2015 UDFA Singings
After 256 players were selected in the 2015 NFL Draft, the fun didn’t end for the Miami Dolphins. It was time to sign some players who went undrafted. And there is some quality for Hickey to drool over.
This list is not all inclusive but I think I got most of the recent signings on it…
You may have noticed the Dolphins did not select a LB during the draft. After the Draft the Dolphins signed 4 Linebackers: Mike Hull, Jeff Luc, Zack Vigil and Neville Hewitt
It was a surprise that Hull went undrafted. Penn State has a storied history of successful linebackers in the NFL. The 6’0, 232 pound Hull had 140 tackles for PSU last season and should compete for a roster spot.
Like Hull, Jeff Luc also should have been drafted as well. The senior played his first two years at FSU before transferring to Cincinnati where he received a lot more playing time finishing with 200 career tackles and 8 sacks.
Vigil also produced a lot of tackles and sacks at Utah State with 180 career tackles and 12.5 sacks. And Hewitt…well…Let’s just say a certain Herdfan around here is probably as excited as the Assistant Coach in this pic.
Want more offensive line? I knew you did!
Ever hear of Illinois State? Me neither. But here is what their uniforms look like. Big #59 is Michael Liedtke one of our new UDFA.
Guess we will find out more about him in August.
The Dolphins also selected Mickey Baucus an offensive tackle rom Arizona. No word on whether Baucus can play inside or not. Bet we find out in August as well.
The Dolphins also signed two specialists, Matt Darr a punter from Tennessee and Andrew Franks a kicker. Want to see what they look like? I don’t. Here is a photo of a kicking pig instead.
And of course there is always room from competition at wide receiver and the Dolphins signed two: Demarr Aultman from Maine and from Nigel King of Kansas. That’s three new wide receivers. If you didn’t know already, the Dolphins drafted DeVante Parker in the first round…also get out of your cave…
There are more UDFAs too. But I prefer to show you a picture of Dolphins Cheerleaders.
Finsmob Unleashed 
The Dolphins also signed two specialists, Matt Darr a punter from Tennessee and Andrew Franks a kicker. Want to see what they look like? I don’t. Here is a photo of a kicking pig instead.
*
This line got me into trouble at work. I was innocently reading when I got to this line and GAFAWED loudly. It was a snort / gafaw / loud laugh / cough combination that drew everyone’s attention around me. The boss just happened to be walking down the corridor at the time. …..
At least you didn’t have the gigantic penis page up. LOL
Oops
Sorry
Not saying that’s a pro bowler in the making but Michael Liedtke shows really good form on that play in the picture.
I think the NFC has taken a step back this year from last. The Cowboys minus DeMarco Murray are weaker. If they think they are going to get that production from McFadden they are mistaken. I think Chip Kelly is to busy trying to turn the Eagles into the Oregon Ducks to realize he made the team weaker in the process. Murray and McCoy pretty equal but his QB situation sucks. He has to rely on either Bradford to stay healthy for a whole season and or to rely on Sanchez to not turn it over. I suppose he can always throw Tebow out there to run the spread option. He also need Algholor to step up day 1 to replace Maclin. That’s a tall order. The Giants are moving in the right direction and might be the best team in that division when all is said and done.
See we can agree lol…i pretty much said same thing up the page some lol. JBB
wyoming85 says:
May 4, 2015 at 3:19 pm
We’ll see!
Please tell me you’re not just bandwagoning the Rockets since you moved to Texas? I’ll get so much more satisfaction in us beating you (if you can even get by the Clippers!) if you’ve been a lifelong fan.
😛
Maybe he just likes sky rockets in flight.
Everyone loves afternoon delight.
Rockphin says:
May 4, 2015 at 4:42 pm
The Dolphins also signed two specialists, Matt Darr a punter from Tennessee and Andrew Franks a kicker. Want to see what they look like? I don’t. Here is a photo of a kicking pig instead.
*
Franks is from a small engineering college about 15 minutes from me. To say they have a small time football team would be a gross understatement. That said, the area is buzzing about his signing- may be the first ever from that school.
Wow that shows you we scout everywhere.
Yeah i was wondering wtf RPI was, when you have a college that last thing in its acronym means Institute lol you know thats some small school shit there.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Bingo. It’s a very good college for engineering and sciences, not so much for football. Pretty good hockey team.
Liked the Falcons draft. Hardy is a perfect pair with their WR group, Coleman is a strong runner who pairs well with what they have, Beasley fits their D like a glove, Collins if he keeps his shit together and matures is a bad-ass CB who will pair well with Trufant and Alford, Grady Jarett gives them pretty good value from a 5th round selection, pretty good draft.
Lol baltimore drafted 4 TE’s if you count Waller as a TE
Damn the Panthers draft looks shitty, very few picks, the picks they have arent that great, even with me liking Funchess more than most. Artis-Payne to me was one of their better picks value wise.
D:
I often agree with you just not on overweight undermotivated DTs. JBB. LOL.
Anyone else kind of wish we would have taken a flyer on Gregory?
“To say they have a small time football team would be a gross understatement.”
LOL Brian. Rhode Island — or even my Div 3 school not so far away — would kick the shiot out of it in a war (Arthur anyone?). Could never figure out, back in the day, why their hockey team was pretty good though with all those geeks.
Haha! Me neither! A good friend of buddy of mine played hockey for Rhode Island in the early 90’s. Was the best player by far on the team, but was so burnt out he quit after two years.
Just going through some of the team drafts and right now im really liking Flacons, Bears, Jax, Ours, Vikings (sorta), Jets, Steelers, Chargers (sorta), 9’ers (sorta), Titans, Skins (sorta)
Ravens too IMO.
Eh, 4 TE’s… I know they are a TE based system but that was a little much. Id probably give it a sorta because i def think that they replaced what they lost and will lose (Pitta).
Brian in NY says:
May 4, 2015 at 5:33 pm
Anyone else kind of wish we would have taken a flyer on Gregory?
———————————–
Not really, i think Philbin isnt a guy who wants to baby sit, he wants grown men to act like grown men, so i dont think for our sake or for his we should have taken on Gregory.
Or Shane Ray, or Jalen Collins or several other people this year that seem to be an ever increasing number of little shits who need to think about careers instead of play time.
I eas big time for Jalen Collins, but when it got down to it i actually was glad we didnt. I still think he was best CB this draft, but it wasnt the rigth matchup.
I just think he may have been worth a shot, particulary since we could use LB help. I’m not entirely convinced though.
I was thinking pass rusher the entire draft after the Dion Jordan news
and Gregory was on my radar
I was thinking they might take him instead of Phillips
but I can;t say I think he was worth the risk
I’m just would not have been upset if we took that risk
I think whatever risk the coaches feel like they want to take on is worth it. It afterall is their ass if the risk turns out to be a fail and their responsibility to manage the risk so on them. I personally feel though, thats not who Philbin is. Its not that he cant manage those guys its that he wants better than that from people he hires, and i cant blame him.
D says:
May 4, 2015 at 3:25 pm
Omar’s viewpoint holds no water with me. The TEAM needs to play better in the 4th, not just the QB, butin general, Omar has said way too much to descredit his opinion on anything, if a 5 year old kid told me something id believe him over Omar. He’s a shitty reporter and a pretty shitty human being by what i can tell from his online/reporting persona.
i always knew i like D
i may just have to start ‘stanger’ing D.
First time in years the Phins didn’t draft a TE.
Obviously they felt Cameron has returned to full health, and secondly, they must like the way my buddy, not Mike E’s, Arthur Lynch is coming along. 🙂
Noone has responded yet to what i was saying about the basketball guy from the U that we invited to tryout. You thought Waller was big, this guy is a mountain of a man, 6’9 245. I wondered why they didnt try to grab up Sifrin when he went undrafted since they showed interest in him before draft, but i think the may have missed on him and went for another bball player instead.
too tall….IMO. Not sure a 6’9 245 would ever make it in the NFL as a TE, or whatever.
I was listening to Pat Kirwan before, and he said he thinks Ali Marpet can start right now either G or C. Of course Kirwan isn’t the know-all end-all, but some here value his opinion.
G or T. Sorry. He was also talking about Cam Erving.
He might start but could also struggle early on like a lot of young guys. We’ll see.
Miami Herald
The Dolphins are expected to pursue LSU T/G La’El Collins once — if — he’s cleared of any involvement in the death of his ex-girlfriend.
The Dolphins won’t be the only team hot on Collins’ trail once he’s cleared; we’re sure much of the league will be interested in signing him. Collins was viewed as a mid-first-round pick before the bombshell murder case was dropped in his lap. Collins can play any of left tackle, left guard, right guard, or right tackle.
If he’s cleared Mike E would go crazy if we landed him. LOL
…by giving him a welcoming hand?
GD, I know we bust balls around here but Mike E has got to be tired of people suggesting he’s giving hand jobs to everyone under the sun. LOL
LOL, no doubt…he been very very good natured about it.
Btw, I meant he’ll be clapping the loudest on the blog, Piggy a close second with Weeeeeeeee!
LOL
So, what’s the deal with Bruce Irvin…? no 5th year option? that means he has to finish out this upcoming year and then FA?
I bet every fan base is typing “…and IF we get La’el Collins…” 🙂
No doubt. We’ve got some alum here from LSU so maybe Landry, A. Johnson and Sheppard can talk him into coming here. 🙂
With the Dolphins announcing two-way player Tony Lippett as a cornerback, it means the team selected three defensive backs for the second time in three years (Jamar Taylor, Will Davis and Don Jones in 2013).
• With Lippett joining Bobby McCain and Cedric Thompson as fifth-round picks, it marked the first time in Dolphins history they selected three defensive backs in one round.
Tim Knight says:
May 4, 2015 at 7:19 pm
GD, I know we bust balls around here but Mike E has got to be tired of people suggesting he’s giving hand jobs to everyone under the sun. LOL
that is just rude and plain out lie. i cant believe you are spreading rumors like that about poor mike e. every one knows he doesnt do it to everyone under the sun. just every married man under the sun. he does has some standards
FINFANROB; SAW YOUR TOO-KIND analysis of the brain-dead racist coconut known as Omar.–Here’s hoping Philbin, or, better yet, ROSS, bans his sorry ass from all Dolphin properties. –There IS a precedent for this. Back in the 70’s Shula, I vaguely recall, asked some punk reporter from an “alternative” publication to step up and show his credentials. When the punk walked up to Shula, the Don of Miami ripped the credentials from him and told him he was no longer “credentialed” and would have to leave within 10 seconds to avoid being thrown out!!
LESS THAN TWO days until the next installment of “ABSOLUTE PERFECTION!”
OD
wasnt my analysis, it was D’s. i just copy and agreed with it.
Very well, sir. Lucky for the coconut, he never got to question the Don of Miami.!!
OD,
did you see we have another blogster in our neighborhood. although he did move in to the hood known as tampa not the beautiful blink and you miss it lutz, but 631 is now in tampa.
NO SHIT, ROB!!!! – – Can he switch his AVI from 631 to 813???
olddolphan says:
May 4, 2015 at 7:41 pm
Very well, sir. Lucky for the coconut, he never got to question the Don of Miami.!!
lol, i dont even that idiot is fool enough to say something stupid to him.
ROB: Can’t you just imagine how much Larry Little and Bob Kuechenberg would LOVE to throw Omar ass over teakettle out the door of the Davie facility!!!
olddolphan says:
May 4, 2015 at 7:50 pm
ROB: Can’t you just imagine how much Larry Little and Bob Kuechenberg would LOVE to throw Omar ass over teakettle out the door of the Davie facility!!!
i dont think he would have gotten over the teakettle but rather land on it in a very painful place.
LMAO!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SMCVaxiPms
That’s funnier than hell, and what a jack off, probably setup, but still.
I thought the same thing about it being setup but it’s still hilarious.
Cedric Thompson Jr.™ @cedjunior2
I didn’t think I could be anymore ecstatic about being a Dolphin until I started hearing from our fans. You guys are the best #FinsUp
They keep talking about what a bad break it was for La’el, the timing of it all, but what if the news came out this week and your team drafted him? The stupid MFer would’ve really screwed his new team.
I just feel bad for him if he had nothing to do with it. If he did then obviously he did a horrible thing and will suffer the consequences.
I may be being a bit naive, but I actually think that he is innocent.
It’s not tragic that he went undrafted
He is basically a free agent if he clears his name
He can chose him team
Sign a shorter contract
And build his career
He just needs to clear his name
What happens is unprecedented
But he can potentially make more money wih a little patience
He can already chose a team with no state tax if he likes
Drafting him – and then finding out he had legal trouble would have been tragic
He is just a guy with a lot if talent and his whole career in front if him
He just needs to clear his name
He is going to lose out on over $10 million though Piggy, if he is innocent that is.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2452918-miami-dolphins-2015-draft-aggregating-report-card-grades-from-around-the-web/page/12
I read that earlier. Notice Silva is the only one who gave us a shitty grade?
lol, yeah, I didn’t even ready Silva the Jests lover’s comments.
LMAO @ Lawnmower guy!
Wonder if the Fins will show interest in James Jones. Maybe if he can’t receive a decent multi-year deal he will choose to go with a 1 year deal somewhere.
He’s 31 like Jennings….we already signed the better of the two 31yo receivers.
He is going to lose 10m innocent or not Brian
The reality is he’s gonna sign a 3 year deal and be a free agent before any one from his free agent class is one – and that is where the big $ is
Sorry I’m not shedding a tear about a 22 year old getting paid a couple of million instead of 10m I don’t know if there is an UDFA cap
But even if there is he can sign a shorter contract and chose the team that puts him in the best financial position
Just the ability to chose a state with lower state taxes is a big advantage to him
If we are somehow able to sign La’el Collins, I’d be one very happy Dolphins fan. That would just make everything right.
Piggy, Collins can’t sign a deal any bigger than what’s allowed for UDFAs, the NFL has a strict policy on that.
There is no limit on UDFA from what I understand.
There’s a restriction on signing bonus, is there also a restriction on salary?
Steve’s got it. There’s only a restriction on the signing bonus ($90K), but the salary can be whatever you can afford.
I think $25K is the ceiling on guaranteed money for an UDFA.
Anyone here ever do a sleep study before?
No, but I wouldn’t mind. I’ve been sleeping pretty poorly the last couple of months, maybe almost 6 months.
What Can La’El Collins Earn as an Undrafted Free Agent
Posted on May 3, 2015 by Jason Fitzgerald
With the draft over, we hit the fast and furious UDFA signing period, which is where La’El Collins now sits. So let’s take a quick look at the rules regarding the signings, specifically in regards to Collins.
Every undrafted rookie is locked into signing a three year contract. The three year contract will contain the minimum Paragraph 5 salary in each year, which will equal payouts of $435,000 in 2015, $525,000 in 2016, and $615,000 in 2017. These are the same numbers as rookies drafted after the 3rd round and many of the players drafted in the third round, so it is not a major loss for Collins of any player who was not projected to be a 2nd round pick.
http://overthecap.com/what-can-lael-collins-earn-as-an-undrafted-free-agent/
I guess a since he was projected as a top 10 pick
People are saying he lost money
But sheesh 400k and barely old enough to drink
I’m ready to switch lives with him
Not tragic at all
Can everyone stop crying for him and realize how shitty your lives are compared to La’el
“Collins will theoretically be available to sign as an undrafted free agent if he is cleared legally. But the amount that a team could pay him would be heavily limited by NFL rules governing undrafted free agents.?
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000490639/article/lael-collins-goes-undrafted-not-eligible-for-16-draft
Tim,
I stand corrected on UDFA limits but at least Collins (if he proves his worth) can get to the renewal contract a year or so faster than a drafted player.
I think it’s 3 years before he can be eligible for a new contract under the CBA.
We’ll see.
That’s the thing, he’ll be able to get his 1st real contract extension/long term deal a lot quicker, provided he proves himself worthy.
Should be that way for all rooks…make them earn it first.
Sleep study is a scam…trying to sell & prescribe you a CPap…never saw anyone go to a sleep study and not get recommended one…lol
Al:
There is a definite limit on what Collins can earn under the CBA as a UDFA. He has lost millions. Even if he gets a new contract 3 years from now he lost millions. Then again if he killed his girlfriend he should lose a lot more than millions.
The logic I guess is to go along with the rookie pay scale for drafted players.
Agreed, so that teams can afford developmental players.
I wouldn’t get my hopes up for Collins anyway. I bet he’d want to sign with a few other teams than Miami and that there are more teams out there willing to risk more $ on him than Miami is willing to.
I like what the Fins have so far and also anticipate a player or two to be added from the June 1 cuts.
.Money is not going to be the issue for signing Collins. He will get a max UDFA deal where ever he goes. The one advantage we have is no state income tax. But ultimately he will be able to pick and choose where he goes and it will more likely than not come down to comfort with the scheme fit and what position he will be asked to play.
Besides he makes more $ than anyone in his draft class
He is user contract for 3 years than hits the free agent market while everyone else is still on their rookie contracts
If he plays 10 years he gets to hit the free agent market twice
Man the Ravens could be real tough under OC Trestman, he’s got Flacco now and not Cutler.
Good thing we have Suh!
Ken,
Agree on your last post and as I said earlier (than your comment), that I stood corrected (in my response to Tim) lol.
What the article from overthecap states is that UDFA contracts are 3 year deals (drafted players 4 years) and that UDFA’s can sign extensions after year 2 (drafted players after 3 years).
I reported this earlier man!
Ross Dellenger ✔ @DellengerAdv
Source: Ex-#LSU OL La’el Collins has meetings planned w/ #Bills & #Dolphins, has heard from “almost every” #NFL team
Buffalo sucks La’el!
F’n Bills. Keep that toe sucker away from Collins.
I think we beat bills for sure. Frozen tundra or sunny beaches….such a hard choice. Did they completely release him then?
Not to my knowledge but now it won’t cost teams a lot if they sign him and have to cut him if he gets arrested. So low risk high reward scenario now.
GDP,
I’m always impressed with Ozzie in managing his roster/salaries and getting most bang for his buck.
Perriman replaces Torrey Smith
Maxx Williams has more talent as a receiver than anyone they’ve had in a bit.
ZaDarius Smith has a chance to be their new Paul Kruger (the version in their system).
Allen is a great value pick at RB and is going to a good system for his skills
No need to discuss Waller, I know how you feel about him LOL 🙂
But they lost their fatboy DT to the Lions.
Ngata
Ken
If you Consider what La’el will make after his 3 year contract while 2015 draftees are still On Their rookie contracts
He didn’t lose anything
Not following. He will have lost about 7-10 million. He would have been earning between 3-5 million per year in those 3 years instead of $500k per year
But in year 4 he can make millions
While the 2015 draftees are atil in their rookie contracts
He can make up for his losses by hitting the free agent market earlier than anyone else
D,
I have a feeling that Collins will choose a higher profile coaching staff and team :/.
Maybe he likes Benton the OL guru.
Piggy, if Collins had nothing to with his girlfriend’s murder he missed out on the excitement of being drafted which is something he’s been working for his entire life. That sucks. It’s not just about money.
That’s if he pans out. He also lost the legacy of being a top pick. That stuff matters too.
I see us as a front runner for multiple reasons. We have a great location, he can maximized his minimum contract signing with us or one of the other Florida teams. Oh and Tenn is also tax free also are Texas teams. We do have a contingent of his former teammates and he could start right away. This isn’t completely unique out of all teams wanting him but puts us in the top 5 for sure. Still wanting to know, has he been fully cleared?
No
OK then I guess I missed why everyone is so excited lol. I’m going back to the side if I’ll not hold my breath lol
Former LSU tackle and undrafted free agent La’el Collins was questioned by police in Baton Rouge, La. on Monday. The 21-year-old, however, is still not being considered a suspect in the murder investigation of his former girlfriend Brittney Mills, Baton Rouge (La.) Police said.
Collins sat with investigators for over an hour.
“There is that possibility of more questioning of Mr. Collins,” Baton Rouge Police public information officer Don Coppola said Monday per the USA Today. “No one can be ruled out until an arrest has been made.”
Ken,
You are right about the no income tax benefit of Florida but Texas is in that same boat plus their overall per capita tax savings is lower than Florida (all taxes considered). Not to mention that Texas life in general is more aligned with Louisiana life than South Florida in general (Northern Florida a different story lol).
Lots of buzz around our team I think he would have us close to the top of the list but again I’m not getting any hope up until I hear an all clear
Al:
I actually think we have a pretty strong chance to land Collins. Not saying we get him for sure but we have several things going for us:
1. He is probably the day 1 starter at LG
2. The signing of Suh makes us a pretty high profile team
3. He will get to line up next to Branden Albert, who is a pretty good mentor for Collins, very similar player
4. No state income tax, that’s important when making the league minimum
5. South Beach
6. Benton
7. Ascending QB
All in all we are a more attractive team now than we have been in years.
Teams such as the cheats and Packers are attractive teams, because they extend after yr 2.
Any long term successful franchise is going to be tough competition for Collins services.
Tim
I also missed out on Those 2 things
And no ine sheds a tear for Piggy
I bet no one on this blog ever experienced the excitement of being drafted unless by drafted you mean downwind of me when I fart
Maybe I’m just cold hearted
But I think life goes on and he got his whole life in front if him
You’re cold pork. LOL
As long as La’el is not code for Lebron south beach should be a front runner
Now if Collins is thinking about Buffalo:
1. Great D
2. Commitment to run game
3. Toe Sucker is a player friendly coach but….
1. Bad weather
2. It’s F’n Buffalo WTF is there to do in Buffalo?
3. Who is the QB?
SteveCCNV
It’s always tough to lose a guy like Ngata but considering pay for future performance (and age consideration) plus the status quo (Brandon WIlliams and Jerrigan seeing increased snaps later into the season), Ozzie did the right thing.
There still without this great player as the cheats are without Wilfork.
I’m not getting my hopes up for Collins, just discussing his current status signing with an NFL team.
I never want to be accused of not being upfront, honest and forthcoming, as I am admittedly not a Tanneshill, but more of a Tannemoderate: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/fantasy-roto-arcade/five-up–five-down–2015-nfl-draft-fantasy-stock-watch-212151032.html
Oh I just want to throw this out there, we supposedly have strong connections with LSU somewhere in the building. I read that leading up to the draft.
jahndoh says:
May 4, 2015 at 4:56 pm
wyoming85 says:
May 4, 2015 at 3:19 pm
We’ll see!
Please tell me you’re not just bandwagoning the Rockets since you moved to Texas? I’ll get so much more satisfaction in us beating you (if you can even get by the Clippers!) if you’ve been a lifelong fan.
No I was a 6’rs fan back in the day!
But since Olajuwon was there when they won I’ve been a fan!
Does that count enough for you?
Especially when we kick ya’lls ass! 😉
Teams in states with no state tax. Texans cowboys titans and seahawks.
Seahawks are the best team as for recent success but also have an established team more uphill for him start. Its also Seattle where its very most the year. Pacific Northwest is scenically beautiful but its not south beach.
Dallas has the rep but the gave a very solid online and likely he would have to wait to start. Its also not south beach even though Dallas is a pretty hopping town.
Houston is closest to home of all on the tax free list and he has opportunities to start. There isn’t as much hype around the team their qb situation us a mess.
Tenn may actually be a tempting place after landing mariota but Nashville again isn’t south beach and our team has more in the way of mentoring than they do.
Al:
Texas may not have a state income tax but Dallas is not going to sign Collins nor is Collins likely to sign with Dallas as their OL is set. Houston…I don’t see it. If I am Collins I am going to Miami before Houston. Who is the QB in Houston?
Tim,
That’s just an assumption based on Landry & Anthony Johnson being on the team.
I could easily say that Cam Cameron his OC at LSU will not vouch for the Dolphins (and point him elsewhere) since they canned him LOL.
I think it’s beyond players. I think it’s a scout or some exec.
D and I are sounding more and more alike.
Cry for La’el if you want humans
Let me tell you about tragedy :
Something tells me La’el has more than his share of that.
I’m pretty sure the Cowboys are a powerful draw no matter if the competition is stiff or not. Most top level athletes are very sure of their own abilities and feel they can beat out their competition and aren’t afraid of it. On the Cowboys side, Jerry has gone off the deep end taking in bad boy after bad boy lol (Hardy, Gregory, etc). The Cowboys have been to the playoffs (players and coaches) while the current Fins has plenty of coaches/players who have not sniffed it.
I don’t see it from either the Cowboys or Collins POV. He is unlikely to play that much and Collins can sign elsewhere and get more playing time and exposure. I will believe t he Seahawks before the Cowboys.
BrianCat @BrianCat13 · 1h1 hour ago
Found a draft board I started in early March: had Parker, Phillips, La’El, Ajaye all in my Top 40. Good lord. Make it happen.
What you talkin bout Willis?
I think we have a strong recruiting connection with a lot of SEC teams, LSU, UTenn, UF, AnM, both Mississippi schools, and Auburn seem to be their closest.
Al
You forgot Shepard!
Later Haters!
Another issue in landing Collins that will be a big factor is media market. Collins is going to look for what ever he can do to endorse products to make up for his loss of income otherwise so he will look to a franchise with a good media market where he will have opportunities for endorsement deals. They will be small at first but if winds up a starter he will start getting more and more of them over the life of his UDFA contract.
Okay enough about Collins. Who’s your sleeper in our draft? I have a feeling who would lead that poll.
La’el Collins.
Lol.
Ken,
It’s always great to add talent and I would like to see Miami make a play for Collins such as any other team but I’m not getting my hopes up one bit.
I’m worrying about what we got and I’m high on Turner & Douglas as OG players in the trenches.
I was high on Thomas when he was coming out of UTENN but I was always more impressed with his quickness to spots and the 2nd level than his power. Turner & Douglas impress me with their power and their thick lower bodies which generate that power and that in the end is better than speed I guess in the trenches. I think Dallas Thomas would make a better OT in the long run (that he could work out his kinks) but he’s flexible to play either position and coaches need him at OG I guess at the moment. At this point I think Thomas will just be the swing OL player who can be the jack of all trades as a backup.
I think Dallas Thomas can help us the most if he retires. He is horrible. I don’t want see him on the field If he is on the field is a turnstyle to the QB.
I like Billy Turner. I am counting on him. Jamil Douglas is a nice pick but he is not La’el Collins and we have to face Wilkinson, Richardson, Williams, Dareus and now Brown in NE as interior DL in our division multiple times. I am not feeling to good about our interior OL.
That could be Linkenbach to serve as the Garner type game day backup at most positions with Walton or Brenner as C/G. Thomas could become that but I think he gets a shot at guard first.
If I were la’el I’d be in this order Miami, Tenn, Seattle Houston then Dallas. Dallas may be a bigger draw because well its the Dallas cowboys, but he is not getting the exposure he need to land a fat contract which is going to be his ultimate goal, suck it up for 2 years then get his big money extension. He only gets that big money if he starts and dominates for those 2 years. He would be smart to take the chance that maximizes that potential
Al, yes I agree on Ozzy having a good draft, although he kinda picked 1 TE too many…IMO
But solid picks nonetheless.
Wyo,
Ah yea I forgot about him. I guess that’s because the Fins scraped him off the NFL trash pile after the Fins LB unit was reduced to 2-3 guys in that season opener last year.
D,
The Fins roster is pretty diversified in terms of colleges represented from the national picture.
They got people from all over the place and outside the SEC :/.
I only really remember him from “Excalibur”. https://www.yahoo.com/movies/nigel-terry-dies-king-arthur-excalibur-118107568162.html
Good movie. He had a number of other medieval type of roles. He was kind of typecast as the knight errant character.
OL Aundrey Walker, USC, OT Mickey Baucus, Arizona,OL Michael Liedtke, Illinois State, and G Dionte Savage, Oklahoma.
Any of these names excite anyone?
LOL @ Ken on Thomas
I think you’re making final decisions on him way too soon. He didn’t start 9 games last year because he was so bad the coaches kept starting him regardless of his horror. LOL
He has one season actually playing under his belt at LG and RG but mostly RT. I want to see if we have an improved player this year before writing him off.
By the end of the season I think it was by default because we were so decimated with injuries. Horror is a good word. Watching him was like watching Apocalypse now “the horror, the horror”
GDP,
Not sure where people are getting this one too many TE stuff lol.
He drafted Williams in RD 2 (speed TE), the nearby kid from Delaware (UD is close to Baltimore) in RD 5 (a developmental round) who is more a run blocker, and many scouts still see Waller as a WR.
I hope you guys appreciate this post because my research time is limited but economics is one of the things I geek out on. In order to determine the amount lost for Collins, we’ve got to agree on a few assumptions. Since this is my illustration here are my assumptions.
1) He would have been a 1st round pick
2) He will become a near probowl level player and would have regardless of where he gets picked the 2nd contract earnings will based on 90% of the transition tag amount for both scenarios.
3) He gets exonerated (obvious assumption or the rest of this is wasted.)
4) He’ll play 8 years in the NFL. A solid run. It’s important to note the longer his tenure, the less he’s lost by not going early this year.
5) for the sake of this illustration I won’t factor in salary inflation, I’ll use 2015 numbers. Regardless of where he was chosen, salary inflation is a given. In the real world, salary inflation affects his 5th year option and the value of his 2nd contract, but I don’t have a crystal ball, so we’ll treat both scenarios, and both contracts with 2015 dollars.
So..here’s what he WOULD have earned had he gone, say, 15th in this years draft:
Contract 1
Years 1-4 (slotted) 9.6M total
Year 5 (option exercised by team) 8M (based on the formula for 5th year options for OL)
Contract 2
Year 1 9.9M
Year 2 9.9M
Year 3 9.9M
Total 8 year earnings: 47.3M
Signing as an undrafted free agent (given the above assumptions he’d max out the performance based pay every year of his rookie contract, Google is for more info)
Contract 1
Year 1 .435M (that’s 435k for you nitpickers :-P) + .375M Performance Based Pay
Year 2 .525M+.375M PBP
Year 3 .625M+ .375M PBP (Eligible for extension…I’ll treat extension as a second contract)
Contract 2
Year 1 9.9M.
Year 2 9.9M
Year 3 9.9M
Year 4 9.9M
Year 5 9.9M
Total Earnings: 52.21
This is only one scenario, and it assumes he’s going to be a probowl level player and get paid like it. There are variables that can change…like…does the team tender him as an RFA in year 4 rather than extend him? But the biggie, is what level he’ll play at and can he do it for 8 years.
IF he doesn’t last into his 2nd contract or play at that level, he will surely have lost out on lots of guaranteed money from that first contract. BUT IF he can play at a high level and sign that 2nd, lucrative contract, he stands to earn virtually just as much money over the course of his career by virtue of the fact that a 1st round draft choice is tied to the team and won’t hit the open market until year 6, while an UDFA
My sources were here:
http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/05/nfl_draft_2015_how_much_each_f.html
http://overthecap.com/what-can-lael-collins-earn-as-an-undrafted-free-agent/
Along with looking up Riley Reiff’s extension this year (since all players slots 11-32 get the same extension pay as all others at their positions)
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000487938/article/lions-to-pick-up-fifthyear-option-on-ot-riley-reiff
…while an udfa hits the market much sooner (last paragraph before the citations)
Tim I would say obvious choice is ajayi just because he has highest potential but biggest concerns. People know he was good in college so not sure he’s a sleeper. I’m going to go with Luck an UDFA as my sleeper.
Luc
I said draft. Boy this isn’t going well. LOL
Pick any guy you want who we drafted. I’ll go with Lippett. I think being able to play 2-way shows football skills and not just size, speed etc.
GDP,
Baucus maybe
He needs work on technique but otherwise is a good athlete.
Why was the most well researched post I’ve made in months awaiting moderation? I guess it was my citations. Ugh….my last comment was an edit to a post that will come later I guess. So anticlimactic….
Hey Piggy/Mike/Admin et al…if you guys want to use my last post as an article, let me know. I’ll edit it and clean it up a bit, but if you want to just send it through moderation feel free to do that as well.
Now you say that after I approved it.
I also have no clue why that was awaiting moderation but when you said I went into admin to make sure it got posted.
Thanks Ken. I think it was probably because I exceed a certain number of hyperlinks…but I’m guessing…
Shane Carden signed with Bears, could supplant Cutler in 2016.
Connor Holliday is another I liked, he could be leading Redskins by 2016.
Tyler Varga, is now a Colt. Good thing we got Suh & Phillips 🙂
Yeah All I wasn’t saying we just had connection with SEC schools but it seems to be pretty strong with a few of them oh and forgot to add UGA
Tim,
People always bag Thomas for that performance against the Bills even though 2 of the 4 sacks coming from his side came from TE who were on assignment on the edge rusher and blew their blocks. 1 play getting treated like a rag doll by Mario Williams doesn’t diminish what happened on 60-70 snaps in the game.
It was more than 1 game he gets bagged on.
There’s always a scapegoat on the OL with this crowd.
3. He will get to line up next to Branden Albert, who is a pretty good mentor for Collins, very similar player
Ok Ken so Albert can “mentor” Collins but Suh couldn’t possibly “motivate” Phillips.
No need to respond.
Motivate is different than mentoring.
LOL
OD’s guy CB Jacoby Glenn got signed by Bears.
oops, I mean Son’s guy…UCF player.
Did you see Clayton Geathers went in the 4th round?
Alright I am out. Peace to you all.
I remember Vince Wilfork back in his UMiami days was perceived as being fat and not willing to be in shape (lazy moniker).
Al, I talked about the snap count vs. a handful of bad plays with Jonathan Martin. He wasn’t always bad. But there were times when he was trucked. Andt you know what, so have a lot of the top OL drafted top 5 and 10 the last few years. Who was it that Wake embarrassed?
Al, Baucus needs more than technique help, that boy is too lean for his size…Will need a year in the weight room too.