Combine
Don't know if any of you watched the Combine this year (NFL.com streamed it live, and you can still most of it on the site) but there were a few interesting performances, or non-performances, from players that might interest Miami. At the moment, I would put money on the Dolphins either drafting a CB, OL or DE in the 1st round, with IMO the first two being most likely, although of course that can change depending on what happens in free agency.
CB
Potential first rounders in this were Dee Milliner (Alabama), Johnthan Banks (Miss State) and Xavier Rhodes (FSU).
Milliner - lived up to expectation with a very good performance, incl a 4.37 40. He's rated as the top CB, and was unlikely to slip to Miami's spot pre-combine. Very unlikely he gets anywhere near us now.
Banks - great ballskills and a playmaker with nice height (6'3"), but speed was a concern coming into the Combine. And so it turned out, as he only managed a 4.61 40 and his 20 yd shuttle and 3-cone drills times weren't impressive either. He was likely a reach at #12, and a trade down to pick him was more likely, but he's definitely a reach at #12 now and playing CB in the NFL might not be his best position, he could make a great Safety though.
Rhodes - had an impressive workout and answered any questions about his speed with a 4.43 40. He's a good sized corner at 6'1" and 210lbs, and I reckon he's a possibility at #12 if we go down that route.
Desmond Trufant (Wash) - someone who was on the fringes of 1st round consideration, but his workout might well see him sneaking in there now. Long-shot for Miami at #12 though.
OL
Three blue-chippers at OT with Luke Joeckel (TA&M), Eric Fisher (Central Mich) and Lane Johnson (Oklahoma).
Joeckel - was rated as a possible #1 to KC, so was likely out of Miami's reach. Probably still is, but didn't have a great combine and may slip a bit. He wasn't poor, just didn't look as great as expected either.
Fisher - Cemented his place as a high first round pick.
Johnson - one of the stars of the combine, a hugely athletic OT that managed a 4.72(!) 40 for someone who's 6'6" and 303 lbs. He was faster then some DB's...
Miami-wise, Johnson is a perfect fit for our zone-blocking scheme, and he would be a great pick at #12 especially if Long goes, but he might not last until there now and the backlash from the fans at picking an OL may be off-putting...
I'm not sure if we'll go DE in the first round now, especially with the news we're likely to franchise Starks (thus meaning Odrick will stay at DE) but if we do then Ezekiel Ansah stood out at the combine, but he's very raw for a DE and I can't see us going there. He has been compared to JPP though. Bjorn Werner was rated as the top DE pre-combine and he might slip as far as us now, as hasn't stood out with many starting to question if he really has the athleticism required to be a top DE. His gametape would suggest he would be a steal at #12 though.
Wide receivers though...I really can't see us going for a WR in the first round, but luckily quite a few stood out as potential good value for our 2nd or 3rd round picks. Cordarelle Patterson is talked of as the top WR, and he may be gone before we pick. I'm 50/50 on whether I would be glad or not if we did manage to get him. He's fast, big and has great after the catch moves, so would seem perfect for us, but he's inexperienced with little college production and he's not a good route-runner...which is the part I reckon will put Philbin/Ireland off drafting him. Keenan Allen is still talked about as a potential Miami pick, and he would suit our scheme more as he's a great route-runner and has good size...but to me he'll never be a star in the NFL, just dependable, and we've got that already. The story of this WR class is that there is really no surefire talent, like a Julio Jones or AJ Green, just a lot of talented WR's with some holes in their games. It will really depend on what Ireland/Philbin want, but the good news is there will be plenty to choose from for whatever WR type they covet.
Probably biggest surprise of the WR's was Tannehill's old room-mate, Ryan Swope, caught a load of balls at TA&M but was suspected to not have top-end speed...until he ran a 4.34 in the combine, second quickest of all the WR's! I would love if we could pick him in the 3rd round, but a 2nd might be required now. Think Davone Bess but faster, a lot faster.
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Originally Posted by Morph
