12:01 AM - Draft Day Begins

As ASponge mentioned, I'm going to blogging about the first round of the draft all day today, so keep checking back here to see my rants and ramblings. Most of the coverage is going to focus on Miami's picks, but I wanted to kick-start the day with a my predicted top Bust and Steal.

BUST - Glenn Dorsey - Somehow, Dorsey's injury problems are being swept under the rug, a luxury that not many players get to enjoy. Yes, he has great size at 6'2" 297 lbs. Yes, he has strength (225 27 times) and good speed (5.14 40). But, I want everyone to think about that for a second. Where were these strength and speed numbers pulled from? His Pro Day, where numbers are often inflated, and a running assumption that he's been primed for the NFL by the SEC. Now, I'm a die-hard SEC fan, and would argue that as true for just about any other player, but there's one thing that people seem to forget about Dorsey. He disappeared against major SEC teams. In his senior season at LSU he had 7 sacks and 12.5 tackles for a loss. Here's those stats broken down by game: Miss St (1 Sack, 2 TFL) V-Tech, (0,0) Middle Tenn St. (1,1.5) South Carolina (1,1) Tulane (0,0) Florida (1,1) Kentucky (0,0) Auburn (0,1) Bama (1,2) La.Tech (1,3) Ole Miss (0,0) Arkansas (0,0) Tennessee (0,0) and Ohio State (1,0). Puts it a little into perspective, doesn't it? With the exception of his 1 and 1 against Florida, Dorsey accumulated most of his stats either against scrub schools, or from the bottom of the SEC. Also, remember how good LSU's lines just about always are. If there really is such thing as a "system QB," then I think that Dorsey is a "system DT."

SLEEPER - Andre Caldwell - Obviously, being a Gator grad makes me a little biased here, but I just cannot understand why Bubba isn't getting more attention. For one, his "injury" that people stigmatize him for was a freak accident on a kick return. How does that make him injury prone? Caldwell also turned in the 2nd fastest WR 40 time (4.37) at the combine, and displayed good hands in drills. But, what really sets Bubba apart from everyone else is that he has to be the most well-rounded WR in the draft. We've seen him run out of the backfield, he's even thrown a few times, and he's a very good blocker. The NFL player that always comes to mind when I think of Caldwell is Hines Ward. They're both similar weights (Caldwell is 6'1" 200, Hines is 6'0" 205), they both have great hands, and they both not only are good at blocking, but really enjoy blocking. Is Caldwell going to be a 4-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl MVP like Ward? Let's not give him too much credit. But I do think that he is going to be a very solid contributor for some team. Personally, I'd love to see the Dolphins take him at #57. A great blocking receiver like Caldwell on the outside can really open up the field for Ronnie, Ricky, and especially LoBo.

That's all for now, much more to come as the day rolls on. Make sure to follow along with the live-updating comments (basically a chat) at The Phinsider in addition to your coverage here at The South Florida Fan.

Here's hoping for a great draft! Now I'm off to get some sleep.

Dolphins Draft News, Bits

We've been very Marlins-centric here at The South Florida Fan as of late. I admit ... we've neglected our most appreciated and historical team: the Dolphins. Why? Let's chalk it up to the Marlins being so damn good.

We'll be providing much more Dolphins coverage as we get closer to the NFL Draft. In addition, we've gained some prime Dolphins contributors, so be ready for lots of great Dolphins content.

The biggest news, of course, centers on how the Dolphins will "spend" the #1 pick. PhinFever put together a great assimilation of mock drafts (74 to be exact). The order?

1. Chris Long (34 times)
2. Jake Long (32 times)
3. Matt Ryan (3 times)
4. Vernon Gholston (2 times)
4. Glenn Dorsey (2 times)
6. Darren McFadden (1 time)

Suffice to say, popular opinion has it between the two Longs. Speaking of Jake Long, I recommend Phinsider's exposee on his abilities. Very informative.

Lastly, let me just throw out the possibility of Darren McFadden being the surprise pick. He's considered the best player in the draft by many, and it just might be the kind of surprise move from Parcells and company. It's not likely (they already have Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams), but I can't shake it entirely.