Some comments on some guys I have coming to the Dolphins in THAT scenario (remember there are many scenarios, I'm not fixated on any players in particular but the scenarios have to be cohesive)...
Matt Flynn - I'd be happy with Brandon Weeden or Ryan Tannehill as options but Flynn is arguably the cheapest and yet most prepared to succeed immediately.
Knows the system, good eyes for the field after the snap, makes plus decisions, can make every throw, accurate, mobile, good sense for rush and ability to do something about it, and excellent competitiveness/intangibles.
Mark Anderson - Very underrated player since before he was drafted, was a DROY type player at Chicago, unbelievable pure athletic ability, excellent pass rusher, can pull out to linebacker or play Right End, or Left End, can stop the run, can do it all. Still pretty young, too.
Anthony Collins - Excellent lower body explosion and mobility, good technique, keeps his feet moving.
If you're in view of his power base, you're blocked.
His weakness is still (as it was in college) his arm length and upper body strength.
If you can get momentum heading away from his power base and he can't match with his feet, that's how you beat him in both phases.
Good for a zone blocking scheme, IMO.
Luke Kuechly - Can be the mainstay of a linebacker unit for a decade or more.
Extremely high IQ player that should make the players around him better.
The only linebacker in this entire Draft that was consistently tuned into the ball movement from snap to whistle.
Good and instinctive in the passing game.
Eventually the Dolphins could move to more of a 3-3-5 stack nickel defense, with he and Dansby and Burnett all on the field.
George Iloka - The next Kam Chancellor.
Has ridiculous size/speed metrics and was a play maker and very, very smart player at Boise State.
Four year starter for an excellent football team and excellent defense.
Durable player.
Showed versatility for the Broncos by starting at cornerback for a couple of games, due to injuries.
Showed that he was among the best, if not the very best, at Senior Bowl practices.
Malik Jackson - Not very talked about but probably destined to rise fast and he may actually rise above this pick.
Exceptional size/frame and athleticism for the position.
Played a lot of 1-Technique as a Defensive Tackle for the Volunteers, purely out of need and to get him closer to the ball.
Considering the kind of player he is, he could get pushed back considerably by double teams up the middle, but he had a knack for getting off the blocks and getting to the ball anyway.
When he gets to play his more natural Defensive End position, that is when you see the player he could be at the next level, showing off a vicious combination of power, speed and competitiveness.
Quentin Saulsberry - Stood out to me when I watched him go up against 1st round Defensive Tackle Michael Brockers.
I thought he showed well against Brockers.
He's a 40+ game starter.
Athletic build, compact player with good frame that fires off the ball well and moves very well for a 300+ pounder.
I think he's the kind of guy you plug into an offensive line to get chemistry with everyone, and if your coach is good, before you know it you have a good player.
Chase Ford - He made a very good impression at Shrine practices.
I've never seen a tight end look that consistently good at Shrine practice, and that includes Dennis Pitta.
He's not a good blocker but he has legit 6'6" and 260 lbs size, moves very well on that frame and doesn't lumber at all, true seam threat that can catch the ball away from his body.
By the end of the week, the quarterbacks were looking for him because they knew throwing to him made them look good.
For a week of All-Star practices, that's as good as it gets.
Jamie Blatnick - If you've watched Oklahoma State play defense, you know that Jamie Blatnick was probably the most consistent play maker on a play making defense.
He is a compact, high energy player with brute force strength that will show up in weight room prowess as well as on the field.
He has surprising mobility that earned him a lot of time out in coverage as a linebacker, where he broke up a ton of passes and intercepted the ball.
He's gotten to the quarterback.
I think he is definitely worth a look this late in the Draft.
Cody Johnson - Classic fullback and short yardage guy in the mold of Anthony Sherman from a year ago.
Was a four star rated recruit coming out of high school, as a fullback.
Does not lose yardage on carries.
Larry Parker - Very underrated corner, a natural ball hawk, senior player that understands defense and how teams are trying to attack him.
He is athletic, and easily stays in the hip pocket.
He can track the ball in the air as you can tell by his absurd number of interceptions.
If you're concerned about the size, watch how he plays Ladarius Green one on one in the end zone on the fade two consectuive plays.
That's supposed to be a giant mismatch but Parker played the ball exactly how a smaller but more athletic and faster player should play the ball when stuck in man coverage on a guy that is way bigger than him.
He's made of wood when it comes to filling in on tackling support.
Micanor Regis - Another guy that played decently well in Shrine practices, nice big frame, showed some hand usage and quickness, and may be able to be trained for more of a 1-technique position at the next level.
Worth a UDFA gamble.
Stephen Garcia - Dismissed from South Carolina for maturity problems, pot smoking, etc.
The program missed him this year.
He's grown up a lot.
He's been training and he has some base skills to work with if he's matured properly.
This is about as good as you get in a UDFA.
You really don't expect much.
Since the NFL made a change to the rules about emergency QBs on game day, the teams responded by keeping only two QBs on roster more than ever.
Three is no longer the set number of QBs you keep on the 53 man roster.
With Garcia and Devlin fighting for that third spot, you know that if neither is lighting it up you don't care if you cut both, and you also know that both your top two guys (Flynn and Moore) can handle the season if necessary.
Josh Linam - Another guy that popped and pinged all over the field in Shrine practice.
He caught my attention, constantly making TFLs or plays out in coverage.
Surprised he's not getting more of a following.
Worth taking him to camp to compete with Spitler.
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