing on the cake and **** with us.
A bit dramatic don't you think? Even if Pouncey doesn't live up to his brother, it is still an upgrade over Ray Feinga. Pouncey was the best guard in the draft and we grabbed him. Daniel Thomas is a player. I've mentioned that I wasn't high on him before the draft, but he still has just as much potential as any other RB in this draft. Also, who was saying he had fumble problems? ESPN says he has 0 career fumbles in college. edit: Btw, it was 2 extra picks (1 being a 7th rounder which probably wouldn't have even made the 53 man roster). And I still think this draft is helping Henne. We seemed to have upgraded at guard and possibly at RB, depending on how Thomas turns out. It can't be hard for him though to out perform Ronnie and Ricky last season.
Right about what? It's April. No one is "right" about anything. It's the people talking about how we're gonna suck this or screwed that who are frankly, sounding like idiots. Its still spring, get a grip people.
ESPN isnt listing them, he had 11 fumbles last year. EDIT: 7 last year, 11 total http://espn.go.com/blog/afceast/tag/_/name/daniel-thomas
I'm finding a lot of different stats from different sources... His ESPN stats page has him listed at 0 fumbles in 09 and 10. Your source says 11 fumbles last year. CBS sports has him listed at 7 fumbles last year. Either way, if fumbles are a problem, it is still teachable. Not to mention, he had 300 carries this past season. You're going to fumble when you have that many carries and play the way he plays.
It's a 7th rounder and a 5th. You're being pretty dramatic. we NEEDED a #1 RB, and we took the top guy on the board before we were stuck with someone of lesser talent. That's a smart move.
Once we are winning playoff games I will give our front office the benefit of the doubt. Until then, they have a long way to go to earn trust from me. You are quite welcome to give them all you want though - it is yours to give as you see fit.
