Pretty good article from Omar Kelly: I've also got a couple of observations from those WR vs. CB drills. John Dunlap is a better receiver than I thought. I'm somewhat surprised. Anthony Armstrong has a lot of raw speed, as does Jayson Foster. And Davone Bess is an EXCELLENT route runner. He's pushing his way up my personal depth chart. I'm beginning to buy what these pro-Bess people are selling, but he must become more consistent. Right now my receivers are Ernest Wilford, Ginn, Derek Hagan and David Kircus, with Bess and Camarillo battling it out for the final one, or two spots. There's one thing I must admit I missed from the morning practice and I'd like to correct it now. Rookie Donald Thomas started ahead of Trey Darilek at right guard all day. Again, that's a fluid situation, and Sparano said things will be changing routinely. Thomas has shown great punch at the line, but I've notice his technique is really raw. Maybe the coaches thing he has the best upside because of his strength. I guess this type of shakeup is what happens when the offensive line is struggling, and it is.... http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports_football_dolphins/2008/07/dolphins-prac-3.html
Nice to hear some positives on yet another draft pick this year in Thomas. Nice that he's getting some time with the first team. Whats this about Bess and being more consistent? Everything else I've read says he hasnt dropped one ball thrown his way yet... how do you get more consistent then that
Don Thomas is my "sleeper" in our draft this year, not only is he strong, he was the fastest linemen at the Combine, I really hope he can make an impact when given the chance.
I really hope that our O-Line can pull it together. We would be so much better of a team if they were able to gel, and play with some consistency. I'm really starting to like Bess. He seems to be one of the better receivers that we have right now.
I thought that he was the third fastest: OL-Mike Pollak, 4.98 OL-Jeremy Zuttah, 4.99 OL-Donald Thomas, 5.01 OL-Eric Young, 5.03 TE-Kolo Kapanui, 5.04 OL-Chris Williams, 5.07 OL-Heath Benedict, 5.08 OL-Jake Long, 5.17 OL-Carl Nicks, 5.18 OL-Kory Lichtensteiger, 5.19 http://cardinalsfan.squarespace.com...e-linemen-and-tight-end-40-yard-dash-res.html Regardless, he's pretty darned fast for a big guy.
I'm sure you are correct, his pre Combine speed was 4.8 at 288, he added 12 pounds and it hurt his speed a bit, Thomas played two years of ball at UConn, his first year he was the wedge buster on ST, his second year he was all Big East at Guard in his first year as a starter. That lack of playing time is what is hurting his technique, but physically he's a beast with a Larry Allen type upside if he has a chance to play that is.
I'm with you here, as everything I've seen has him catching everything that's come his way. It seems that it's Omar who's not consistent with his analysis of Bess.
Maybe in terms of separation, acceleration...that sort of thing. And remember, Bess is still just an UDFA. Every year there is one that is the buzz of every training camp. It is EXTREMELY rare that they break out. It happens, but not much. I just think we have to be careful before we annoint Bess as anything more than a possible 5th WR, which rarely registers more than a statistical blurb.
I don't know about a Larry Allen type upside but he certainly did look talented coming out. "Dropkick" Murphy isn't as athletic...but he's also pretty good. Heading into the draft I'd have thought Thomas goes ahead of Murphy. Didn't end up panning out that way.
I thought Thomas would be our forth round pick honestly, I didn't even see it coming when we drafted Murphy and found Thomas in the sixth round.. Thomas could be a big time steal, IMO. I think he's gonna be a good player, I vision Thomas starting at guard this season over the others.
Oh yes, hyperbole on my part CK, I was thinking of the combination of Size and Movement coming into the NFL. Of course at the moment Thomas is probably brinigng the Gatoraide.
Ditto that. From what I read prior to the draft, it seemed Thomas carried a 3rd or 4th round grade and Murphy carried a 7th round grade...granted those are mostly mock draft sites and ESPN analysts and such, but still. I thought Thomas would've been long gone by the time the Dolphins got him.
Some people, like Russ Lande, were enormously high on Shawn Murphy. I don't necessarily think they reached. His size was coveted. He's bigger than Donald Thomas.
I have seen Dunlap play and he is good. He also was listed as the 25th best wr in the Pro Football Weekly pre-draft guide. His ranking dropped some before the draft, but he has some skill. Lee2000
Good news on Thomas: Rookie Donald Thomas lined up at right guard with the starters and was a big hit with some of the veteran defensive lineman. “I know coming off the field yesterday a couple of our defensive players thought, ‘He’s really heavy,’ and when a defensive player says really heavy he doesn’t mean heavy in size, he means he’s heavy when he hits on you and when he leans on you,” Sparano said. “So that was encouraging. It was good to get him out there and let him compete against some of the first-team players out there and see how he responds.” http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/...ng_cam.html?cxntfid=blogs_inside_the_dolphins
Nice.... Coming out of UConn his problem was anchoring though, there will be Dline v Oline drills soon enough, so we shall see.
