Considering that neither Julio Jones nor Dez Bryant nor Demaryius Thomas nor AJ Green nor Calvin Johnson made the conference championship round of the Play-offs, I question how important it is to funnel the majority of your offense through a primary WR. I think it's more important to have an Andrew Luck or a Tom Brady or an Aaron Rodgers or play for the Seahawks in general. ;)

It's no secret that Miami needs another WR. Everyone knows that. It's not news. The question is about value. However, with Cooper and White off the board, I don't like any of the other WR options at pick #14 which means the Dolphins would have to trade down to get good value. That means we probably won't know until draft day what the team is thinking nor how the draft will fall.

 

If we want to move up--which is highly unlikely--we have to try and get from #14 to #9 or #10 in my view. Without a 3rd rounder, that could be too expensive for us.

If we are looking at the back-half of the 1st round with the thought of trading back, this is how it looks (I've indicated some of the teams that could conceivably take a WR):

14) Dolphins
15) 49ers (WR)
16) Texans
17) Chargers
18) Chiefs (WR)
19) Browns (WR)
20) Eagles
21) Bengals (WR)
22) Steelers
23) Lions
24) Cardinals
25) Panthers (WR)
26) Ravens (WR)
27) Cowboys
28) Broncos
29) Colts
30) Packers
31) Saints (WR)
32) Patriots


If you're thinking WR, I think you can bank on either falling a few spots to #17 (maybe the Chargers move up for a RB) or falling all the way to #24 (maybe the Cardinals move up for Danny Shelton or Trae Waynes?).

 

Niners need a wideout desperately. They need linebackers too and will probably choose whoever is highest on the board for them between those two positions. If you are trading down, be prepared to lose the next best receiver to them.

I like the youth movement, and having a bunch of guys willing to share the ball from Tannehill is good, but I would be reluctant to have a rookie WR be the solution as a #1. There is something to be said about a veteran who can run routes and get himself open. Landry is good at that and could probably handle the role, but until he proves it, bringing in a vet on a one or two year deal seems like the right move to captain a young and hungry group.

 

I want Kendricks or Waynes. I doubt Waynes will be there, but if he is, I am leaning that way.

 

Agreed DG. Brandon Scherff or La'el Collins makes much more sense for my money. We haven't done anything to fortify our biggest area of concern as we progress through this, or countless other off seasons. Add a veteran WR to mentor the youth there and we will be more than fine. There are only so many balls to go around. Few seem to be focusing on how paramount it is to protect RT. He has been HAMMERED the last two years and it has to stop if we want him to take another step, and for this offense to succeed. I highly doubt Tannebaum will allow the neglect at the position, the line as a whole, to continue one more year. Couple all of this with the fact you have a huge question mark as to when, if, and how well Branden Albert recovers from his knee only underscores that all signs point to OL at #14. Say what you will about taking another OL with the first pick, drafting an OG at 14,or pouring more high value resources and $ in to the OL, but this is the need, this is likely where we will have value awaiting us, and it makes the most sense given everything that has transpired, or better, not transpired in free agency to date. Look at Dallas and where their high picks have all been allocated of late. What does Dallas do well?? If you draft Scherff or Collins you have the ability to play either at RT on day 1 while James holds down LT, until Albert is 100%. Then move that player to his permanent interior spot and you are set for a good while. Position flexibility. Of course you are using Walton, Thomas, or another band-aid FA at one guard spot until such time, but I would rather have the perimeters in the best shape possible and protect against any further delays in Albert's return. BTW, this logic also allows the potential to move James permanently to LT, and Scherff or Collins permanently to RT if Albert can't stay healthy, or is deemed too expensive in another year or so. He is already on the other side of 30.

 

You're probably right, I forgot that the 49ers signed Torrey Smith. They probably won't go WR in the first.

I also just saw that the Browns signed Dwayne Bowe. So with he and Hartline in FA, they won't go WR in the first either.

 

Translation: "Dear Crabtree - we have negotiating leverage."

 

I don't really buy this line of thinking. Teams will often draft players that don't necessarily fit glaring needs. WR specifically, because its pretty rare that you have 2-3 guys you don't want to lose any snaps.

 

The probability of drafting a WR is never going to be 0, but it wouldn't make much sense for either team.


The 49ers could go anywhere but with Torrey Smith being the featured guy now along with Vernon Davis and Anquan Boldin still on the roster and depth like Jerome Simpson and Bruce Ellington, they'll be anxious to fill the other holes at this point. Plus, there simply won't be any WRs available to the 49ers in the 2nd half of the 1st round that will be more appealing than what else in on the board that could help them.

The Browns also have a ton of holes and added 2 starting calibers WRs within the last few weeks (Bowe & Hartline) and depth in Andrew Hawkins and Travis Benjamin, why would they draft a 1st round WR? That doesn't make any sense.

 

This isn't how it works in practice though. The Rams didn't need a WR when they drafted Tavon Austin. Houston didn't need one when they drafted Hopkins. The Giants didn't need one when they drafted Odell Beckham. The Saints didn't need one when they drafted Brandin Cooks. Etc., Etc.

 

Danny Shelton please... Best interior in the NFL, by a country mile. Perryman in round 2. One monster and one thumper.

 

agree. if we really wanted a young WR, then maybe we can trade down and recoup our 3rd round pick. I'd still rather pick a CB at 14 if a good one is available.

 

I really think they should trade down in the 1st and get back a 3rd rounder. If you trade down with, let's say the Steelers to the 22nd pick, who need DT badly, you can potentially get a 3rd and 5th out of it.

Then pick best player available at 22nd, biggest candidates being the 2 RBs Gurley and Gordon, maybe a sliding defensive player, then look for secondary help in the 2nd, or an ILB. Then look for WR in the 3rd where I think there could be some talent and value this year.

Heck, having 3 5th rounders then can even help you move up in the 3rd if you're nervous and/or a big value WR target is there still.

 

The question is...do the Dolphins have the nerve to pull that kind of thing off on draft day? Is that the kind of mentality that Tannenbaum is going to bring here?

I don't know about you but when I think of trading down and leaving talent on the baord, my palms start sweating. :)

It'll be a fun draft day no matter how things go!

 

It's a risk, no doubt. But if you're confident in your skills at selecting talent for value, then why not.

 

Agreed...at the end of the day, it's not what you did in any 1 round of the draft, it's how you got value compared to the rest of the league over an extended period.

How long has it been since Miami went into a draft feeling good about drafting so many different positions?! :)

For the first time in a long time, I'm going to be content with almost any of the names that are out there from Gordon to Gurley, Waynes to Shelton to Kendricks, Parker to Strong to OGB.

 

I could go Rashad Greene in the 2nd.

 

Don't take this the wrong way but that sounds exactly like something Ireland would do. Personally I think we have spent too much time over the last decade worrying about whether a player is good value at the spot and not enough time worrying about whether they are a good value to the team. Last year when we picked James a number of pundits felt we over valued him but he stepped in day one and contributed. To me that's more valuable than recouping a traded pick.

 

Agreed. And then you have to look at Hickey's first draft. It's only one draft so admittedly not a big sample-size, but a few things to look at that maybe help to indicate his modus operandi or inclinations. Safe pick in the first; two separate trade downs in the 2nd, followed by a trade up in the third; some small school talent. Hickey not only got a good player with his first rounder in Ja'wuan James, but got good value in the 2nd and 3rd with Landry and Billy Turner, and also got an additional 5th rounder on top of it.

He might be thinking similarly this time around.

 

Well it only fails if you f*ck up the pick after trading down. Then you're not only left with the "might have been" talent you passed, but the "f*cked up" talent you picked. Hickey traded down twice with his 2nd round pick after James, and ended up with Landry, Billy Turner and another 5th round pick. It can work if you get it right.

 

I thought we drafted 3 team captains last year. CK corrected me. It was six. Seriously, it's a factor for Hickey. Cooper for instance is a team captain.

 

That too, I forgot about that.

 

So the Houston Texans with Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter needed a WR.

The Giants with Victor Cruz and Reuben Randle needed a WR.

The NO Saints with Kenny Stills and Marques Colston needed a WR.

But the Cleveland Browns won't draft a WR because they have Dwayne Bowe and Brian Hartline???

The 49ers won't draft a WR because they have Torrey Smith and a 34 yr old Anquan Boldin???

I have absolutely no problem drafting a WR in the first round, but the logic you're using isn't very good IMO. I think if Miami wants a guy like Amari Cooper, they're going to have to trade up (which I'm not opposed to).

 

Which means we are drafting a Guard

 

Trade down is definitely the way to go if there's no slam dunk available at 14. The team is hurting for depth at multiple positions, the salary cap for 2016-17 is already problematic, adding younger/cheaper players will be vital.

 

I'd crack the flat screen if we went OL in round 1, and FTR I was begging for OL in the first the last two years so it's not an issue of liking the sexier picks. CB, MLB, edge rusher, WR if there's a stud available or trade down.

 

We all know you like the sexier stuff Piston :wink2:

Might be a good way to get the wife to let you get that 70" LED:yes:

 

I do not think DGB or Jaelen Strong are worth 1st rd picks.


Dorial Green-Beckham is a physical freak. But his college stats were mediocre, he has a poor work ethic, poor route runner, drug arrests, beats up women, red flags all over. If we're going to pickup a physical freak WR, I'd rather use a 4th rd pick on Darren Waller or Chris Conley, than use a 1st rd pick on DGB.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1850793/darren-waller

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/darren-waller?id=2552408

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1824756/chris-conley

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/chris-conley?id=2552652


Jaelen Strong seems to be a big guy who is really good at heading in one direction. But all scouting reports note that he has a lack of suddeness & quickness, and a poor ability to separate. Then I watch him on film, and he does seem to struggle making an explosive cutback. And then for a test of agility, if you add their 3-cone & 20 yd shuttle times together, you get..

Amari Cooper: 10.69
Kevin White: 11.06
Darren Waller: 11.32
Dorial Green-Beckham: 11.34
Chris Conley: 11.36
Jaelen Strong: 11.52

I know that some athletes simply test poorly. But when all the scouting reports, all the film, and all the agility tests, all point towards the same thing (inability to make explosive cutbacks, and separate), I think it's a huge red flag. At the NFL level, inability to separate could be disastrous.

 

Outside of Amari Cooper and Kevin White, I don't really care if any of the other WRs wind up Dolphins. There's very few players that don't have big question marks or limitations one way or another. If Miami had plans to ship out Dion Jordan as part of a trade to move up and get one of those top WRs, no one would blame them, but outside of something big like that, it's hard to get too excited about the other WRs. Then again, I didn't think Jarvis Landry would turn out like he has.

This is why I've been saying that most every WR is going to be a reach for Miami if we select one in the 1st round. This draft might be deep at WR but it doesn't mean they all have to go high in the draft. Most of the WRs not named Amari Cooper and Kevin White really seem like 2nd and 3rd round picks to me.

If we're limited to offensive players, I would happily take Todd Gurley or Melvin Gordon before any of the WRs not named Cooper or White. I think both RBs are simply much more talented football players who can have immediate impact and will thus both be deservedly drafted in the 1st round.

 

Eh...don't be so contentious. You made your point, it might be time to move along. I don't think this is worthy of an argument. Yes, the Browns and 49ers very well might take a WR but anyone who watches the game can see that it's very unlikely they will. But yes, you're right, it is possible.

There's a story that goes along with every one of those picks you named and I don't think any of them were bad picks. But the 49ers picking a WR at #15? Who in this draft is worthy of that pick? They surely aren't getting Amari Cooper or Kevin White with that pick! And the Browns pick comes after that!

The biggest link between most of those teams was that they were pretty solid rosters under good coaching and leadership. It's pretty easy to feel comfortable picking WR if you're coaching is Sean Payton and your QB is Drew Brees. I think the Saints picked Cooks based on value at #20. However, the Saints spread the ball around and value depth at WR, we all know that. Neither the Browns nor the 49ers are really pass-happy teams that do that, nor are they powerful offenses under the leadership of a great HC or OC.

Tavon Austin went to the Rams where HC Jeff Fisher provided stability and a quality defense so Tavon Austin made some sense as a complimentary piece. Maybe teams should draft that way and maybe they shouldn't but at least there is logic to back up that pick. Neither the Browns nor the 49ers have stability at HC. Both need to add talent in the trenches. Both need to bolster their running games. Both look like questionable defensive units as well.

Odell Beckham Jr. went to a team with very stable ownership, a very qualified HC, a franchise QB and was himself one of the best WRs in the draft (he was picked at #12 after all). That isn't much of a surprise pick honestly.



So, while there was logic and value in all the guys you named (Austin, Hopkins, Cooks and Beckham) I don't see the logic in saying the 49ers or the Browns are going to take a WR. It's possible but there's very little logic to back it up quite honestly. Where is the value? It's just not there for either team.



But as I said, agree to disagree. There really isn't debate happening. If you think the 49ers and Browns are likely to take a WR, good for you. I'll be more than happy to eat crow if they do! ;)

 

If you look at history with the Bucs especially since he took the job he described as running the draft for Mark Dominik, the history of him taking captain types is just as strong or stronger.

Gotta remember many teams don't have yearly captains. They have game captains, leadership councils, etc. If you broaden the definition on that basis, there are usually only one or two guys Hickey takes a chance on every year, and it's usually not early.