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Analyzing the Draft, Week 6
> Posthttp://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports/columnists/hyde/blog/2010/03/analyzing_the_draft_week_6_1.html
ed by Dave Hyde on March 2, 2010 02:23 PM
Last year, London draftnik Simon Clancy wrote the longest, most in-depth posts available examining the Dolphins needs leading into the NFL draft. This year, Simon will take turns with his cohorts at UniversalDraft.com , Richard Lines and Chris Kouffman.
This week, Simon takes a position-by-position look at what the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis told and Chris looks at Mike Nolan's defense. Simon also writes, "Won't find more meeting info ANYWHERE:"
Often times at the NFL Combine we learn nothing. It can be like a Jeff Ireland press conference; lots of fluff, little substance, analysis paralysis and in the end nothing much changes. But the 2010 Combine, which finishes today with the defensive backs, has filled in a few of the blanks with regards a number of the prospects that Miami will be targeting in April’s draft. Here’s some headlines:
• Big news for Earl Thomas fans. And there are plenty.
• The upper echelons of the WR group is fraudulent.
• The lower half is very valuable.
• The TE group is now a conundrum for Jeff Ireland.
• Brandon Graham in arm length shocker.
• Miami is going to benefit from a very strong group of outside linebackers. Good drafting will land two or three to really upgrade that spot.
• Jeff had the day one podium and said very little.
• No surprises there.
In today’s blog we’ll look position by position at the winners and losers, at how the sorts of players Miami will be targeting fared and at who they met. You won’t find more comprehensive Dolphin meeting information anywhere other than the front office itself. And they’ll be some solid analysis of just how the Dolphins defense will work and which players fit where.
Quarterback: During his press conference, Jeff Ireland intimated that conversations had been ongoing with Chad Pennington about the possibility of his return. Two days later, Penny’s agent all but confirmed there was no chance of him suiting up as a Dolphin again. If that’s the case, then he’ll be sorely missed and Chad Henne will lose a valuable resource. But what I thought the Dolphins did perfectly during the season was to remove Pennington as the in-game security blanket, by stopping him from standing on the sideline. They basically said to Henne ‘sink or swim’. And for the most part he swam. That point was reiterated by Ireland who confirmed that it was now Henne’s team. Of greater interest was the open competition for the back up QB job which surely has to be won by Tyler Thigpen. The Dolphins front office has talked in the past about constantly churning out a QB via the draft and those three 6 rounders might be the perfect opportunity to take a guy and look to develop him. But as the Combine workouts proved, it really is a mediocre group. Injury (Bradford, McCoy, Clausen), change of throwing motion (Tebow) and preference (LeFevour) meant that Tony Pike and Jevan Snead were probably the highest rated pairing. Neither inspired and whilst Snead’s deep ball was impressive, that was about the only constant in his game. Miami interviewed Dan LeFevour at the Senior Bowl and his 4.66 forty was impressive. Appalachian State passer Armanti Edwards showed why a number of teams want to see him work out at WR; his inability to drive the ball down the field was evident. A guy I’ve always liked, Oklahoma State’s Zac Robinson was probably the most impressive throwing down the field and Miami have spoken with him. I hoped he’d train on as a senior, but the losses of Brandon Pettigrew to graduation and Dez Bryant to the NCAA’s ruling, left him bereft of talent and he struggled.
Overall: Just how mediocre was this group? On Monday afternoon Riley Skiner, Levi Brown and Thad Lewis threw for the linebackers during their drills and were spraying balls all over the place. The Pat White conundrum will roll on as to where his best position is and that may preclude Miami from even drafting a passer because I don’t see them carrying four and this 2010 draft group generally does not inspire.
Running Backs: Ronnie Brown believes that he’ll be ready for training camp. The question is, will he be a Miami Dolphin when camp opens? It would not be a surprise at all to see the Dolphins offer up a tender for Ronnie that attracts attention. Not that the Dolphins are unhappy with Brown – why would they be? When healthy he approaches the sort of elite status reserved for Chris Johnson and Adrian Peterson. But the words ‘when healthy’ are the critical ones. He’ll be a free agent in 2011 and his rookie contract made him among the richest non QB in NFL history. It’s not out of the realms of possibilities to assume that he’s going to want good money. It’s also not beyond the realms to think that Miami may baulk at paying him because of the aforementioned injury worries. Hence a dangling RFA tender that some team may bite for. The situation becomes more interesting when you look at what a strong year it is for backs; runners impressing in Indy included CJ Spiller, Jahvid Best, LeGarrette Blount, Anthony Dixon, Jon Dwyer, Toby Gerhart, Montario Hardesty, Ryan Matthews, Dexter McCluster and Joe McKnight.
Clemson’s CJ Spiller was 5’11, 196, with huge 10’01 hands (10 inches and 1’8th of an inch). He ripped a 4.37 forty and depending on what happens with Brown, you can’t rule out the possibility of the most dynamic player in all of college football becoming a Dolphin. I can confirm that CJ met with the Dolphins over the weekend.
Another back to meet with Miami was Georgia Tech’s Jon Dwyer. I’m a Jonathan Dwyer fan and he dropped some weight for the Combine, showing up at 5’11, 229lbs but with very small hands – just over 8 and a half inches. He had a decent chat with running backs coach James Saxon and Dwyer said; “He got to understand who I am as a person and I got to know him”. Apparently very impressive in interviews, Dwyer is the sort of bell cow runner that the front office likes. His 4.69 speed belies his abilities as a home run hitter – runs of 74, 39, 69, 33, 32, 41, 59, 46, 37, 43, 88, 36, 31, 66, 85, 58, 60 and 65 – those are runs of 30 yards or over in three seasons at Georgia Tech - highlight what I mean. He also looked very smooth in drills. There’s a lot that will happen between now and draft day to iron out some of the creases in the backfield saga. Dwyer however may well play a leading role if a job suddenly becomes available. I see him as value in the 25-50 range.
I reported a few weeks ago that Miami had already met with former Ole Miss star Dexter McCluster whose slow 40 times highlight what a misnomer the Scouting Combine can be. A pair of mid 4.5’s has no reflection on his game speed which is phenomenal and in drills he showed true explosion with the ball in his hands. Equally impressive was his 20 reps at 225lbs. It’s clear the Dolphins are enamoured and Dexter intimated that he’d met for a second time with the coaches here in Indianapolis. Whether they feel he’s worth the pick at 43 remains to be seen as it’s doubtful he falls to round 3.
Another player whose rehabilitation continues apace is LeGarrette Blount of Oregon. Again I mentioned earlier that Miami met with him in Mobile. The interview process was more important for Blount and he seemed to pass with ease.
One player who I enjoyed watching greatly in 2009 was Stanford’s Toby Gerhart who has been trying to knock the dust off the ‘white guys can’t play tailback’ debate all weekend. Whether that was a topic of conversation with Jeff Ireland we’ll never know, but Toby put himself firmly in the second round ballpark with a good weekend, weighing at 232lbs on a 6 foot frame and running a very respectable 4.53 forty.
Overall: What Miami does with Ronnie Brown is critical. It’s hard to second guess until we know the teams plans. But there are good running backs in this group.
Wide Receiver: I mentioned at the top of the piece, but this really is a fraudulent group and what they showed me is that there are players such as Blair White, Scott Long, Chris McGaha and Kerry Meier who are going to turn out to be better players than some of the more heralded names. As for the most heralded, Dez Bryant weighed in at the very top end of the physical scale – 6’2, 225lbs with 34 inch arms and almost 10 inch mitts. But a hamstring injury kept him out of everything else. I’m reliably informed, although I haven’t had independent confirmation that Miami met with Bryant at the weekend. I do believe he’s likely to be off the board before the 12th pick, but the interview will have been critical for a number of reasons. There were also a number of critical reports about him that emerged over the weekend, with one source telling Yahoo.com that Bryant was ‘consistently irresponsible’ during his time at OSU.
Playing amateur draftnik can be fun. You get to meet some interesting people and write for a national newspaper. On the downside you also ignore your kids, spend hours watching men run around an empty stadium in tight shorts through a buffering feed on a home computer with a broken soundcard. And other great stuff. You also tend to fall for players because you see so many of their plays and like what they bring to the table. Notre Dame’s Golden Tate is one such player. Tough, physical, nasty, he measured in just over 5’10 and 199lbs, but then ripped an unofficial 4.36 forty, downgraded to a 4.42 on Sunday afternoon in a run Chris referred to as ‘the forty heard round the world’. He was a little inconsistent in the gauntlet drill, but frankly, I don’t put a great deal of stock in what a Golden Tate does in the gauntlet drill. I do for Syracuse bad boy Mike Williams, but less so for someone like Tate or Arrelious Benn. He then proceeded to not drop another ball the entire session. Golden had an official interview with the Dolphins at the weekend and whilst pick 12 is probably too high, his ability to play out of a pro style offense as well as his ST skills are likely make him a valuable commodity. However I think he’ll end up being more valuable in the 15-28 range. But anyone who saw his interview on the NFL Network on Sunday afternoon will have seen his passion for the game.
Brandon LaFell is a player that Jeff Ireland has personally scouted and his physical skill set – 6’2, 211lbs, albeit with small hands – is going to be of interest. His 4.59 forty was nothing to write home about but it was a significant improvement on his first effort and shows a number of things to scouts. Usually the numbers fall on the second attempt, so to turn round and show focus and stamina to run a better second 40 will have been noted. But it was generally a disappointing showing for the former LSU star.
Arrelious Benn was generally impressive and caught the ball very well outside his frame. However, reports were mixed on Mike Williams. I saw him double clutch a couple of balls and look sloppy at times in his routes, whilst his 8 reps at 225lbs tells you a lot about his focus for this process. Williams says he has spoken to all 32 teams during the past couple of months, including of course the Dolphins. He has a lot to talk about; specifically multiple issues at Syracuse leading to him quitting the team and the school in 2009. He was 6’1, 221 And ran a 4.49 forty which was impressive, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, on canvassing team personnel, said that the general impression he gave in interviews was that he blamed everyone but himself for his woes and was “a train wreck”. What makes the Williams situation so frustrating is that he’s easily the second best WR in the class behind Dez Bryant. But his enigmatic persona and seeming unwillingness to grasp the opportunity, probably make him undraftable, even for the Dolphins who are crying out for a number 1 WR like Williams has the talent to be.
One of the under the radar prospects is the aforementioned Scott Long of Louisville. He was 6’2, 216 and ran a very impressive 4.47. He had a 41.5 inch vertical and the fastest 3 cone and 60 yard shuttle and the 2nd fastest 20 yard shuttle. But it was actually in the drills where he looked really good, catching everything and running crisp routes. One source told me that he interviewed particularly well and the Dolphins were one of those teams that spoke to him. He caught 53 balls a season ago and while he’s had some injury problems in the past, he looks to be moving into middle round contention.
Overall: The injury to Demaryius Thomas cost us a real talking point as he was rumoured to have been running legitimate 4.3’s and Mel Kiper had him climbing into the top 15. However, like Tate and Benn, he may well end up somewhere in that 20-35 region. Unfortunately for Miami, none of the prospects made enough inroads to place them in that top 12 area, although Tate may wind up on the periphery. Those that could have been around at 43 – such as Benn – probably pushed their way into the first round and guys like LaFell flattered to deceive and you’re left with more questions than answers. The two hottest names were South Florida’s Carlton Mitchell who was 6’2, 215 and ran an impressive 4.44 and Ohio’s Taylor Price who continued his upsurge from an impressive Senior Bowl. He’s now a likely mid 2nd rounder.
Tight End: As I mentioned at the top, whilst the receivers flimmed and flammed their way round Lucas Oil Stadium, the tight ends put on a show. And it was actually three prospects who continue to elevate their status that have given Jeff Ireland another probable quandary; how high is too high for Graham, Pitta and Dickerson?
Jimmy Graham, as I reported a few weeks ago, had a long interview with Jeff Ireland in Mobile and the Dolphins visited The U to scout him during the season. I have no qualms in saying that he has the raw ability to become one of the best tight ends in the NFL in five years time if he trains on. The question is, can Miami wait? Can they afford a second straight second round mulligan? Make no mistake. If Miami wants Graham, they’ll have to, in all likelihood, pony up that 43rd pick. At 6’5, 260, and with 35 inch arms and almost 11 inch hands, Graham ripped a 4.55 forty and was very athletic and generally fluid in drills. However, he flashed some of that mechanical route running that you see on tape and unless there is a return to form for Anthony Fasano, then you don’t necessarily see Graham being an every down threat in year 1. But he’s awfully intriguing.
Pitta continued where he left off for BYU and in Mobile, displaying delicious hands. He too had an interview with Miami and is another who’s probably not going to make our 3rd round selection.
6’1 and 226lbs is not tight end size. In fact it was lighter than 8 running backs on show in Indy. But Dorin Dickerson of Pitt is that H-Back seam buster that the Dolphins are crying out for. He’s a natural pass receiver and dominated the testing and the drills, running a 4.47, jumping 43 inches and showing explosion off the line and in and out of his cuts. Dickerson confirmed significant interest from the Dolphins.
Overall: This is a true position of need, but great workouts bring great quandaries. The Dolphins really like Jimmy Graham and I wouldn’t be too surprised to see him as the 43rd pick. If they could deal down 10 selections, then it would make it even greater value.
Offensive Line: One of the best traits about Jeff Ireland is his ability to manipulate the bottom of the roster and improve the talent therein. Nowhere more so than with offensive linemen. 2008/9 saw Andy Alleman and Ikechuku Ndukwe do solid jobs in relief, whilst in 2009/10 it was the turn of Nate Garner and Joe Berger. Despite seemingly set up front, perhaps apart from the RG spot, Miami was active with the offensive linemen in Indianapolis. Step forward Eric Cook of New Mexico. A real versatile leader, he’s played left tackle, guard and center which is probably the attraction for Miami. At 6’6, 318 he’s big for a mike man, but gave up just one sack and one penalty all year to win the Lobos MVP award. He’s the sort of guy you could see coming on board in the 6th round area and he enjoyed an interview with the Dolphins in Indianapolis last week. He appeared sluggish in drills however and will need a strong Pro Day.
J.D Walton of Baylor figures to come off the board a lot higher than Cook – perhaps as high as round 2 – but he’s another versatile leader who can play G and C. He was very fluid in space and one of the more under the radar successes of the week. Despite, in my opinion, being best suited to a zone blocking scheme, he also met with Miami’s scouting team about the possibility of playing G full time. Cal’s Mike Tepper is 6’5, 324lbs but with short arms – only 32.5 inches. However, he plays with tremendous power, using those big hands to stun defensive linemen. He’s had some injury problems; coming to the aid of a woman he’d been walking home with in 2007, he was run over by a gang of youths, who broke his leg in four places leading doctors to consider amputating his foot. However he made a strong recovery both mentally and physically and he’s another likely guard convert. His ability in the phone booth area clearly appealed to the Dolphins who interviewed with him on Friday night.
Overall: We seem pretty set up front, although recurring issues prevail; how good is Donald Thomas and can Jake Grove stay healthy? I would expect some late round action in the offensive line area.
Defensive Line: This is a tough position to comment upon because so many of the defensive ends that we could talk about here will shift down to OLB. Of the pure defensive linemen, the Dolphins, as I mentioned back in week one, are known to like Penn State’s Jared Odrick. He turned in another solid performance after his strong showing in Mobile, measuring in at 6’5, 305, lifting 225lbs 26 times and running a 4.98, later downgraded to a 5.09. He looked smooth in drills.
Arguably the best player in the entire draft, Gerald McCoy of Oklahoma, also confirmed a Sunday interview with the Dolphins in Indianapolis. This is pure due diligence rather than anything else as McCoy won’t make it out of the top three picks.
One of the names to arise from amongst the Suh’s, McCoy’s, Kindles and Sapp’s was that of Clifton Geathers of South Carolina who figured to be a high pick in 2011 but chose to declare this year. A physical freak at almost 6’8, 299lbs, he possesses the longest arms in Combine history at 37 and three quarters and had11 and one 8th inch hands! He also ran a 4.96 and confirmed an interview with Miami. He’s had some off field issues with an arrest in August of last year, but he’s a player on the rise who could play 3-4 end.
Cam Thomas has made a steady move up draft boards in the last few months and seems to have positioned himself in that mid to late second round area. At 6’4, 330lbs he’s well sized for a nose tackle and does an excellent job of soaking up the interior and allowing others to make plays. He has long arms but is inconsistent and pops up too high, allowing guards or the center to get in under him and steer. He’s very athletic for a man of his size, but when I watch him at North Carolina, I wonder whether he’s really that good or whether playing on a Tar Heel defense rammed with high round picks actually makes him look better. When you’re playing alongside Marvin Austin and in front of Bruce Carter and Quan Sturvidant then you’re likely to elevate your game. He is another who met with the Dolphin coaching staff in Indianapolis.
Of the other pure defensive linemen that the should fall under the Dolphins radar, Cal’s Tyson Alualu was hugely impressive, running a 4.95 at 295lbs and looking good in the drills. Dan Williams was 6’2, 327, although his arms were slightly shorter than anticipated at just over 33 inches. He looked OK in drills, but personally I would be a little disappointed if he was the 12th pick. He’s too similar to Paul Soliai, offering minimal pass rush ability. Williams has already met with the Dolphins in Mobile. Mike Neal of Purdue is
undersized at 295lbs, but he has such tremendous strength as an anchor that you could easily see him well placed on Miami’s board.
Overall: The Dolphins have plenty of players on the roster at the end positions, but it would surprise no-one if they took an undersized NT like Mike Neal or Alualu, rather than a big space eater.
Outside Linebackers: All eyes were on this group yesterday as a huge array of college ends worked out in the linebacker drills and a number stood out from the crowd. Jerry Hughes, Ricky Sapp, Jason Worilds, Everson Griffen and Thaddeus Gibson all performed admirably. But it was Brandon Graham who caused the biggest stir. Ruled out by many as a possibility at SOLB after his arms measured just 30 inches at the Senior Bowl, official Combine measurements showed a two and a quarter inch growth. Make no mistake, he has the make up that Jeff Ireland craves. He’s a relentless pass rusher and I would suspect that he’s front and centre for the number 12 pick. After running a 4.69 at 6’3, 268 and throwing up 31 on the bench, he pulled a muscle and sat out the drill portion. I do believe that he’s likely to be the first player who I’m ‘sure’ will be there at pick 12. I don’t think Dez Bryant will and I think Dan Williams might go before, Berry too. But Graham will be well known to the Dolphins brass and you can bet that Chad Henne and Jake Long will be getting a grilling about his habits.
Ricky Sapp is an interesting player. The Dolphins met with him at the weekend in Indianapolis and he performed very well. 6’2, 252 with 34 and half inch arms, he ran a 4.63 forty. He’s lean, can carry more weight and despite a poor senior year, his stock is rising. He admitted recently that he’d played through 2009 at about 60% coming off a knee injury and it showed. He doesn’t make enough plays for me, but if he is there at 43 – and it’s a big IF – then he would make a lot of sense.
Jerry Hughes might be best suited to the weakside, but if Miami do sign Karlos Dansby in the early hours of Friday morning, the rumour is that he would play SOLB on downs one and two and then kick inside on third down. That would bring weakside specialists into play. Jerry looked very smooth in drills and ran a 4.63 at 255lbs.
One of the most interesting players is Derrick Morgan of Georgia Tech. The ACC defensive player of the year is hugely productive, explosive off the edge and brings a real violence to the position. He can be turned out a little too easily in the run game for my liking and there were questions about how he fares in space. He ran OK in the 4.7’s and looked pretty solid in the drills but you wonder whether ultimately he might not be best suited to play 4-3 end. He also interviewed with Miami.
I’m very high on Jason Worilds who, through a second hand source, confirmed he too met with the Dolphins, although I’m trying to verify that. He was as good as there was at the position yesterday. He’s a little undersized at 6’1, 254, but he ran a 4.67 and then looked fantastic in drills, showing the great change of direction and speed that is evident on film. There are question marks about a recurring shoulder injury and no doubt medical information will be leaked out in the coming weeks. I think he’s a terrific prospect that, given a clean bill of health, should be a first round pick and if he’s there at 43, then I’m up the podium with my card like Usain Bolt to the finish line. No-one works harder than Worilds who is a terrific pursuit linebacker who played with his hand on the ground for the Hokies.
I’m waiting to confirm a meeting with Everson Griffen who’s an outstanding physical specimen – 6’3, 273. He ran a mind boggling 4.63 and looked very good in the drills. He has to be considered a legitimate possibility at 12, although the Dolphins will want to know just how bright the light shines for this beacon of inconsistency.
We feel that Sergio Kindle is one of the more overrated prospects in the draft and what we saw on film showed up in the linebacking drills yesterday. Kindle is very stiff and mechanical in space. He needed several steps to gather himself before he broke to the ball in comparison to other players and I’ll say it here: I will be very, very surprised if Miami sign off on a player that stiff at 12.
Two small school players worth keeping an eye on are Adrian Tracy of William and Mary and Arthur Moats of James Madison. Along with QB Jonathan Crompton, Tracy was the class of the field at the Texas vs. the Nation practices and moving back from end to linebacker he looked very pure in his movement and very strong in space. At 6'2.5 and 248, he's a player that the Dolphins interviewed about playing OLB after playing end in college. He had 12 sacks last season at end and 63.5 TFL in his career and he's got good quickness. He ran a very impressive 4.68 and looked terrific in the drills, breaking down really well in space. He could figure in that fourth round area when all’s said and done.
Moats won the Buck Buchanon award as the best 1-AA player and whilst he looked more raw in coverage at the Texas vs. The Nation practices, he can really get after the QB. He's like a poor mans Brandon Graham size wise at 6'0, 248, coming off a season with 23.5 TFL and 11 sacks. He was even quicker than Tracy, running a 4.65 and is another that the Dolphins have shown an interest in.
Overall: It was a fascinating day because so many prospects performed well. I’ll try and confirm Miami meetings with one or two other players, namely Koa Misi of Utah and the aforementioned Thaddeus Gibson of Ohio State who was terrific and could easily kick inside in certain situations so that we could make use of his rush ability. Gibson mentioned a number of teams that he’d spoken with and Miami wasn’t one of them, but I’d be surprised if there wasn’t an interest given his fluidity and ability in space. As I said at the top, there’s plenty of talent out there. Check out Chris’s section below for just how some of these players would fit, down by down into a Mike Nolan system.
Inside Linebackers: The two names most linked with Miami at this position failed to work out fully. Brandon Spikes of Florida looked average in space during the drills, whilst Rolando McClain was a last minute, healthy scratch. His agent texted the national media to announce that, despite assurances that he’d do a full workout, would instead wait to the Alabama pro day. These are two players with forty times that they want to hide. The Sunday night buzz in Indianapolis was about McClain’s forty with predictions varying from 4.70 to 4.90, whilst Spikes on tape looks a 4.8 guy at best. A spate of fast times from the conversion players, as well as some terrific numbers by other inside backers such as Jamar Chaney and Daryl Washington may have influenced McClain’s decision. Both met with the Dolphins at the weekend, with McClain, who had seemed very business like with the media to start the proceedings, ending up as one of the events biggest disappointments. Rolando was 6’3, 254lbs, but had an average lift with just 24 reps on 33 inch arms. Spikes was 6’2, 249 but didn’t lift or run.
As I said, these are two players with foot speed to hide. McClain’s stock remains all over the board with one scout saying that a number of teams don’t have him in their top 32.
The Dolphins also interviewed Micah Johnson of Kentucky who would be the banger in a Mike Nolan defense. Athletically limited, he can get off a block and brings the load, but he’s strictly a two down linebacker and asking him to get outside and make plays on the perimeter is like asking a chicken to play golf. Ergo, it won’t happen. He was 6’1, 258lbs, but ran a very pedestrian 5.00 forty.
One of the great shames of the linebacker class is TCU’s Daryl Washington. If you put his athletic talent in Micah Johnson’s body then ladies and gentlemen, here is the 12th pick of the 2010 NFL draft. Unfortunately, Washington weighs just 230lbs and has been cramming weight on since the Senior Bowl where he was in the mid 220’s. But with almost 35 inch arms, he ran a 4.61 and Washington is a true three down linebacker that SMU receiver coach Jeff Reinebold, who played the Horned Frogs in 2009 told me was a player that they had to scheme for far more than Jerry Hughes. He’s going to be a very good 4-3 weakside linebacker but in meeting with Miami as he did in Indianapolis, there is clearly an interest there.
Another outstanding read and react linebacker is Sean Weatherspoon of Missouri who has the make up that the Dolphins crave. A four year starter, he was outstanding in every aspect of his workouts, from his white leotard type thing that he ran his forty in, to his results; 239lbs, 4.58 forty, 34 reps. He spoke with Miami again in Indianapolis after talking to them in Mobile. Opinions differ on whether he can play in a 3-4 and indeed whether he can play inside, but Miami DID speak to him about playing that position. He’s creeping into the top 15.
Overall: As I said, if Washington had the weight, he’d be a very logical pick. A lot more questions than answers emerged from this session yesterday, especially with regards McClain and Spikes. If Rolando is going to be more uncovered in Miami’s 3-4 than he was in Alabama’s 4-3 and he’s going to be the freelance playmaker in Nolan’s scheme, then hiding his forty when he’s 100% is not going to help the perception that he’s slower than you’d like. The meetings with Weatherspoon and Washington are interesting given their size and ability to take on blocks in a 34 defense. There’s some solid mid round talent that I’m trying to confirm meetings with including AJ Edds of Iowa who we like kicked inside and Phillip Dillard who played inside and out at Nebraska, plays with good pad level, is fluid in space and can cover. Also keep an eye on Jamar Chaney who was superb in his workouts.
Secondary: I’ll have a full run down on the DB’s next week as they’re taking place as you read this. The biggest news for Dolphin fans was the weigh in of Earl Thomas of Texas. The outstanding redshirt sophomore nailed down a top 15 spot as he came in at 5’10 and a half and 208lbs, throwing up 21 reps at 225. He was 3lbs lighter than Eric Berry and did two more lifts, utterly destroying some of the erroneous rumours of him being around 5’8 and under 185lbs. He is a hugely talented player who I would have no qualms over selecting at pick 12. His versatility is unique and he is a true ball playing playmaker at the FS position.
One other footnote is that Nebraska SS Larry Asante confirmed to us that he’d met with the Dolphins. A linebacker convert he seems best suited in a zone, but offers strength against the run.
Help Wanted: Now Hiring for Mike Nolan’s Defense, by Chris
I decided I would take a close look at how the Mike Nolan defense worked in Denver in order to try and predict what the Dolphins might be looking for in free agency, and ultimately the NFL Draft. Rather than bore people with the numbers and specific details, I will try and sum up and then open up the comments section for any questions.
Personnel Packages
From a personnel standpoint, a number of things jump out at you when comparing the Dolphins’ defensive packaging with that of the Broncos. I have boiled it down to three primary differences.
1. Defensive Line – It all starts up front and there is one glaring difference between what you saw out of Nolan’s defense in Denver versus what you saw out of Pasqualoni’s defense in Miami. Pasqualoni had the use of talented, big bodied guys like Randy Starks, Phil Merling, Kendall Langford, Tony McDaniel, Jason Ferguson, and Paul Soliai. The Dolphins have spent a lot of resources bolstering the front lines of this defense, however Mike Nolan might argue that Pasqualoni did not make near enough use of them. In 2009, on about 15% of downs Pasqualoni favored an approach where he would put only one true defensive lineman on the field (usually Randy Starks or Tony McDaniel), surrounding him with three pass rush specialists such as Jason Taylor, Joey Porter, Cameron Wake and Reggie Torbor. Mike Nolan, clearly uncomfortable with that approach, did not do that even one time in Denver. He always had at least two true defensive linemen on the field (though they did not always line up as defensive linemen), and had three or more on the field about 70 percent of the time, as opposed to Pasqualoni having three or more on the field only 64 percent of the time.
2. Big Nickel – Equally glaring is the difference between how the coordinators view the safety position and its role in pass defenses. It is clear that Miami made the decision that in their passing situations, they would focus on bringing extra safeties to the field, allowing Yeremiah Bell especially to work in the box to help support the run. This really had mixed results, but the bottom line is this was not Nolan’s approach in Denver and I doubt it will be his approach in Miami. While Pasqualoni brought six defensive backs to the field on a whopping 30 percent of downs in 2009, Nolan only brought six to the field on a miniscule 3 percent of downs.
3. Specialization – Without posting a dizzying array of numbers, I will say that it is clear that Nolan made an effort in Denver to give his players limited duties in the personnel packages where necessary, allowing imperfect players to become good at the role they’re asked to play. It wasn’t that Pasqualoni did not try to do the same, but there was much less consistency in the approach. The personnel substitution often ran like clockwork in Denver. In these certain situations these two guys would leave the field and these other two guys would come onto the field, etc. In Miami there was a lot of experimentation with using the same guys in different personnel packages, playing with players they’re a little less familiar with, etc.
Linebackers
One thing is very clear: Mike Nolan appreciates linebackers. He made concessions toward Elvis Dumervil in order to get the best use out of him, but it is important to note this was indeed a concession. Dumervil put his hand on the ground about 30 percent of the time in Denver. His rookie counterpart, Robert Ayers, put his hand on the ground only about 20 percent of the time. Nobody else among the linebackers, including Mario Haggan the starting Strong side Outside Linebacker, ever really put their hands on the ground.
Jason Taylor had his hand on the ground about 30 percent of his snaps. Cameron Wake had his hand on the ground on nearly 100 percent of his snaps. Joey Porter had his hand stuck in the ground about 14 percent of the time.
In a way, Miami’s outside linebackers were more aggressive toward the passer. In base 3-4 alignments, Jason Taylor in Miami and Mario Haggan in Denver both blitzed the passer on about 50 percent of plays that ended up pass attempts. For Joey Porter and Elvis Dumervil, those numbers were more like 83 percent and 70 percent, respectively.
However, the inside linebackers in Nolan’s aggressive scheme more than made up for the disparity. D.J. Williams rushed the passer on over 24 percent of pass snaps he started from a 3-4 ILB position, while Andra Davis rushed the passer on a whopping 36 percent of pass plays started from a 3-4 base. Compare this with Channing Crowder and Akin Ayodele both rushing the passer about 14 percent of pass attempts run against them in the 3-4 alignment. Reggie Torbor rushed more often, but remember he was largely not playing in 3-4 alignments.
When it comes to the specialization I was talking about, there was a definite tendency in Denver to walk onto the field in passing situations with two defensive linemen, two outside linebackers and two inside linebackers. The Broncos spent about 30 percent of their downs in this personnel packaging, making it about the equivalent to Miami’s pass alignments where they would line up one true defensive lineman and a number of pass rushers surrounding him, with six defensive backs behind. Like I said before, the packaging for Denver was much more uniform than Miami’s constant tinkering. Most of these nearly 300 snaps involved a defensive line consisting of Vonnie Holliday and Darrell Reid, along with outside linebackers Elvis Dumervil and Robert Ayers, with D.J. Williams still manning the middle, and now Wesley Woodyard coming onto the field in place of Andra Davis, who was clearly just a 3-4 inside linebacker specialist.
The interesting part about this package is that Elvis Dumervil spent about 80 percent of these snaps with his hand on the ground. In other words, this was his Cameron Wake package. He could stick his hand in the dirt and rush the passer as part of a three-man line, while D.J. Williams and Wesley Woodyard guarded the pass behind him, and Robert Ayers either dropped or also rushed the passer on the other side. Interestingly enough, everything under the Tony Sparano regime tends to be about how many jobs you can do. Keeping with the linebacker position, the following eight basic jobs were distinguished in Denver:
1. 3-4 WOLB – This job requires you to rush the passer about 70 percent of downs.
2. 3-4 WILB – A banger that can plug the run and rush the passer from ILB 1 out of 3 downs.
3. 3-4 SILB – A smart, athletic player that can rush 1 out of 4 downs from ILB and collect tackles.
4. 3-4 SOLB – Needs to be good in coverage and on the TE, only rushes 50 percent.
5. 2-4 WOLB – Optional to be a hand-on-ground guy, is the primary pressure guy on pass downs.
6. 2-4 WILB – Must be very smart, and good in coverage, backing up and keeping things in front.
7. 2-4 SILB – Must be athletic enough to run with players in coverage.
8. 2-4 SOLB – Must be a dynamic pass rusher and be able to do damage from an up position.
Karlos Dansby on the Horizon?
As Simon mentioned, there has been a lot of speculation about Karlos Dansby lately. Multiple sources have chimed in that interest is both significant and mutual. On the other hand, you have reports coming in from the likes of Jason Cole saying that the Dolphins have interest in Dansby as an outside linebacker. This has thrown quite a few Dol-Fans for a loop, given Dansby’s experience as an inside backer at Arizona.
What I think you have to remember though is Mike Nolan’s willingness to break up positions into specific and compartmentalized jobs. Therefore, if Dansby were indeed to claim job #4 on the above list, he may still end up with job #7 as opposed to what most would assume in job #8.
The key lies in what else is on the roster. Right now, the Dolphins would have a tough time filling those outside slots at #1, #4 and #8. I am going to go ahead and take some license pegging Cameron Wake into job #5 sight unseen, based purely on the superb work he did rushing the passer from a down position in 2009. Whether he can also win job #1 and truly follow in Dumervil’s footsteps is an open question. If Wake does not surprise the staff by being a lot more fluid as a linebacker from an up position, that job would currently go to Charlie Anderson. The problem is, if Dansby does not take it, current first in line for job #4 would be the highly unproven Quentin Moses.
I am not a fan of Akin Ayodele and Reggie Torbor, but a number of key points arise when thinking on this conundrum. For one, it is not that difficult to sign or draft a guy that can be a two-down, limited plugger with perhaps some pass rushing upside.
Some might argue that Reggie Torbor is already that guy. The Dolphins made the mistake of plugging him into passing downs in 2009, where his limited coverage ability was exposed. Would that continue to be the case as just an inside linebacker in 3-4 alignments, especially when he’s spending nearly as much time blitzing as he does covering? The other thing to keep in mind is that Channing Crowder, when healthy, can fill two of the above duties.
The biggest appeal of leveraging Dansby’s experience and versatility to take pressure off the OLB position would be in the idea of drafting a high round guy at that position to learn. Instead of depending on the guy right away to wear multiple hats and take an ungainly number of snaps in only his rookie year, you could allow him to win just one of the duties and perhaps work his way up to more snaps.
Draft Complements
One draft player that immediately comes to mind as a player that could make an impact at a position manned by Andra Davis in 2009 would be his fellow Florida alum Brandon Spikes. Brandon is not a fast man, and the fact that he skipped out on Combine runs only points to his having speed issues he likely wants to hide. But, remember what I said about the job description for job #2. Spikes may not be fluid or fast, but he is extremely physical, very strong and he is a compelling blitzer. He might never win anything but a half-starter’s role, like those of Andra Davis in Denver and Takeo Spikes in San Francisco (Brandon’s cousin), but that does not mean the man couldn’t have a strong impact.
There are a number of prospects that could win job #8 immediately, and have upside for more down the road. One such guy is Brandon Graham of Michigan. His experience as a linebacker in high school mounted on top of his tutoring as a defensive end at Michigan, I believe he will remind Mike Nolan of a better version of Robert Ayers, who he coached in Denver. Graham has expressed a preference for a space position in the NFL, which is key because you don’t want a guy that is always going to think like and want to be a defensive end. The great part about taking a guy like Graham is that if he does achieve all you hoped and more, he could give the coaches reason to slide Dansby back inside in order to squeeze out the likes of Ayodele and Torbor, while doing it for the right reasons instead of the wrong ones.
Of course, if you were to place Karlos Dansby at the SOLB spot in the 3-4, even if he comes back inside on pass downs, this leaves Miami with Rolando McClain still on the board for them at the #12 overall pick. Disappointed though I am in his choosing to duck out of Combine workouts, including the positional drills which Spikes actually did, Rolando is a very smart player that could pair with the more physical Channing Crowder on the inside, and the upshot to the manoeuvre would be that on pass downs you could have a pairing of Dansby and McClain manning the inside while Cameron Wake and another player come in to rush the passer.
Whether you get Graham at #12, or McClain at #12, both in addition to Dansby, it seems inevitable that Miami needs a second linebacker prospect to fill the gaps. If you go the McClain route, you need a guy that can be a dynamic pass rusher from the SOLB spot on passing downs. If you go the Graham route, you would ideally like a guy that can knock Torbor and Ayodele out of contention for any of these jobs. Not to mention you’re stuck hoping Cam Wake becomes a full time player, knocking Charlie Anderson out of his leader spot for the limited role of 3-4 WOLB.
Therefore, there might be something to be said for using the #12 pick on a different position and then using the next few picks in order to grab multiple prospects. This OLB class appears to be deep, and when you can potentially get a Jerry Hughes or Jason Worilds in the 2nd round, one does wonder why bother with the position at all in the 1st round. Additionally, if Brandon Spikes could head into a free fall based on speed questions, to where you can take him in the 3rd round just after having selected a Worilds or Hughes in the 2nd round, then you’re cooking on fine wine as you’ll have filled rotational roles in jobs #2 and #8, in addition to having Karlos Dansby for jobs #4 and #7, Channing Crowder as a banger for jobs #3 and #6, and Cameron Wake for job #5 at the very least with significant optimism about winning the full time position. Meanwhile, you’ll have still been able to spend the #12 pick on another position such as safety, which is an important position under Mike Nolan.
That’s it for this week. Keep following us on Twitter @UniversalDraft. We had some fun during the Combine and we thoroughly enjoyed answering your questions. Also check out the website – www.universaldraft.com where there are a couple of mock drafts, a new run down on Ricky Sapp and some clips of Adrian Tracy that are well worth looking at. See you next week.
> Posthttp://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports/columnists/hyde/blog/2010/03/analyzing_the_draft_week_6_1.html
ed by Dave Hyde on March 2, 2010 02:23 PM
Last year, London draftnik Simon Clancy wrote the longest, most in-depth posts available examining the Dolphins needs leading into the NFL draft. This year, Simon will take turns with his cohorts at UniversalDraft.com , Richard Lines and Chris Kouffman.
This week, Simon takes a position-by-position look at what the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis told and Chris looks at Mike Nolan's defense. Simon also writes, "Won't find more meeting info ANYWHERE:"
Often times at the NFL Combine we learn nothing. It can be like a Jeff Ireland press conference; lots of fluff, little substance, analysis paralysis and in the end nothing much changes. But the 2010 Combine, which finishes today with the defensive backs, has filled in a few of the blanks with regards a number of the prospects that Miami will be targeting in April’s draft. Here’s some headlines:
• Big news for Earl Thomas fans. And there are plenty.
• The upper echelons of the WR group is fraudulent.
• The lower half is very valuable.
• The TE group is now a conundrum for Jeff Ireland.
• Brandon Graham in arm length shocker.
• Miami is going to benefit from a very strong group of outside linebackers. Good drafting will land two or three to really upgrade that spot.
• Jeff had the day one podium and said very little.
• No surprises there.
In today’s blog we’ll look position by position at the winners and losers, at how the sorts of players Miami will be targeting fared and at who they met. You won’t find more comprehensive Dolphin meeting information anywhere other than the front office itself. And they’ll be some solid analysis of just how the Dolphins defense will work and which players fit where.
Quarterback: During his press conference, Jeff Ireland intimated that conversations had been ongoing with Chad Pennington about the possibility of his return. Two days later, Penny’s agent all but confirmed there was no chance of him suiting up as a Dolphin again. If that’s the case, then he’ll be sorely missed and Chad Henne will lose a valuable resource. But what I thought the Dolphins did perfectly during the season was to remove Pennington as the in-game security blanket, by stopping him from standing on the sideline. They basically said to Henne ‘sink or swim’. And for the most part he swam. That point was reiterated by Ireland who confirmed that it was now Henne’s team. Of greater interest was the open competition for the back up QB job which surely has to be won by Tyler Thigpen. The Dolphins front office has talked in the past about constantly churning out a QB via the draft and those three 6 rounders might be the perfect opportunity to take a guy and look to develop him. But as the Combine workouts proved, it really is a mediocre group. Injury (Bradford, McCoy, Clausen), change of throwing motion (Tebow) and preference (LeFevour) meant that Tony Pike and Jevan Snead were probably the highest rated pairing. Neither inspired and whilst Snead’s deep ball was impressive, that was about the only constant in his game. Miami interviewed Dan LeFevour at the Senior Bowl and his 4.66 forty was impressive. Appalachian State passer Armanti Edwards showed why a number of teams want to see him work out at WR; his inability to drive the ball down the field was evident. A guy I’ve always liked, Oklahoma State’s Zac Robinson was probably the most impressive throwing down the field and Miami have spoken with him. I hoped he’d train on as a senior, but the losses of Brandon Pettigrew to graduation and Dez Bryant to the NCAA’s ruling, left him bereft of talent and he struggled.
Overall: Just how mediocre was this group? On Monday afternoon Riley Skiner, Levi Brown and Thad Lewis threw for the linebackers during their drills and were spraying balls all over the place. The Pat White conundrum will roll on as to where his best position is and that may preclude Miami from even drafting a passer because I don’t see them carrying four and this 2010 draft group generally does not inspire.
Running Backs: Ronnie Brown believes that he’ll be ready for training camp. The question is, will he be a Miami Dolphin when camp opens? It would not be a surprise at all to see the Dolphins offer up a tender for Ronnie that attracts attention. Not that the Dolphins are unhappy with Brown – why would they be? When healthy he approaches the sort of elite status reserved for Chris Johnson and Adrian Peterson. But the words ‘when healthy’ are the critical ones. He’ll be a free agent in 2011 and his rookie contract made him among the richest non QB in NFL history. It’s not out of the realms of possibilities to assume that he’s going to want good money. It’s also not beyond the realms to think that Miami may baulk at paying him because of the aforementioned injury worries. Hence a dangling RFA tender that some team may bite for. The situation becomes more interesting when you look at what a strong year it is for backs; runners impressing in Indy included CJ Spiller, Jahvid Best, LeGarrette Blount, Anthony Dixon, Jon Dwyer, Toby Gerhart, Montario Hardesty, Ryan Matthews, Dexter McCluster and Joe McKnight.
Clemson’s CJ Spiller was 5’11, 196, with huge 10’01 hands (10 inches and 1’8th of an inch). He ripped a 4.37 forty and depending on what happens with Brown, you can’t rule out the possibility of the most dynamic player in all of college football becoming a Dolphin. I can confirm that CJ met with the Dolphins over the weekend.
Another back to meet with Miami was Georgia Tech’s Jon Dwyer. I’m a Jonathan Dwyer fan and he dropped some weight for the Combine, showing up at 5’11, 229lbs but with very small hands – just over 8 and a half inches. He had a decent chat with running backs coach James Saxon and Dwyer said; “He got to understand who I am as a person and I got to know him”. Apparently very impressive in interviews, Dwyer is the sort of bell cow runner that the front office likes. His 4.69 speed belies his abilities as a home run hitter – runs of 74, 39, 69, 33, 32, 41, 59, 46, 37, 43, 88, 36, 31, 66, 85, 58, 60 and 65 – those are runs of 30 yards or over in three seasons at Georgia Tech - highlight what I mean. He also looked very smooth in drills. There’s a lot that will happen between now and draft day to iron out some of the creases in the backfield saga. Dwyer however may well play a leading role if a job suddenly becomes available. I see him as value in the 25-50 range.
I reported a few weeks ago that Miami had already met with former Ole Miss star Dexter McCluster whose slow 40 times highlight what a misnomer the Scouting Combine can be. A pair of mid 4.5’s has no reflection on his game speed which is phenomenal and in drills he showed true explosion with the ball in his hands. Equally impressive was his 20 reps at 225lbs. It’s clear the Dolphins are enamoured and Dexter intimated that he’d met for a second time with the coaches here in Indianapolis. Whether they feel he’s worth the pick at 43 remains to be seen as it’s doubtful he falls to round 3.
Another player whose rehabilitation continues apace is LeGarrette Blount of Oregon. Again I mentioned earlier that Miami met with him in Mobile. The interview process was more important for Blount and he seemed to pass with ease.
One player who I enjoyed watching greatly in 2009 was Stanford’s Toby Gerhart who has been trying to knock the dust off the ‘white guys can’t play tailback’ debate all weekend. Whether that was a topic of conversation with Jeff Ireland we’ll never know, but Toby put himself firmly in the second round ballpark with a good weekend, weighing at 232lbs on a 6 foot frame and running a very respectable 4.53 forty.
Overall: What Miami does with Ronnie Brown is critical. It’s hard to second guess until we know the teams plans. But there are good running backs in this group.
Wide Receiver: I mentioned at the top of the piece, but this really is a fraudulent group and what they showed me is that there are players such as Blair White, Scott Long, Chris McGaha and Kerry Meier who are going to turn out to be better players than some of the more heralded names. As for the most heralded, Dez Bryant weighed in at the very top end of the physical scale – 6’2, 225lbs with 34 inch arms and almost 10 inch mitts. But a hamstring injury kept him out of everything else. I’m reliably informed, although I haven’t had independent confirmation that Miami met with Bryant at the weekend. I do believe he’s likely to be off the board before the 12th pick, but the interview will have been critical for a number of reasons. There were also a number of critical reports about him that emerged over the weekend, with one source telling Yahoo.com that Bryant was ‘consistently irresponsible’ during his time at OSU.
Playing amateur draftnik can be fun. You get to meet some interesting people and write for a national newspaper. On the downside you also ignore your kids, spend hours watching men run around an empty stadium in tight shorts through a buffering feed on a home computer with a broken soundcard. And other great stuff. You also tend to fall for players because you see so many of their plays and like what they bring to the table. Notre Dame’s Golden Tate is one such player. Tough, physical, nasty, he measured in just over 5’10 and 199lbs, but then ripped an unofficial 4.36 forty, downgraded to a 4.42 on Sunday afternoon in a run Chris referred to as ‘the forty heard round the world’. He was a little inconsistent in the gauntlet drill, but frankly, I don’t put a great deal of stock in what a Golden Tate does in the gauntlet drill. I do for Syracuse bad boy Mike Williams, but less so for someone like Tate or Arrelious Benn. He then proceeded to not drop another ball the entire session. Golden had an official interview with the Dolphins at the weekend and whilst pick 12 is probably too high, his ability to play out of a pro style offense as well as his ST skills are likely make him a valuable commodity. However I think he’ll end up being more valuable in the 15-28 range. But anyone who saw his interview on the NFL Network on Sunday afternoon will have seen his passion for the game.
Brandon LaFell is a player that Jeff Ireland has personally scouted and his physical skill set – 6’2, 211lbs, albeit with small hands – is going to be of interest. His 4.59 forty was nothing to write home about but it was a significant improvement on his first effort and shows a number of things to scouts. Usually the numbers fall on the second attempt, so to turn round and show focus and stamina to run a better second 40 will have been noted. But it was generally a disappointing showing for the former LSU star.
Arrelious Benn was generally impressive and caught the ball very well outside his frame. However, reports were mixed on Mike Williams. I saw him double clutch a couple of balls and look sloppy at times in his routes, whilst his 8 reps at 225lbs tells you a lot about his focus for this process. Williams says he has spoken to all 32 teams during the past couple of months, including of course the Dolphins. He has a lot to talk about; specifically multiple issues at Syracuse leading to him quitting the team and the school in 2009. He was 6’1, 221 And ran a 4.49 forty which was impressive, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, on canvassing team personnel, said that the general impression he gave in interviews was that he blamed everyone but himself for his woes and was “a train wreck”. What makes the Williams situation so frustrating is that he’s easily the second best WR in the class behind Dez Bryant. But his enigmatic persona and seeming unwillingness to grasp the opportunity, probably make him undraftable, even for the Dolphins who are crying out for a number 1 WR like Williams has the talent to be.
One of the under the radar prospects is the aforementioned Scott Long of Louisville. He was 6’2, 216 and ran a very impressive 4.47. He had a 41.5 inch vertical and the fastest 3 cone and 60 yard shuttle and the 2nd fastest 20 yard shuttle. But it was actually in the drills where he looked really good, catching everything and running crisp routes. One source told me that he interviewed particularly well and the Dolphins were one of those teams that spoke to him. He caught 53 balls a season ago and while he’s had some injury problems in the past, he looks to be moving into middle round contention.
Overall: The injury to Demaryius Thomas cost us a real talking point as he was rumoured to have been running legitimate 4.3’s and Mel Kiper had him climbing into the top 15. However, like Tate and Benn, he may well end up somewhere in that 20-35 region. Unfortunately for Miami, none of the prospects made enough inroads to place them in that top 12 area, although Tate may wind up on the periphery. Those that could have been around at 43 – such as Benn – probably pushed their way into the first round and guys like LaFell flattered to deceive and you’re left with more questions than answers. The two hottest names were South Florida’s Carlton Mitchell who was 6’2, 215 and ran an impressive 4.44 and Ohio’s Taylor Price who continued his upsurge from an impressive Senior Bowl. He’s now a likely mid 2nd rounder.
Tight End: As I mentioned at the top, whilst the receivers flimmed and flammed their way round Lucas Oil Stadium, the tight ends put on a show. And it was actually three prospects who continue to elevate their status that have given Jeff Ireland another probable quandary; how high is too high for Graham, Pitta and Dickerson?
Jimmy Graham, as I reported a few weeks ago, had a long interview with Jeff Ireland in Mobile and the Dolphins visited The U to scout him during the season. I have no qualms in saying that he has the raw ability to become one of the best tight ends in the NFL in five years time if he trains on. The question is, can Miami wait? Can they afford a second straight second round mulligan? Make no mistake. If Miami wants Graham, they’ll have to, in all likelihood, pony up that 43rd pick. At 6’5, 260, and with 35 inch arms and almost 11 inch hands, Graham ripped a 4.55 forty and was very athletic and generally fluid in drills. However, he flashed some of that mechanical route running that you see on tape and unless there is a return to form for Anthony Fasano, then you don’t necessarily see Graham being an every down threat in year 1. But he’s awfully intriguing.
Pitta continued where he left off for BYU and in Mobile, displaying delicious hands. He too had an interview with Miami and is another who’s probably not going to make our 3rd round selection.
6’1 and 226lbs is not tight end size. In fact it was lighter than 8 running backs on show in Indy. But Dorin Dickerson of Pitt is that H-Back seam buster that the Dolphins are crying out for. He’s a natural pass receiver and dominated the testing and the drills, running a 4.47, jumping 43 inches and showing explosion off the line and in and out of his cuts. Dickerson confirmed significant interest from the Dolphins.
Overall: This is a true position of need, but great workouts bring great quandaries. The Dolphins really like Jimmy Graham and I wouldn’t be too surprised to see him as the 43rd pick. If they could deal down 10 selections, then it would make it even greater value.
Offensive Line: One of the best traits about Jeff Ireland is his ability to manipulate the bottom of the roster and improve the talent therein. Nowhere more so than with offensive linemen. 2008/9 saw Andy Alleman and Ikechuku Ndukwe do solid jobs in relief, whilst in 2009/10 it was the turn of Nate Garner and Joe Berger. Despite seemingly set up front, perhaps apart from the RG spot, Miami was active with the offensive linemen in Indianapolis. Step forward Eric Cook of New Mexico. A real versatile leader, he’s played left tackle, guard and center which is probably the attraction for Miami. At 6’6, 318 he’s big for a mike man, but gave up just one sack and one penalty all year to win the Lobos MVP award. He’s the sort of guy you could see coming on board in the 6th round area and he enjoyed an interview with the Dolphins in Indianapolis last week. He appeared sluggish in drills however and will need a strong Pro Day.
J.D Walton of Baylor figures to come off the board a lot higher than Cook – perhaps as high as round 2 – but he’s another versatile leader who can play G and C. He was very fluid in space and one of the more under the radar successes of the week. Despite, in my opinion, being best suited to a zone blocking scheme, he also met with Miami’s scouting team about the possibility of playing G full time. Cal’s Mike Tepper is 6’5, 324lbs but with short arms – only 32.5 inches. However, he plays with tremendous power, using those big hands to stun defensive linemen. He’s had some injury problems; coming to the aid of a woman he’d been walking home with in 2007, he was run over by a gang of youths, who broke his leg in four places leading doctors to consider amputating his foot. However he made a strong recovery both mentally and physically and he’s another likely guard convert. His ability in the phone booth area clearly appealed to the Dolphins who interviewed with him on Friday night.
Overall: We seem pretty set up front, although recurring issues prevail; how good is Donald Thomas and can Jake Grove stay healthy? I would expect some late round action in the offensive line area.
Defensive Line: This is a tough position to comment upon because so many of the defensive ends that we could talk about here will shift down to OLB. Of the pure defensive linemen, the Dolphins, as I mentioned back in week one, are known to like Penn State’s Jared Odrick. He turned in another solid performance after his strong showing in Mobile, measuring in at 6’5, 305, lifting 225lbs 26 times and running a 4.98, later downgraded to a 5.09. He looked smooth in drills.
Arguably the best player in the entire draft, Gerald McCoy of Oklahoma, also confirmed a Sunday interview with the Dolphins in Indianapolis. This is pure due diligence rather than anything else as McCoy won’t make it out of the top three picks.
One of the names to arise from amongst the Suh’s, McCoy’s, Kindles and Sapp’s was that of Clifton Geathers of South Carolina who figured to be a high pick in 2011 but chose to declare this year. A physical freak at almost 6’8, 299lbs, he possesses the longest arms in Combine history at 37 and three quarters and had11 and one 8th inch hands! He also ran a 4.96 and confirmed an interview with Miami. He’s had some off field issues with an arrest in August of last year, but he’s a player on the rise who could play 3-4 end.
Cam Thomas has made a steady move up draft boards in the last few months and seems to have positioned himself in that mid to late second round area. At 6’4, 330lbs he’s well sized for a nose tackle and does an excellent job of soaking up the interior and allowing others to make plays. He has long arms but is inconsistent and pops up too high, allowing guards or the center to get in under him and steer. He’s very athletic for a man of his size, but when I watch him at North Carolina, I wonder whether he’s really that good or whether playing on a Tar Heel defense rammed with high round picks actually makes him look better. When you’re playing alongside Marvin Austin and in front of Bruce Carter and Quan Sturvidant then you’re likely to elevate your game. He is another who met with the Dolphin coaching staff in Indianapolis.
Of the other pure defensive linemen that the should fall under the Dolphins radar, Cal’s Tyson Alualu was hugely impressive, running a 4.95 at 295lbs and looking good in the drills. Dan Williams was 6’2, 327, although his arms were slightly shorter than anticipated at just over 33 inches. He looked OK in drills, but personally I would be a little disappointed if he was the 12th pick. He’s too similar to Paul Soliai, offering minimal pass rush ability. Williams has already met with the Dolphins in Mobile. Mike Neal of Purdue is
undersized at 295lbs, but he has such tremendous strength as an anchor that you could easily see him well placed on Miami’s board.
Overall: The Dolphins have plenty of players on the roster at the end positions, but it would surprise no-one if they took an undersized NT like Mike Neal or Alualu, rather than a big space eater.
Outside Linebackers: All eyes were on this group yesterday as a huge array of college ends worked out in the linebacker drills and a number stood out from the crowd. Jerry Hughes, Ricky Sapp, Jason Worilds, Everson Griffen and Thaddeus Gibson all performed admirably. But it was Brandon Graham who caused the biggest stir. Ruled out by many as a possibility at SOLB after his arms measured just 30 inches at the Senior Bowl, official Combine measurements showed a two and a quarter inch growth. Make no mistake, he has the make up that Jeff Ireland craves. He’s a relentless pass rusher and I would suspect that he’s front and centre for the number 12 pick. After running a 4.69 at 6’3, 268 and throwing up 31 on the bench, he pulled a muscle and sat out the drill portion. I do believe that he’s likely to be the first player who I’m ‘sure’ will be there at pick 12. I don’t think Dez Bryant will and I think Dan Williams might go before, Berry too. But Graham will be well known to the Dolphins brass and you can bet that Chad Henne and Jake Long will be getting a grilling about his habits.
Ricky Sapp is an interesting player. The Dolphins met with him at the weekend in Indianapolis and he performed very well. 6’2, 252 with 34 and half inch arms, he ran a 4.63 forty. He’s lean, can carry more weight and despite a poor senior year, his stock is rising. He admitted recently that he’d played through 2009 at about 60% coming off a knee injury and it showed. He doesn’t make enough plays for me, but if he is there at 43 – and it’s a big IF – then he would make a lot of sense.
Jerry Hughes might be best suited to the weakside, but if Miami do sign Karlos Dansby in the early hours of Friday morning, the rumour is that he would play SOLB on downs one and two and then kick inside on third down. That would bring weakside specialists into play. Jerry looked very smooth in drills and ran a 4.63 at 255lbs.
One of the most interesting players is Derrick Morgan of Georgia Tech. The ACC defensive player of the year is hugely productive, explosive off the edge and brings a real violence to the position. He can be turned out a little too easily in the run game for my liking and there were questions about how he fares in space. He ran OK in the 4.7’s and looked pretty solid in the drills but you wonder whether ultimately he might not be best suited to play 4-3 end. He also interviewed with Miami.
I’m very high on Jason Worilds who, through a second hand source, confirmed he too met with the Dolphins, although I’m trying to verify that. He was as good as there was at the position yesterday. He’s a little undersized at 6’1, 254, but he ran a 4.67 and then looked fantastic in drills, showing the great change of direction and speed that is evident on film. There are question marks about a recurring shoulder injury and no doubt medical information will be leaked out in the coming weeks. I think he’s a terrific prospect that, given a clean bill of health, should be a first round pick and if he’s there at 43, then I’m up the podium with my card like Usain Bolt to the finish line. No-one works harder than Worilds who is a terrific pursuit linebacker who played with his hand on the ground for the Hokies.
I’m waiting to confirm a meeting with Everson Griffen who’s an outstanding physical specimen – 6’3, 273. He ran a mind boggling 4.63 and looked very good in the drills. He has to be considered a legitimate possibility at 12, although the Dolphins will want to know just how bright the light shines for this beacon of inconsistency.
We feel that Sergio Kindle is one of the more overrated prospects in the draft and what we saw on film showed up in the linebacking drills yesterday. Kindle is very stiff and mechanical in space. He needed several steps to gather himself before he broke to the ball in comparison to other players and I’ll say it here: I will be very, very surprised if Miami sign off on a player that stiff at 12.
Two small school players worth keeping an eye on are Adrian Tracy of William and Mary and Arthur Moats of James Madison. Along with QB Jonathan Crompton, Tracy was the class of the field at the Texas vs. the Nation practices and moving back from end to linebacker he looked very pure in his movement and very strong in space. At 6'2.5 and 248, he's a player that the Dolphins interviewed about playing OLB after playing end in college. He had 12 sacks last season at end and 63.5 TFL in his career and he's got good quickness. He ran a very impressive 4.68 and looked terrific in the drills, breaking down really well in space. He could figure in that fourth round area when all’s said and done.
Moats won the Buck Buchanon award as the best 1-AA player and whilst he looked more raw in coverage at the Texas vs. The Nation practices, he can really get after the QB. He's like a poor mans Brandon Graham size wise at 6'0, 248, coming off a season with 23.5 TFL and 11 sacks. He was even quicker than Tracy, running a 4.65 and is another that the Dolphins have shown an interest in.
Overall: It was a fascinating day because so many prospects performed well. I’ll try and confirm Miami meetings with one or two other players, namely Koa Misi of Utah and the aforementioned Thaddeus Gibson of Ohio State who was terrific and could easily kick inside in certain situations so that we could make use of his rush ability. Gibson mentioned a number of teams that he’d spoken with and Miami wasn’t one of them, but I’d be surprised if there wasn’t an interest given his fluidity and ability in space. As I said at the top, there’s plenty of talent out there. Check out Chris’s section below for just how some of these players would fit, down by down into a Mike Nolan system.
Inside Linebackers: The two names most linked with Miami at this position failed to work out fully. Brandon Spikes of Florida looked average in space during the drills, whilst Rolando McClain was a last minute, healthy scratch. His agent texted the national media to announce that, despite assurances that he’d do a full workout, would instead wait to the Alabama pro day. These are two players with forty times that they want to hide. The Sunday night buzz in Indianapolis was about McClain’s forty with predictions varying from 4.70 to 4.90, whilst Spikes on tape looks a 4.8 guy at best. A spate of fast times from the conversion players, as well as some terrific numbers by other inside backers such as Jamar Chaney and Daryl Washington may have influenced McClain’s decision. Both met with the Dolphins at the weekend, with McClain, who had seemed very business like with the media to start the proceedings, ending up as one of the events biggest disappointments. Rolando was 6’3, 254lbs, but had an average lift with just 24 reps on 33 inch arms. Spikes was 6’2, 249 but didn’t lift or run.
As I said, these are two players with foot speed to hide. McClain’s stock remains all over the board with one scout saying that a number of teams don’t have him in their top 32.
The Dolphins also interviewed Micah Johnson of Kentucky who would be the banger in a Mike Nolan defense. Athletically limited, he can get off a block and brings the load, but he’s strictly a two down linebacker and asking him to get outside and make plays on the perimeter is like asking a chicken to play golf. Ergo, it won’t happen. He was 6’1, 258lbs, but ran a very pedestrian 5.00 forty.
One of the great shames of the linebacker class is TCU’s Daryl Washington. If you put his athletic talent in Micah Johnson’s body then ladies and gentlemen, here is the 12th pick of the 2010 NFL draft. Unfortunately, Washington weighs just 230lbs and has been cramming weight on since the Senior Bowl where he was in the mid 220’s. But with almost 35 inch arms, he ran a 4.61 and Washington is a true three down linebacker that SMU receiver coach Jeff Reinebold, who played the Horned Frogs in 2009 told me was a player that they had to scheme for far more than Jerry Hughes. He’s going to be a very good 4-3 weakside linebacker but in meeting with Miami as he did in Indianapolis, there is clearly an interest there.
Another outstanding read and react linebacker is Sean Weatherspoon of Missouri who has the make up that the Dolphins crave. A four year starter, he was outstanding in every aspect of his workouts, from his white leotard type thing that he ran his forty in, to his results; 239lbs, 4.58 forty, 34 reps. He spoke with Miami again in Indianapolis after talking to them in Mobile. Opinions differ on whether he can play in a 3-4 and indeed whether he can play inside, but Miami DID speak to him about playing that position. He’s creeping into the top 15.
Overall: As I said, if Washington had the weight, he’d be a very logical pick. A lot more questions than answers emerged from this session yesterday, especially with regards McClain and Spikes. If Rolando is going to be more uncovered in Miami’s 3-4 than he was in Alabama’s 4-3 and he’s going to be the freelance playmaker in Nolan’s scheme, then hiding his forty when he’s 100% is not going to help the perception that he’s slower than you’d like. The meetings with Weatherspoon and Washington are interesting given their size and ability to take on blocks in a 34 defense. There’s some solid mid round talent that I’m trying to confirm meetings with including AJ Edds of Iowa who we like kicked inside and Phillip Dillard who played inside and out at Nebraska, plays with good pad level, is fluid in space and can cover. Also keep an eye on Jamar Chaney who was superb in his workouts.
Secondary: I’ll have a full run down on the DB’s next week as they’re taking place as you read this. The biggest news for Dolphin fans was the weigh in of Earl Thomas of Texas. The outstanding redshirt sophomore nailed down a top 15 spot as he came in at 5’10 and a half and 208lbs, throwing up 21 reps at 225. He was 3lbs lighter than Eric Berry and did two more lifts, utterly destroying some of the erroneous rumours of him being around 5’8 and under 185lbs. He is a hugely talented player who I would have no qualms over selecting at pick 12. His versatility is unique and he is a true ball playing playmaker at the FS position.
One other footnote is that Nebraska SS Larry Asante confirmed to us that he’d met with the Dolphins. A linebacker convert he seems best suited in a zone, but offers strength against the run.
Help Wanted: Now Hiring for Mike Nolan’s Defense, by Chris
I decided I would take a close look at how the Mike Nolan defense worked in Denver in order to try and predict what the Dolphins might be looking for in free agency, and ultimately the NFL Draft. Rather than bore people with the numbers and specific details, I will try and sum up and then open up the comments section for any questions.
Personnel Packages
From a personnel standpoint, a number of things jump out at you when comparing the Dolphins’ defensive packaging with that of the Broncos. I have boiled it down to three primary differences.
1. Defensive Line – It all starts up front and there is one glaring difference between what you saw out of Nolan’s defense in Denver versus what you saw out of Pasqualoni’s defense in Miami. Pasqualoni had the use of talented, big bodied guys like Randy Starks, Phil Merling, Kendall Langford, Tony McDaniel, Jason Ferguson, and Paul Soliai. The Dolphins have spent a lot of resources bolstering the front lines of this defense, however Mike Nolan might argue that Pasqualoni did not make near enough use of them. In 2009, on about 15% of downs Pasqualoni favored an approach where he would put only one true defensive lineman on the field (usually Randy Starks or Tony McDaniel), surrounding him with three pass rush specialists such as Jason Taylor, Joey Porter, Cameron Wake and Reggie Torbor. Mike Nolan, clearly uncomfortable with that approach, did not do that even one time in Denver. He always had at least two true defensive linemen on the field (though they did not always line up as defensive linemen), and had three or more on the field about 70 percent of the time, as opposed to Pasqualoni having three or more on the field only 64 percent of the time.
2. Big Nickel – Equally glaring is the difference between how the coordinators view the safety position and its role in pass defenses. It is clear that Miami made the decision that in their passing situations, they would focus on bringing extra safeties to the field, allowing Yeremiah Bell especially to work in the box to help support the run. This really had mixed results, but the bottom line is this was not Nolan’s approach in Denver and I doubt it will be his approach in Miami. While Pasqualoni brought six defensive backs to the field on a whopping 30 percent of downs in 2009, Nolan only brought six to the field on a miniscule 3 percent of downs.
3. Specialization – Without posting a dizzying array of numbers, I will say that it is clear that Nolan made an effort in Denver to give his players limited duties in the personnel packages where necessary, allowing imperfect players to become good at the role they’re asked to play. It wasn’t that Pasqualoni did not try to do the same, but there was much less consistency in the approach. The personnel substitution often ran like clockwork in Denver. In these certain situations these two guys would leave the field and these other two guys would come onto the field, etc. In Miami there was a lot of experimentation with using the same guys in different personnel packages, playing with players they’re a little less familiar with, etc.
Linebackers
One thing is very clear: Mike Nolan appreciates linebackers. He made concessions toward Elvis Dumervil in order to get the best use out of him, but it is important to note this was indeed a concession. Dumervil put his hand on the ground about 30 percent of the time in Denver. His rookie counterpart, Robert Ayers, put his hand on the ground only about 20 percent of the time. Nobody else among the linebackers, including Mario Haggan the starting Strong side Outside Linebacker, ever really put their hands on the ground.
Jason Taylor had his hand on the ground about 30 percent of his snaps. Cameron Wake had his hand on the ground on nearly 100 percent of his snaps. Joey Porter had his hand stuck in the ground about 14 percent of the time.
In a way, Miami’s outside linebackers were more aggressive toward the passer. In base 3-4 alignments, Jason Taylor in Miami and Mario Haggan in Denver both blitzed the passer on about 50 percent of plays that ended up pass attempts. For Joey Porter and Elvis Dumervil, those numbers were more like 83 percent and 70 percent, respectively.
However, the inside linebackers in Nolan’s aggressive scheme more than made up for the disparity. D.J. Williams rushed the passer on over 24 percent of pass snaps he started from a 3-4 ILB position, while Andra Davis rushed the passer on a whopping 36 percent of pass plays started from a 3-4 base. Compare this with Channing Crowder and Akin Ayodele both rushing the passer about 14 percent of pass attempts run against them in the 3-4 alignment. Reggie Torbor rushed more often, but remember he was largely not playing in 3-4 alignments.
When it comes to the specialization I was talking about, there was a definite tendency in Denver to walk onto the field in passing situations with two defensive linemen, two outside linebackers and two inside linebackers. The Broncos spent about 30 percent of their downs in this personnel packaging, making it about the equivalent to Miami’s pass alignments where they would line up one true defensive lineman and a number of pass rushers surrounding him, with six defensive backs behind. Like I said before, the packaging for Denver was much more uniform than Miami’s constant tinkering. Most of these nearly 300 snaps involved a defensive line consisting of Vonnie Holliday and Darrell Reid, along with outside linebackers Elvis Dumervil and Robert Ayers, with D.J. Williams still manning the middle, and now Wesley Woodyard coming onto the field in place of Andra Davis, who was clearly just a 3-4 inside linebacker specialist.
The interesting part about this package is that Elvis Dumervil spent about 80 percent of these snaps with his hand on the ground. In other words, this was his Cameron Wake package. He could stick his hand in the dirt and rush the passer as part of a three-man line, while D.J. Williams and Wesley Woodyard guarded the pass behind him, and Robert Ayers either dropped or also rushed the passer on the other side. Interestingly enough, everything under the Tony Sparano regime tends to be about how many jobs you can do. Keeping with the linebacker position, the following eight basic jobs were distinguished in Denver:
1. 3-4 WOLB – This job requires you to rush the passer about 70 percent of downs.
2. 3-4 WILB – A banger that can plug the run and rush the passer from ILB 1 out of 3 downs.
3. 3-4 SILB – A smart, athletic player that can rush 1 out of 4 downs from ILB and collect tackles.
4. 3-4 SOLB – Needs to be good in coverage and on the TE, only rushes 50 percent.
5. 2-4 WOLB – Optional to be a hand-on-ground guy, is the primary pressure guy on pass downs.
6. 2-4 WILB – Must be very smart, and good in coverage, backing up and keeping things in front.
7. 2-4 SILB – Must be athletic enough to run with players in coverage.
8. 2-4 SOLB – Must be a dynamic pass rusher and be able to do damage from an up position.
Karlos Dansby on the Horizon?
As Simon mentioned, there has been a lot of speculation about Karlos Dansby lately. Multiple sources have chimed in that interest is both significant and mutual. On the other hand, you have reports coming in from the likes of Jason Cole saying that the Dolphins have interest in Dansby as an outside linebacker. This has thrown quite a few Dol-Fans for a loop, given Dansby’s experience as an inside backer at Arizona.
What I think you have to remember though is Mike Nolan’s willingness to break up positions into specific and compartmentalized jobs. Therefore, if Dansby were indeed to claim job #4 on the above list, he may still end up with job #7 as opposed to what most would assume in job #8.
The key lies in what else is on the roster. Right now, the Dolphins would have a tough time filling those outside slots at #1, #4 and #8. I am going to go ahead and take some license pegging Cameron Wake into job #5 sight unseen, based purely on the superb work he did rushing the passer from a down position in 2009. Whether he can also win job #1 and truly follow in Dumervil’s footsteps is an open question. If Wake does not surprise the staff by being a lot more fluid as a linebacker from an up position, that job would currently go to Charlie Anderson. The problem is, if Dansby does not take it, current first in line for job #4 would be the highly unproven Quentin Moses.
I am not a fan of Akin Ayodele and Reggie Torbor, but a number of key points arise when thinking on this conundrum. For one, it is not that difficult to sign or draft a guy that can be a two-down, limited plugger with perhaps some pass rushing upside.
Some might argue that Reggie Torbor is already that guy. The Dolphins made the mistake of plugging him into passing downs in 2009, where his limited coverage ability was exposed. Would that continue to be the case as just an inside linebacker in 3-4 alignments, especially when he’s spending nearly as much time blitzing as he does covering? The other thing to keep in mind is that Channing Crowder, when healthy, can fill two of the above duties.
The biggest appeal of leveraging Dansby’s experience and versatility to take pressure off the OLB position would be in the idea of drafting a high round guy at that position to learn. Instead of depending on the guy right away to wear multiple hats and take an ungainly number of snaps in only his rookie year, you could allow him to win just one of the duties and perhaps work his way up to more snaps.
Draft Complements
One draft player that immediately comes to mind as a player that could make an impact at a position manned by Andra Davis in 2009 would be his fellow Florida alum Brandon Spikes. Brandon is not a fast man, and the fact that he skipped out on Combine runs only points to his having speed issues he likely wants to hide. But, remember what I said about the job description for job #2. Spikes may not be fluid or fast, but he is extremely physical, very strong and he is a compelling blitzer. He might never win anything but a half-starter’s role, like those of Andra Davis in Denver and Takeo Spikes in San Francisco (Brandon’s cousin), but that does not mean the man couldn’t have a strong impact.
There are a number of prospects that could win job #8 immediately, and have upside for more down the road. One such guy is Brandon Graham of Michigan. His experience as a linebacker in high school mounted on top of his tutoring as a defensive end at Michigan, I believe he will remind Mike Nolan of a better version of Robert Ayers, who he coached in Denver. Graham has expressed a preference for a space position in the NFL, which is key because you don’t want a guy that is always going to think like and want to be a defensive end. The great part about taking a guy like Graham is that if he does achieve all you hoped and more, he could give the coaches reason to slide Dansby back inside in order to squeeze out the likes of Ayodele and Torbor, while doing it for the right reasons instead of the wrong ones.
Of course, if you were to place Karlos Dansby at the SOLB spot in the 3-4, even if he comes back inside on pass downs, this leaves Miami with Rolando McClain still on the board for them at the #12 overall pick. Disappointed though I am in his choosing to duck out of Combine workouts, including the positional drills which Spikes actually did, Rolando is a very smart player that could pair with the more physical Channing Crowder on the inside, and the upshot to the manoeuvre would be that on pass downs you could have a pairing of Dansby and McClain manning the inside while Cameron Wake and another player come in to rush the passer.
Whether you get Graham at #12, or McClain at #12, both in addition to Dansby, it seems inevitable that Miami needs a second linebacker prospect to fill the gaps. If you go the McClain route, you need a guy that can be a dynamic pass rusher from the SOLB spot on passing downs. If you go the Graham route, you would ideally like a guy that can knock Torbor and Ayodele out of contention for any of these jobs. Not to mention you’re stuck hoping Cam Wake becomes a full time player, knocking Charlie Anderson out of his leader spot for the limited role of 3-4 WOLB.
Therefore, there might be something to be said for using the #12 pick on a different position and then using the next few picks in order to grab multiple prospects. This OLB class appears to be deep, and when you can potentially get a Jerry Hughes or Jason Worilds in the 2nd round, one does wonder why bother with the position at all in the 1st round. Additionally, if Brandon Spikes could head into a free fall based on speed questions, to where you can take him in the 3rd round just after having selected a Worilds or Hughes in the 2nd round, then you’re cooking on fine wine as you’ll have filled rotational roles in jobs #2 and #8, in addition to having Karlos Dansby for jobs #4 and #7, Channing Crowder as a banger for jobs #3 and #6, and Cameron Wake for job #5 at the very least with significant optimism about winning the full time position. Meanwhile, you’ll have still been able to spend the #12 pick on another position such as safety, which is an important position under Mike Nolan.
That’s it for this week. Keep following us on Twitter @UniversalDraft. We had some fun during the Combine and we thoroughly enjoyed answering your questions. Also check out the website – www.universaldraft.com where there are a couple of mock drafts, a new run down on Ricky Sapp and some clips of Adrian Tracy that are well worth looking at. See you next week.