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

Post-Draft Thoughts Around the Blogosphere

The general feeling, at least locally, is that the Dolphins rocked the draft. Perhaps it's a bit of hometown optimism, but I think we can safely assume that wasn't the case last year (nobody thought Cam Cameron deserved anything above an F). Maybe it's more polarization than homerism that occurs. Regardless, here's a quick summary of what's being said.

FinsNation was so pleased with the draft, they likened Parcells' performance to a comic book character. Phinsider seems pleased enough that Parcells and Ireland have a plan for this team. Phin Fever gives a breakdown of each draft pick. Here's the full draft board if you missed any picks.

We at The South Florida Fan are also pleased with the draft, with the lone exception of Lorenzo Booker being traded and Jalen Parmele/Lex Hilliard replacing him. I have my doubts on Chad Henne, but it was a very solid pick for the end of the 2nd round. We want to thank everyone who followed along with us. Congratulations also to FinsNation, Phinsider, and Phin Fever, for providing such excellent coverage throughout the weekend.

Canes Extend 1st Round Streak, Make Barely a Whimper Rest of Draft

The wait was longer than any Hurricane fan wanted, but the relief when Kenny Phillips was named as the 31st overall pick of the Super Bowl champ New York Giants resonated throughout Hurricane nation. That makes it 14 years in a row that the Hurricanes have had a player chosen in the 1st round of the NFL Draft. Many draft analysts saw this pick coming. The Giants needed safety help, and Phillips was at the top of the board for safeties, so it was a no-brainer for the Patriot-slayers. The pick made Giants fans ecstatic - they were chanting Phillips' name moments before the pick, and let out a thunderous roar when he finally was picked. Phillips is a ball hawk, and a punishing hitter, and teams making evaluations this draft season were wowed by Phillips' football acumen. He will be an impact player from the starting line.

Calais Campbell was the 50th selection in the draft, going to the Arizona Cardinals. Campbell dropped to the middle of the second round because his productivity suffered his junior season (after a stellar sophomore season) and because of poor combine numbers. Many say in Campbell's defense that he was getting double-teamed quite a bit during his junior season.

A Hurricane whose numbers did not suffer in 2007 was MLB Tavares Gooden. He was the team's defensive MVP, making a career-high 119 tackles. Gooden was selected No. 71 overall by the Baltimore Ravens, where he joins fellow Cane alumni and current Ravens defensive stalwarts Ed Reed and Ray Lewis. Gooden possesses impressive strength, and his 4.5 speed is extraterrestrially fast for a linebacker. He could be looked upon as the steal of the 3rd round, I predict. His career was slowed by injuries, and when he finally started to recover, he showed that he can be a force on the defensive side of the ball.

And that was it as far as Canes being drafted. Rounds 4-7 came and went, and no more Hurricanes' names were called. Some, however, have already signed free agent contracts. WR Darnell Jenkins, nicknamed "nuke" because of his nuclear speed, was signed by the Houston Texans. Cornerback Glenn Sharpe, of phantom 2003 Fiesta Bowl pass interference call fame, was picked up by the Atlanta Falcons. DT Teraz McCray was signed by the Buffalo Bills. And OL Andrew Bain joins teammate Phillips in the Big Apple.

IN baseball news, my thesis last week was correct - the Hurricanes are the best team in the land, and they are their own worst enemy. After falling to lowly FIU last week, the Hurricanes swept 16th-ranked Virginia in ACC play at Mark Light Field. The Hurricanes pitching was scintillating - they held the Cavaliers to a .144 average during the series. The Canes are 36-5, and 20-2 in the ACC, with only ten regular season games remaining.

Dolphins Add Depth in 6th

After taking OG Shawn Murphy in the fourth and RB Jalen Parmele in the sixth round, the Dolphins doubled up. The last two picks of the 6th round were OG Donald Thomas (UConn) and RB Lex Hilliard (Montana). Hillard should battle Parmele for the third RB spot, while Thomas should find another place on the ever-evolving offensive line.

Both of these guys are projects, but that's what you expect in the 6th round. Thomas could use more size, but he plays with unusual determination. Hilliard was a second choice to Mike Hart (I know, another Michigan guy) for me and the Dolphins, I suspect, but Hart went two picks earlier. Hilliard's the kind of unknown player from a little-watched team that could make Parcells look good come next year...or, he could make a fine practice squad filler.

With the 10th pick in the 6th round...

See? Someone at Dolphins HQ was reading our blog and said, "Hey, we need a RB to backup Ronnie!" Well the Dolphins drafted Jalen Parmele, RB from Toledo. You would think I'd be a little happier with this pick, but, alas, I'm not.

While Parmele might be a good #3 back in years to come, there were 2 or 3 RB's still on the board who could have had a more immediate, long term impact. Mike Hart (Michigan) and Chauncey Washington (USC) surpringsly are still available. Hart could turn into a great 3rd down back. What he lacks in size, he makes up for in vision and quickness. And you have to think, after being projected as a 3rd round pick, not being taken until 6th or 7th round, he might have a little chip on his should (see 2008 Citrus Bowl to see what Hart can do with a chip on his shoulder). Personally, I don't see Parmele making it through training camp.

Clearly, Miami's first 2 picks were stellar, filled vast holes. Since then, there hasn't been much for me to get excited about.

SFDB Gets An Interesting View of the Draft

Contrary to popular belief, ESPN does not have a monopoly on NFL Draft coverage, at least not in the Miami area. Read about The South Florida Daily Blog's sojourn to Dolphin Stadium for the Dolphins' Draft Day Party/Select a Seat event.

The pictures are pretty intriguing, and I have to highlight one quote:

"Throughout the stands, small groups of people relaxed in a kind of surreal setting not unlike a regular season Marlins game."

Rick's observation is reason #2011 why the Marlins need their own stadium.

Just a Thought...

As the Dolphins continue to draft, I can't help but wonder where the 'fins are going to get their points from. There's the so-far unimpressive John Beck or Chad Henne calling the plays. Ronnie Brown should be back, but healthy? He remains to be their one, lone threat. Ricky Williams will be back, for a few weeks anyways until he remembers he's Ricky Williams and disappears into the Amazon. Ted Ginn, Jr. is their biggest threat at WR, and he didn't exactly stand out in his rookie year. Behind Ginn on the depth chart is Greg Camillaro, Derick Hagan, David Kircus, Tab Perry, and Ernest Wilford. Not exactly a yellow brick road to the endzone.

I think its clear Parcells wants to build up front. But even if you give Beck (or Henne, or McCown) 10 mississippi's, if no one's open he's gonna be in trouble. I'm a little nervous that defenses will simply stuff 8 or 9 in the box to stop Ronnie and force the Dolphins to beat them through the air. I would have loved to seen Miami take an Early Ducett or Mario Manningham or Andre Caldwell in the 3rd round. We'll see what is left for the 'fins in the last few rounds.

Dolphins Add Another Trench Warrior

I mentioned a few minutes ago how Bill Parcells was trying to build the offensive and defensive lines. With the Dolphins' 4th round selection, I was proven right again.

The 'Fins grabbed OG Shawn Murphy out of Utah State. His strengths are in his quickness and agility, which don't normally fit the Bill Parcells mold (Parcells is known for treasuring strength and size). That being said, Parcells must have seen a lot of potential in Murphy, enough to pull the trigger here.

Murphy should be a nice complement to Jake Long along the refurbished offensive line. Once again, Parcells gets a positive grade.

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.

Lorenzo Booker traded to the Eagles

Lorenzo Booker was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for their 4th round pick. #16 in the round, #115 overall.

While it is good that we are stockpiling picks to rebuild, I have to admit that I was somewhat excited by the idea of the Fins using LoBo as a Reggie Bush/H-back type of player next season. Using a player like that in dual-RB sets with some back-field dump-offs can be pretty dangerous.

On the bright side, however, this could also mean that Sparano and Parcells have been impressed enough with Ricky Williams that they do not think they need LoBo anymore.

With the 32nd pick, the Miami Dolphins pick...

Phillip Merling, DE, Clemson

Why he's #32: Many people had Merling as a mid-first round pick, but his injury problems dropped him this far. He has good size (6'4", 276) and he's fairly quick (4.71 40 yd dash). However, he isn't very strong (only 17 reps) and stands up a little too much for my liking. But, in terms of playing well in games, he's the opposite of Glenn Dorsey. Merling recorded 7 sacks last season - 1 against FSU, 1 against VTech, 2 against Wake, 2 against BC and 1 against Auburn. He had similar effectiveness in his tackles for a loss, again recording most of them in Clemson's biggest games.

Why the Dolphins needed him: Jason Taylor is about to be traded.

Why I Like the Pick: Merling was an absolute steal at #32. He has a lot of upside and will need to be coached up some after coming back from sports hernia surgery. I only "like" this pick instead of loving it because he's another Jason Allen in that we have to wait for him to get healthy before we can do anything with him, and we could've had a more immediate impact player like Brandon Flowers or Devin Thomas at the same position. It's a good pick, but it's tempered by a little disappointment at the same time.

Did that just happen?

We somehow just managed to make it through the entire first round without having a team draft a single wide receiver. To make it worse, there was even a TE taken before any WRs.

The Dolphins almost have to go with the best available player here. Devin Thomas at #32 would be an absolute steal.

Of course, we also have to replace Jason Taylor now because of the Tampa Bay trade, so Quentin Groves is still a possibility. Brian Brohm and Chad Henne are also both still available, though I'd hate to see us take a QB right now.

More Jason Taylor rumors

XM radio and FinHeaven have reports that a deal between the Fins and Bucs is a done deal. Apparently Tampa Bay is giving Miami the 2nd and 4th from this year, and next year's 6th (probably a conditional).

Just a rumor, but it would be nice to get that much for him.

EDIT: Another rumor is that Lorenzo Booker was traded to Philly for a 4th round pick.

The JT trade I wouldn't mind. The LoBo trade would, quite frankly, tick me off.

EDIT 2: Both trades have been confirmed in some respect. SIRIUS radio is confirming the JT trade, and NFL Network is confirming the LoBo trade.

Three trends so far that could favor the Dolphins

Trend #1: DTs and DEs are flying off the board. There's a lot of teams in the bottom of the first round that need DEs. We could very well see a last-minute Jason Taylor trade.

Trend #2: CBs are falling fast, and with no WRs taken so far, a lot of teams are going to be looking that direction instead. Few thought that Devin Thomas or Limas Sweed would fall this far, I expect them to be taken up soon. We could very well see a guy like Antoine Cason or Brandon Flowers fall to us at #32.

Trend #3: As mentioned in Trend #2, WRs are falling. This shifts everyone back, so a guy like my Sleeper pick, Andre Caldwell, could fall to us even into the 3rd round at pick #64, leaving #57 for a guy like Chilo Rachal.

Tampa goes with... who?

The Buccaneers have chosen Aqib Talib, CB from Kansas. While he was probably one of the top 5 CB's available, I think the Bucs had other, more pressing needs, most notably the WR position. And with their pick of the WR litter, it is a little perplexing as to how they came to the Talib decision.

Perhaps they're thinking since no WR's have been taken so far, they can still get a high level WR in round 2, but the high level CB's may be taken? Who knows, but I, for one, would have liked to see the Bucs take the WR from Texas, Limas Sweed. We'll see what is available come round 2.

And Tampa Bay chooses....

Wow, lots of trades in this draft. The Panthers came in from nowhere and surprised me there.

Tampa Bay had the opportunity to pick any WR they wanted, a position they definitely need with an aging Joey Galloway and an inconsistent Ike Hilliard, but they instead chose Aqib Talib.

While Aqib should be at least a decent CB in the NFL, and the Bucs have always been a defensive minded team, I feel like he was picked here more as a "best player available" because of how far he fell, rather then as a real team need for Tampa Bay. I guess they're thinking that perhaps Ronde will be following his brother into retirement soon.

Tampa Bay's pick coming up soon.

So who are the Bucs looking at? I think the Bucs biggest needs are at either DT or WR.

Looking at what's left, and the fact that no WRs have been drafted yet, I think TB should be looking especially at the Wide Receiver position. Detroit shouldn't pick a WR, Houston will probably go with Jeff Otah, leaving Philly and TB taking the top two WRs out of these guys:

Limas Sweed, Texas
DeSean Jackson, California
Devin Thomas, Mich State
Malcolm Kelly, Oklahoma

My gut feeling is that Philly will go with the bigger guy (Sweed 6'4" 215) and Tampa Bay would probably love to have a speedy guy like DeSean Jackson (4.34 40 yd). However, Jackson's size (5'9" 169) may be just a little too small for Gruden's taste, so he might go for Devin Thomas instead. Thomas is 6'2" 216 and ran a 4.4 40 yd dash, so he's kind of the happy medium between Sweed and Thomas.

Edit: disregard the Houston comment, they just traded with Baltimore so the Ravens can get Flacco.

Reunited!

Gotta love Jacksonville taking Derrick Harvey and reuniting him with the Eraser, Reggie Lewis. The Jags are turning Gainesville into it's own private recruiting grounds!

First CB picked at #11.

With the first CB not being picked until #11, it's becoming more and more possible that an elite CB like Antoine Cason or Brandon Flowers could fall to us at #32.

Originally I was saying we should go with a guy like Quentin Groves at #32, but that was assuming that the top CBs were already gone. If Flowers or Cason were available at #32, however, I'd love to see us catch either of them.