The Dolphins draft this year reminded me (*insert dry heave here*) of when Lil’ Nicky Satan was the head man and drafted only players that he coached at LSU, played against in the SEC, or recruited at one point or another. Miami’s staff coached in the Senior Bowl this year, which gave them an opportunity to put a lot of these guys through the paces and work them out extensively. While I want to believe that using the first four picks on players they coached in that game shows that they took full advantage of that opportunity, I also have to wonder whether it is a bit shortsighted and sends the message that they don’t trust their scouts enough. Food for thought.
There is also an ancillary (look it up) concern that Miami is stockpiling a lot of white, slow players from the Big 10, a league that has pretty much jumped the shark as a national power. I feel the ‘Fins have suffered from a relative lack of speed and playmaking ability on defense for a few years now, so I have to question whether they did enough to address that concern in this draft.
However, taking an optimistic view (like the one espoused here), this is a solid, sound draft, if you believe the premise that Miami stuck to their board and value chart throughout. I have an issue with not addressing some offseason priorities and picking a tight end or a kick returner -- hell, they didn’t take a skill-position player at all -- and waiting so long to target a safety, but beyond that, the Dolphins attacked their weak defense with abandon. The hope is that all of these defensive additions (seven of eight picks on that side of the ball), combined with the addition of defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, will pay huge dividends in 2010. While taking so many linebackers seemed excessive, you do have to keep in mind that Jason Taylor, Joey Porter and Akin Ayodele were all jettisoned this offseason.
Finally, when you diagnose this eight-man haul, you’re better-served by considering it a 10-man haul. Don’t forget that dynamic wideout Brandon Marshall and former San Diego linebacker Tim Dobbins were landed in trades using picks from this draft (and in Marshall’s case, a second-rounder next year as well), so when you take those two into consideration as well, it begins to take shape as a potentially special draft.
Anyway, here’s a quick player-by-player (you can click on the individual name for a draft profile from NFL.com) look at Miami’s Class of 2010 …
First Round, #28 Overall: DE/DT Jared Odrick, Penn StateThe Dolphins made a somewhat-confusing trade-down from the #12 overall pick, netting the #28 and #40 picks from the Chargers, along with backup inside linebacker and special-teamer. Miami also apparently switched spots in the fourth round (dropping back from #110 to #126) and sent a sixth-rounder to San Diego in the deal. In retrospect, I question whether the ‘Fins got enough in the deal, but they were rather desperate to trade down and recoup the second-rounder, so I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt (and hope Dobbins is something more than anticipated).
As to Odrick, he’s supposed to be a high-energy player, but there are concerns that he’s a ‘tweener—not quite big enough to play the nose in a 3-4 alignment and not quite athletic enough to play defensive end either. Checking in at 6-5, 304 pounds, there were questions about how often Odrick loses his feet, but Miami appeared to grab him in the right spot, though the question becomes how he can be most effectively used in a rotation with Philip Merling, Tony McDaniel, Randy Starks, Kendall Langford, etc.
On a side note, this selection is supposed to make more sense based on the revelation that Starks, who racked up seven sacks as an end last year, would be moving to nose tackle. Now, there’s little doubting that Merling, in particular, has been an underachiever, so the possibility exists that Odrick comes in, wins a starting job and Starks handles nose duties well despite his limited size. But the potential is certainly there for this question to be answered in the affirmative: does this actually make the Dolphins weaker at two positions (nose tackle and defensive end)? Reeks a little bit of desperation to me, so stay tuned.
Second Round, #40 Overall: OLB Koa Misi, Utah
Some viewed this as a good value pick, some think it was a reach. All I know is that Miami loves freaking Samoans and also love kids from Utah (*shrug*). This selection was thrown into even more confusion when general manager Jeff Ireland was reportedly discussing the wrong guy in attributing three sacks to Misi that were actually notched by someone else. Odd, to say the least.
At 6-3, 251, is Misi big enough to hold up against the run? As an over-achiever type, he was not super-productive at Utah, so how high is his ceiling?
I dig the emphasis on four-year players with high motors, but I’m just not sure I see this pick. I just have this sinking feeling that passing on Texas end/linebacker Sergio Kindle (to Baltimore at pick #43, which was Miami’s original slot before the Brandon Marshall trade) is going to come back to haunt the ‘Fins in a big way.
Third Round, #79 Overall: OL John Jerry, Mississippi
This was a kid that Miami fell in love with at the Senior Bowl, but with so many tremendous players till on the board, this was a luxury pick that the Dolphins simply couldn’t afford, in my estimation. He’s massive at 6-5, 328 pounds, but the ‘Fins have invested a shit-ton of time, money and resources in the offensive line, and with so many needs elsewhere, I’m not sure I can buy this guy as a too-good-to-pass-up pick. Guard is something of a need, but Miami had and still does have bodies to throw at the spot.
On the plus side, at least Jerry provided the line of the day when he was asked about his injury history and responded that he “had hemorrhoids once, but that’s about it.”
Fourth Round, #119 Overall: LB A.J. Edds, Iowa
For the fourth straight pick, Miami tabbed a kid that the Dolphins coaches got to work with up close and personal at the Senior Bowl. With a selection that was traded from the Colts to the Patsies to the ‘Fins, Miami gets another Big 10 defender who could have a future as a nickel/cover linebacker—he grabbed five picks as a senior. At 6-4, 246 pounds, he’s got good size for the 3-4, but there is no consensus as to his athleticism. The interception total would seem to indicate good instincts and he has been credited with leadership and nonstop-motor qualities, but I would say there were still lots of good safeties on the board.
To me, here’s where the Chargers trade could have hurt Miami: by dropping back from #110 to #126 (and then back up to #119) in this round, Miami missed out on BYU tight end Dennis Pitta, a personal favorite at a position of high need for the Dolphins. I understand the need for 3-4 linebackers, but let’s be serious about it—after adding six linebackers this offseason, Miami will bring 14 into minicamps and potentially training camp. How many linebackers are they planning on carrying? And carrying that argument forward, how many of these draft picks are just going to end up getting cut anyway?
Fifth Round, #145 Overall: CB Nolan Carroll, MarylandI live in ACC country and cover ACC football for Pack Pride. And I’ve never heard of this kid. So I guess it makes sense that this is the draft pick Miami got for Ned Ginn, because all indications are that this guy is a super athlete with huge durability and injury concerns. At 5-11, 204 pounds, he has solid size for the corner position and could eventually develop into a nickel or dime back, but I guess I would feel a lot better about this selection if the kid has some level of kick-return ability, which is yet another huge need for the Dolphins. It’s hard to get too caught up in calling a fifth-round guy a reach, but most seem to feel that they were much better values still on the board at this stage.
Fifth Round, #163 Overall: FS Reshad Jones, Georgia
Finally, the ‘Fins tab a safety, but they have to trade up to do it. The word is that some had Jones as a third-round talent, so Miami traded up to get him with a selection that was alternately owned by the Rams, the Saints, the Eagles and the Redskins at one point or another.
The 6-1, 214-pound Jones has been described as a head hunter, a guy who aims for the hit that sends guys to the sidelines rather than going for interceptions. If that’s the case, he’s more of a strong safety type, which means he’s not a good fit for Miami, which has an enormous need at free safety. He fell because some scouts considered him a sloppy tackler who doesn’t always play the defense to his assignment, so he is a huge question mark in transitioning to play center field for the ‘Fins. Some local beat writers are penciling Jones in as a possible starter right off the bat (get it, center field?) for Miami, but I think they are grossly overestimating this kid’s ability to learn a new system, change his mentality on the field and adjust to new positional responsibilities.
All that being said, grabbing an SEC safety in the fifth round certainly can’t be a bad thing for a team that has struggled at the position for seemingly a generation. Keeping all the above in mind, Jones could be the one who makes the difference between a bad, average, good or great draft.
Seventh Round, #212 Overall: LB Chris McCoy, Middle Tennessee State
After losing a sixth-rounder in the trade-up to get Jones, Miami lands a small-school conversion prospect here. At 6-4, 244, McCoy was a defensive end on the college level, but will have to make the switch to outside linebacker in the Dolphins’ 3-4 scheme in order to make a dent in the pro ranks in the aqua and orange. The ‘Fins landed this pick from the Chiefs last year, so if you’re going to take a chance on a positional changer, this is a great spot to do so.
Seventh Round, #252 Overall: LB Austin Spitler, Ohio StateYou guessed it: another freaking linebacker. With a compensatory pick, the Dolphins secured a guy who has been tabbed a “workout warrior”—which can be code for a good athlete who underachieved in college. The good news is that Spitler could be a late bloomer who can find a home on special teams and develop into something down the road, because he has good measurables at 6-3, 234, to go along with leadership qualities. At this stage of the draft, there’s really very little you can argue with, and even for a guy who hates the Buckeyes, I think this is a kid that could actually find a role in Miami.
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