Dolphins Draft Picks of the Good Variety

The NFL is famous for its drawn-out draft holdouts, which often cripple salary caps after long periods of strife. The system flat out sucks.

Fortunately, the Dolphins have done a great job of signing their draftees. According to Phinsider, only three are left unsigned: Phillip Merling, Chad Henne, and Kendall Langford.

The good news, though, is that the players seem to be expressing an interest in showing up to camp. Here's what Chad Henne said:

"I know my agent approached them probably about two or three weeks ago...to get it started. I'm sure they're going to get it done before training camp, because they want me in camp and I anticipate being in camp."

It also helps, apparently, that Henne employs the same agent as Bill Parcells. A match in heaven?

YOUR thoughts on the Dolphins draft....

As for MY view of the draft:

J Long - Safest pick but also the biggest need! Does not make mistakes (penalties/sacks) and that is a Parcells kind of guy.

P Merling - Was projected as a 1st rd pick w/o the hernia. He is the first of MANY Dolphin picks this year that beg the question: The problem is figuring out where he fits? DE?OLB? THAT is where I have to trust Parcells.

C Henne - Good value! I hope both he AND Beck become quality QB's so we have some depth (or, better yet, trade fodder for the future). Tough kid with intangibles but he doesn't stand out in any area.

K Langford - Another pick that experts love but is he the next Jason Taylor or the next Matt Roth? Sounds like he can rush the passer but does nothing to anchor the end against the run.

S Murphy - Are we supposed to believe he is our starting LG? I think Miami wanted Greco and settled for Murphy. This pick surprised me because he is known for his finesse, not power, which makes him the Anti-Parcells guy! Also, am I supposed to be impressed that his father is Dale Murphy?

J Parmele - I like this pick because I don't trust our R&R Team (Ricky & Ronnie) to be fully healthy by training camp. I was surprised we got rid of Booker, since he was a PLAYMAKER whenever he got on the field, but we needed a third every down back. I believe that Parmalee has the ability to get the 3.5-4.0 yards/carry until the starters are healthy. (I don't believe Brown will be 100% till 2009.)

D Thomas - Major project that hit a fast food worker for slow service? It's the 6th rd but this just doesn't seem like a Parcells guy (bad character/major project).

L Hilliard - New Fullback or poor man's HB? (BTW, I thought Parcells didn't like small school players: 4 picks were from smaller schools)

L Dotson - NT project? 7th rd pick that I am not going to pretend that I know anything about.

I guess, in summary, what I am saying is that I like this draft only because I want to give Parcells the benefit of the doubt. I want to believe that this jumble of players will strengthen our roster. I wish we had traded JT and got some decent value (either in 2008 or 2009 draft) and I hope we sign a couple of impact college FA (DJ Hall, Highsmith, Robertson, and/or Henderson).


Matt

NFL Draft: Day 2

The Dolphins should be quite active in Rounds 3-7, as they possess a plethora of picks.

They've already shown their trade savvy, moving down from the #64 to #66 pick in exchange for an extra 6th rounder. Even better, they still got the guy they wanted: DE Kendall Langford out of Hampton.

This proves the oft-recited theory that Bill Parcells wants to build the trenches first. He has now taken a T and two DE, and with Jason Taylor still there, this should be a formidable squad. Langford should stand in as a great 3-4 player with position versatility, so I like the pick a lot.