Since many Dolphins fans seem super concerned with the depth we currently have at the running back position, and since FA precedes the draft, let’s take a look at who is available that can help our team, and make it less urgent to have to draft 1 or 2. Right now we have Kenyan Drake and whatever. No offense to Senorise Perry or De’Veon Smith, but neither of those are likely to be on a 46 man roster on game day next season, unless we have injuries. I think we can all pretty much agree that Adam Gase runs at minimum a 2 back system, and I’d even say he would like 3 backs he can count on.
In Denver as the OC in 2013, he used the trio of Knowshon Moreno, Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman, basically to 2:1 ratio down the line. Moreno had 241 carries, Ball had 120, and Hillman had 55 carries. The following season, it was C.J. Anderson who was the lead back with 179 carries, then Ronnie Hillman with 106 and Montee Ball with 55. Not quite a 2:1 ratio, but close enough that you know who the featured back is.
In 2015, Gase went to Chicago as OC for the Bears. A similar pattern existed there, with Matt Forte getting the majority of the carries, 218, and then Jeremy Langford a closer 2nd with 148, and then Ka’Deem Carey with 43 rushing attempts. While the top 2 backs shared a little more evenly, it’s obvious who the feature back is, and regardless of how good the 2 backs are, he still likes to use a 3rd back.
As HC with the Dolphins, Gase leaned heavily on his newfound success story, 2015 5th RD draft pick. To be fair, Arian Foster went down early in the season, and Gase was kind of pushed into going with Ajayi. Drake had always been a complimentary back at Alabama. His Freshman season, he was 3rd on the depth chart behind Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon. In 2013, Drake was a distant 2nd to T.J. Yeldon, but far ahead of Derrick Henry. In 2014, due to injuries, it was Yeldon and Henry. In ’15 for Alabama, it was the Derrick Henry show, with a drop of Kenyan Drake sprinkled in, Henry carried 395 times, Drake has a meager 77 carries. In fact, the most carries Drake ever had in college was 92. On the other hand, Ajayi was a workhorse at Boise St. and the only reason he was there for MIA in the 5th RD in 2015 was due to concern on deteriorating knee issues.
So now that I’ve made it clear Gase has never relied solely on one feature running back, and prefers to spread carries around, who’s out there for us? For sake of reason, I’m not including any of the ridiculous salaried players like Le’Veon Bell, but more reasonable alternatives.
Dion Lewis 5’8 195 27YO
Forget that Lewis was a NE Patriot, he’d be a good fit for what we like here. He’s a very good receiver out of the backfield, and he would be a good 2nd option for Drake. He proved he could carry the ball when the pats were beset with injuries to Mike Gillislee, Rex Burkhead and James White, accounting for over 150 multipurpose yards in game 15, and over 130 in the final game. Lewis finished the season with 180 rushes and 896 yards and 6 rushing TD’s. He also caught 32 passes for 214 yards and 3 TD’s, giving him 9 total TD’s. Picking up Lewis also takes a player away from NE, and while we know they will replace him, it still stings for a moment. Oh, and Lewis was born in Brooklyn, he’s my goombah, hey fuggetaboutit! Spotrac says $5M per for Lewis
************************************************************************************
Damien Williams 5’11 211 25YO
We all know Damien Williams, he’s a known quantity, playing here in MIA for the last 4 years. We also know Adam Gase likes Damien Williams, and that Damien Williams likes Adam Gase. Regardless of those things, Williams has never had more than 70 touches in a season, last year was his largest total, 46 rushes and 20 receptions. He can also return kicks and punts, and he’s a solid ST’s player, but he’s never been a big part of the offense. That should keep his salary down, which makes him affordable to everyone, and it’s possible if a team was willing to give him an opportunity for playing time, he might take it. My guess is, Damien will come back to MIA as long as we’re fair to him. Even if we do bring Williams back, is anyone here confident going into the draft with just Drake and Williams? Will we still need to spend a 2nd-4th RD pick on a RB? Maybe a 4th, but I believe we won’t need to go any higher.
***********************************************************************************
Terrance West 5’10 225 27YO
West had a disappointing 2017 season with injuries, none major, but nonetheless was irrelevant to the Ravens, while Alex Collins had a coming out party. in 2016, West was the Ravens leading rusher with 774 yards on 193 carries and 5 TD’s. West also added 34 receptions for 236 yards and 1 TD. West feel out of favor with a nagging calf injury last season, which should lower his value for FA. He’s more of the bowling ball type that some here desire, more of a banger between the tackles, more of a thunder to Drake’s lightning.
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Alfred Morris 5’9 219 29YO
Morris has been the feature back in the past, so when looking at a back to add to your stable, he’s the one guy you can count on to step up and take over as the lead back if necessary. Undrafted out of FAU, Morris was signed by the Redskins in 2012, and had his most impressive season in the NFL. Morris carried 335 times for 1613 yards and 13 TD’s. The thing is, he’s steadily declined since 2012, going to down to a very respectable 1275 yards rushing in ’13, then 1074 yards, then 751 yards, then out of the picture on the Ezekiel Elliott led Cowboys. It’s obvious why Morris has been relegated to watching football from the bench with Ezekiel Elliot as the feature back. The good thing for Morris is he probably has fresh legs after 2 quiet seasons in Dallas, after 4 grueling seasons in Washington. Morris is a scrapper, another wrecking ball that can run in between the tackles. Morris’ last contract with the Cowboys was a 2YR/$3.5M contract. Despite Morris being 29, like I mentioned, he should have fresh legs, so I’d definitely consider Morris. He might make some forget that Ajayi guy.
*************************************************************************************
Orleans Darkwa 6’0 210 26YO
Another guy Dolphins fan know. Some of us were sorry to see him go, and Darkwa finally got his chance last with the new York Giants last season. Darkwa carried 171 times for 751 yards and 5 TD’s. This was by far his biggest workload, more than quadrupling and other season. Things worked out well for Darkwa last year, the Giants were in a shambles, injuries to Paul Perkins gave him his shot, and he made the most of it, on what was an awful season for the Jints. He should be affordable, despite his breakout season last year, and he proved he can be counted on for significant carries if necessary.
**************************************************************************************
Jerick McKinnon 5’9 205 25YO
Last, but most definitely NOT least, is Jerick McKinnon. I think McKinnon would be a perfect fit for how we use RB’s, but I do believe McKinnon would like to finally be the feature back, after a couple of years of toiling behind Adrian Peterson, and then last year, initially buried behind by rookie sensation Dalvin Cook and then FA pickup Latavius Murray. McKinnon is a very shifty, quick RB with excellent receiving skills. Last season, McKinnon showed that dual threat ability, rushing 150 times for 570 yards and 3 TD’s, along with 51 receptions for 421 yards and 2 TD’s. Spotrac has McKinnon slated for $4M per year, which is doable. The question is, will he come to MIA without being given a chance to be the starter? I’d feel pretty good with McKinnon in tow before the draft, probably as much with him as Alfred Morris or Dion Lewis. It would definitely push RB back down in priority in a deep draft at RB.
**************************************************************************************
There are other free agents besides Le’Veon Bell that I don’t believe we can be in the running for, nor should we be such as Carlos Hyde and Isaiah Crowell. I think their salaries will be prohibitive for signing here. Other notable free agent RB’s are LeGarrette Blount, Jamal Charles, C.J. Spiller, Darren Sproles, and Eddie Lacy, all whom are either too old, or just don’t fit. Any suggestions, let me hear it!
Finsmob Unleashed 
A few thoughts with that mock draft above.
1. That would probably be the worst case senerio for us picking #11 that I could think of. I’m really hoping there’s a major run on QBs with 1 or 2 teams even trying to trade up. Hoping for 4 QBs to go top 10, but dream senerio would be 5.
2. If we don’t bring James back and Nelson is gone, I’d be going with McGlinchey at #11.
3. I do agree Price is a little high at #11, but I think people will be surprised with how early he ends up going. Not only can he play OG and center at a high level, but he’s also a team leader. We do need more of those. Don’t be surprised if he doesn’t sneak just inside the top 20 come draft day.
4. If we pass on an OL in the first, there is an outside chance that Nelson, Price, Wynn, and Hernandez could be gone by our pick at #42. …so your taking a risk there. Throw in Braden Smith and Ragnow, and I believe all will be gone by the end of round 2.
First Pick is no worse or better than the other games. I don’t do trades, because those are off the charts silly sometimes. Obviously, there isn’t going to be a trade offer every time you pick
He’s the best
I’m sure he doesn’t have a lot let
But maybe if we are letting Timmons go…
Confession: I showed a little squiggly to get that 2nd rounder
Wyo – I’d rather see young guys play than pick up Derrick Johnson. I don’t think he puts us over the top, and that’s really where he should go, to a team that’s missing that one piece.
Our starting LBs in 2018 could be Alonso (28 AUG), McMillan (23 NOV) and Anthony (26 JUL). That’s a pretty young group along with Allen (25 AUG) as a serviceable backup. Not saying don’t try to add more talent at LB, just that I don’t see it as weak group like some others do.
This is also if we move on from Timmons.
I think part of the problem with the perception of the LBs is we have no idea what McMillan is
It is notable that the Dolphins were using Anthony on 3rd down
That group pf LBs needs a vet
it doesn’t mean we don’t draft one though
Hopefully. On paper it doesn’t look too bad but we’ll have to wait and see. Thing is, if you’ve got a shot at either Smith or Edmunds and Nelson isn’t there it’s kind of hard to pass either of those guys up.
I really hope we let Timmons go. I’d rather we draft a LB somewhere in the draft and give him a shot than go with AWOL Timmons.
I do not see Dallas Goedert in any of those mock drafts above……I see you pick two LESSER TE’s in your trade down draft…I cannot approve of this. Fail!
Wyoming, all of my mocks start with Nelson and end with Flowers too. LOL
Piggy, first thing with McMillan is his knee being good to go. Next is yes we’ve never seen him even play LB in a PS game. But the positive is the coaches had him as the starting MLB heading into that first PS when he got hurt. My guess is he will be again and we’ll see how he looks.
That said, we also don’t know what any rookie LB will be either.
I would also consider Alonso a vet at this point.
Mike, if the rumors are true that when Timmons went AWOL to PIT and told teammates he wanted to be back with them, I’d definitely release him. I understand why we stuck with him last season, but I’d move on in 2018 as well and get back about $5M in cap. This past season was also the first time he didn’t record a sack other than his rookie season when he didn’t play much, and he had no FF, FR or INT.
There’s probably some truth to it, and I’d definitely cut him.
I would have week 2…..
————–
The problem with this mock is that the Cardinals aren’t going to wait to take QB leftovers @ R1P15, especially when there is a possibility that 4-5 QBs could go by the time they select.
So if the real Draft would turn out like this in the top-10, we’d want to trade down to the Cards so they can move up to get Mayfield. THEN, taking Billy Price @ R1P15 would be better value while getting a likely 3rd rounder (R3P15, #79) in exchange.
REMEMBER: the Bills’ starting Center Eric Wood retired due to a neck injury. If we want Billy Price that badly (and assuming Quenton Nelson is gone @ R1P11), we don’t want to trade down past R1P21.
And I’ll give y’all this from the Cardinals today… ““I know we’re going to be aggressive, we’re going to have a plan”, regarding their pursuit of a QB to replace the recently retired Carson Palmer. I think they’re going to be major players for Kirk Cousins.
http://www.azcardinals.com/news-and-events/article-2/Michael-Bidwill-The-Quarterback-Thing-Will-Come/0d9d844f-002a-4d6c-9dc6-256e959f806c
This once again shows you that a lot of draft people don’t think the QBs are the best prospects in this draft. I’ve seen a few big boards that have it like this.
So let’s say the Cardinals are the big winners of the Kirk Cousins sweepstakes. Then following the logic of the Josh Norris mock above, the stej would likely select Baker Mayfield, and that would likely push Tremaine Edmunds to us @ R1P11. I could definitely deal with that!
It’s BEST for us if Kirk Cousins signs with a team outside of the top-10 draft picking teams. Same goes for Case Keenum if he ends up leaving Minnesota. We’d likely have a shot at either of Quenton Nelson, Temaine Edmunds, or Roquan Smith.
*Tremaine
Makes sense, 1 more top 10 team that needs a QB. Good if we want a positional player, bad if we want a QB
YUP! Exactly.
M13, I do think a trade down for us is possible. Then again, who knows we could trade up. LOL
Maybe we could forfeit all of our draft picks by not attending the Draft. LOL
LOL
For me when trading up, all I care about is we still come away with a 1st and 2nd rd pick because they are players you usually expect to get impact from right away. I can live with giving up a 3rd or 4th to land the player you covet.
Don’t worry….it’s Tradebaum, so there will be trades.
THIS is true!!!
For the record, I think R1P11 should be an immediate impact player (outside of the advanced skill positions, which take a few years to master at the pro level. ie: CB). That stated, I want to WIN NOW. I feel Quenton Nelson, Tremaine Edmunds, and Roquan Smith can help us immediately.
BUT… if ya have a QB ya like sitting there @ R1P11 (and hope that we don’t pick this early in a Draft for a looooong time), the decision becomes that much more difficult.
I think if Tannehill comes back at 100%, we don’t NEED a QB that early. Conversely, if Tannehill never comes back at 100%, we certainly could use a QB that early. But the fact of the matter is this: we’ll likely be drafting Tannehill’s backup (perhaps successor) this year. I wish we didn’t have to address this matter, but we MUST.
I also think that if Gase is even half the “QB whisperer” some claim, we definitely don’t need to use our first round pick on a QB.
CAN’T WAIT to see how this all unfolds!!!
I read where Andrews refuses to block and is merely a big slot receiver. The writer gave him a day 3 grade. Well then if Landry walks and we can get Andrews with our second 4th, then we have our new slot guy right there.
Who is Andrews?
OKL TE Mark Andrews
I thought I read he has strong grades for blocking.
LOL @ Tradebaum
11 has 2 ones in it
You think he could be as good as Kesler?
Well my daughter has broken my heart today and has decided she’s going to University of Kentucky instead of Marshall. I’m actually proud of her for choosing her own path and all that. Guess I’m going to have to get some Wildcat gear.
Congrats but I am a believer that kids going to college should choose the school of their choice and their own path. What is she studying?
Congratulations Herd! Girl’s gotta do what a girls gotta do!
Congrats Herd.
That’s really weird about some reports I now see about him not blocking. I could swear I read last week when I did one of those mocks that he checked off all the boxes as the most complete TE prompting me to say he may not even make it to the 2nd rd. This is a total 360. How do you play TE and not block at all. That’s like being a LB who is big, strong and can run but not a willing tackler. LOL
I guess he played mostly out of the slot, and not on the LOS. So many TE’s go that route these days.
True, but I just read a report from CBS that said he won’t block at all. I never saw this before. Weird!
Prime example: Jace Amaro. He was nearly always lined up in the slot at Texas Tech.
I get that TEs are used much more as a part of the passing game now and line up all over the place, but saying a guy won’t block at all is either an exaggeration, he wasn’t asked to do it or it’s true. You have to block as a TE. But I know plenty of teams target them for the mismatch in the passing game.
This is why I like Fumagali a lot. At Wisconsin he was called on to block in their run heavy offense and yet he was still an excellent receiver
Yeah everyone blocks at Wisconsin. I’d prefer a TE who can do both.
Ken – You ever have fumagalli with black squid ink?
Marinara sauce or a white garlic and butter sauce?
Can’t say that I have
Tim Knight says:
February 13, 2018 at 8:38 pm (Edit)
Congrats but I am a believer that kids going to college should choose the school of their choice and their own path. What is she studying?
I agree with that. She is going to do Equine Science I think it’s called. All about the horses. Which means in addition to sending a child to college I’m also sending a 🐴.
Oh right you’ve posted about her loving and riding horses. That’s a passion so you know she’s not going to screw up in school. That’s awesome!
Lexington is right in the middle of horse country so a great place for her to be. And not too far away. So it’s good.
That makes total sense. Kentucky is big on horses. Good for her.
Is that double tuition?
I think it’s going to cost more for the horse. Lol
I actually had to employ an equine scientist as an expert witness in a case once. It was an accident case involving a horse drawn carriage running over a drunk guy
LOL, I know it probably wasn’t good for the drunk guy but it made me laugh.
Never would have thought of that. I told her I hoped she could make a good living with it since horses and all that goes with them are expensive.
Says this dude who is an asst. manager for the sports dept. at Walmart and part-time PFF football evaluator. LOL
That is half of us on this blog. LOL
I don’t claim to be a scout or qualified to do it. Just a fan of the sport who wants to the see the fuckin Dolphins be a champion some day. Is that too much to ask? LOL
Herd, no doubt there is money to be made with horses. The people who own and put them in competition have money. It’s an upscale field.
I knew King would be a player. He’s just a baller and a great leader too. Go Hawks!
I thought Tankserly had a good season
Honestly no surprise about lattimore, white or King
I would have to go back and check but I’m guessing those were among the first few RBs taken in the draft
Actually lattimore was 1, white was 4th
But Desmond King was a 5th rounder
I was thinking of the other King who was the 5th cb taken
You have to get RBs off of your mind. LOL
Tank showed plenty of promise and he also tackled better than he was projected to be. I like Howard, Tank, McCain, Lippett, Jones and McDonald as our top 6 DBs as long as Lippett rebounds from his Achilles as expected.
I’m not really concerned about our DBs
Neither am I. Anytime you can add more pass rush is always good, and we could use more competition at LB. But I don’t think either is a need. More of a want.
We need help on the OL, TE, depth at RB and a backup QB. We have players who can suit up and compete at the other positions.
I what’s with all the N/As on that chart
Did all those guys kiss the season?
Man, it really bugs me when all these Olympians drag their Country’s flags on the ground.
I was just saying the same thing.
The “question authority” movement has gone beyond what it should be. Now so-called peaceful love everyone types like to be the opposite of that while not really even realizing they’re complete hypocrites. You want social justice and acceptance and then violate that very same sentiment with disrespect, vulgarity and even violence. All the while patting each other on the back in your tribal sect.
You either believe in freedom or you don’t. Stop pretending you stand for something you don’t with total ignorance.
Civility and core values of respect is waning.
Not to be all political and by no means am I going to debate anything. It’s just what I see.
You want your blocking AND pass catching TE then you look at Jordan Akins.
He played baseball in the minors for the Rangers before going back to school at UCF. He was a wide receiver before moving to TE. He’d be a good fit.
A TE that I’ve been very high on and have talked about here is Adam Breneman. He’s a former PSUer who transferred to UMASS. I just realized that he had actually “retired” from football in 2014 due to chronic knee issues, according to Lance Zierlein. I knew he was injured, but never knew he’d “retired”… HUGE difference, as he had so much concern over his knee issues that he quit.
That would explain why his draft grade doesn’t match his stellar tape. Breneman comes with a ‘BUYER BEWARE’ red flag as a result.
Someone will take a flyer on him and benefit, but much like Jay Ajayi, nobody knows how long he’ll be able to play. His Combine medical will go a long way into determining more.
Not sure about Grier but I would have a policy against drafting retired players. I’m silly like that.
Besides, him being a Brennaman means he has a future as a Cincinnati Reds broadcaster.
He’s also a former PSUer so that’s another red flag
Patriots are more interested in PSI’ers
Give him an extension now!
https://twitter.com/MDCheer/status/963786349726846977
I love exercise.
I guess it can’t hurt. Get it? lol
http://dailydolphin.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2018/02/14/injury-plagued-miami-dolphins-hire-louisvilles-kyle-johnston-as-trainer/
Tim,
Did you watch Shaun white last night? I was thinking of Sam after he pulled that last run to win gold.
That’s cool man. Yes I did see it and I think of Sam every time I see skiing and snowboarding.
His Dad gave us chimes made out of his ski poles and they hang by our sliding glass door. When they ring I say Hey Sam. 🙂
https://twitter.com/PhinsComNews/status/963808829048795136
Mike,
Even if no one else appreciated your joke, I did.
I got it too. I saw this yesterday that we hired that new trainer. 🙂
LOL….and would be nothing except for the “wurst”
Franks!!!
Happy Valentine’s Day (sort of). As a guy who served tables for a while, see this and Mother’s Day as the biggest rip offs of the year (New Year’s Eve too, but hard to say the count down doesn’t count). Crowds and shortened menus at higher prices. Our manager would tell us, “move them out quick as you can.” Good money for the servers though.
Wife and I have long agreed to go out for a nice dinner on another night.
Yeah it’s crazy. I went to get something in a CVS yesterday and the line was to the middle of the store and I turned right around. LOL
Who do think is a better chance of being there for us at #11, Quenton Nelson or Roquan Smith? I think it’s Smith. Though many mocks have the Raiders taking Smith right before us.
I know it’s still early and after the combine the 1st round could change a bit, but those two guys will likely still be in the mix for us.
I think we will take a punter in at # 11
I’m not sure that will be very popular. LOL
I did some work on Harold Landry and I’ve gotta admit: I really like him. He gets off the LOS with explosiveness and he can bend rather well. I like him as a DE and not a LB, assuming he can add around 5-10 pounds of muscle (looks like he can).
It’s that ankle of his that set him back in ’17, as most of us know; his ’16 production was eye-popping. Check that ankle at the Combine and if it’s fine, I see no reason why he can’t sneak into the late-1st round…. though I see he’s currently projected to go in the 2nd-3rd round, due to that ankle.
I’m looking forward to him running at the Combine, where he might make some money. Should he kill the Combine, I’d have a hard time passing on him (if he’s still there) when we select in the 2nd round. And that could throw a major wrench in the works for those of us who have all but chiseled in stone that we’re taking a TE in the 2nd round (me included).
A future with Charles Harris and Harold Landry on the edges could be DEADLY nice for us.
Regarding the TE I think it’s because 2nd or even 3rd rd has been where teams have landed some really good ones in the past.
I mentioned that before
Landry on the other side of Harris might make a heck of a duo for some time
Landry reminds me of Wake
Last night I was watching the OK DE/OLB who is similar to Landry and he is also a really solid edge guy
Thanks SB – Appreciate that! Glad you said that before the air went out of it
Ugh… there is currently a gunman shooting kids at a HS in Parkland, Fla. 😦
Yeah, I’m watching that now. Sad stuff. It’s an epidemic
I just heard them say it’s the 18th school shooting this year. It’s still February. This is getting out of hand. Not that one is okay, but WTF is going on?
Charles Harris and Harold Landry sound like someone’s old uncles.
The Pull My Finger Pass Rush!
MEGACHUNN!!
I just saw a report where a Mom has been in touch with her son in the school and they know who it is, the gunman is a student and she almost said the name before the reporter cut her off.
The gunman is in custody.
They think it’s the gunman, not confirmed yet, but hopefully it is.
I heard people identified him as a student. But yes hopefully it’s him and only him.
Very sad, they’re pretty sure there were fatalities. Just awful. I was hopeful when they said just a number of injured people, but now it’s getting worse.
Yeah. Awful.
Guys,
The thing about Harold Landry is that most are projecting him to be an OLB, not a DE. While I’m sure he’d make a fine LB, I can’t see wasting his God-given talents there. If you can bend it like Landry, you play him at DE. Guys like Jordan Willis WISH they could turn the corner like Landry.
To be perfectly honest, I have no interest in Landry if he’s to play LB.
I think it’s the typical 3-4 OLB or 4-3 DE like Harris.
I’ve got my eyes on a CB that I’m THRILLED with. His name is Jalen Davis out of Utah State, 5’10”, 185, 4.47 (4.36 low) and he’s currently projected to go undrafted. I doubt he fits our DB size criteria, but he’s going to make some noise in a couple of weeks at the Combine.
If he’s still projected to go undrafted after the Combine, he’s an easy priority UDFA for me.
WEAH gonna be alright at wr this year:
http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/nfl/373460/Dolphins-owner-‘ready-to-move-on’-from-Suh?
How can they even think it’s possible? Doesn’t he carry over 20M in dead cap?
Not buying it. I’ll believe it when I see it. That said, I also didn’t think we’d be one of the teams targeting him when he was a FA but we did and landed him. So anything is possible. The cap hit is too much though.
It’s been reported 16 dead. 😦
16 dead, that’s so damn tragic. My heart goes out to these families, all of them, even the ones who weren’t injured.
It’s rising, I just saw 17. Another kid with some screws loose who sent out red flags and nobody took it seriously. This is like you said becoming an epidemic and the thirst for violence in this country is a problem.
Lol@ confidants of Dolphins owner
That’s rich, LaCanfoea is a joke. With that kind of reporting he’s ready for the White House press corp.
Fuck him I’m not correcting his name
17 dead now. Such a shame.
The thing about Landry is he played a lot with his hand in the ground
Yeah he’s a little light for 4-3 – but it’s not like he hasn’t played 4-3 DE
Same size as Harris and other edge rushers. It seems a lot of the guys who do this are in this size range.
There’s is Lways some risk with edge guys bc they are often Tweeners
But I like at Landry and see the talent
Tonight look right in her eyes and in your best Forrest Gump voice tell her,”you’re my girl”.
So Shaun White is also dealing with inappropriate behavior to a female colleague. Great, that’s just great. Everything seems to be tainted these days. Ugh!
Your Picks:
Round 1 Pick 11: Quenton Nelson, OG, Notre Dame (A)
Round 2 Pick 10: Dallas Goedert, TE, South Dakota State (A)
Round 3 Pick 9: Rashaad Penny, RB, San Diego State (A-)
Round 4 Pick 11: Tyquan Lewis, DE, Ohio State (A+)
Round 4 Pick 30: Michael Gallup, WR, Colorado State (A+)
Round 6 Pick 9: Kurt Benkert, QB, Virginia (A)
Round 7 Pick 5: Fred Warner, OLB, Brigham Young (A+)
Round 7 Pick 11: Rashaan Gaulden, CB, Tennessee (A+)
Can I have your gip sheet? LOL
I got a Charmin sheet! will that do???????
The Draft. Top two picks projected starters or significant role players. After that, competition to start and provide depth.
I took a look at Hercules Mata’afa, DE, Washington State. Man… what a project to dissect. 6’2″, 252, 4.75… and he almost always lines up as a DT.
His burst off the LOS is OFF THE CHARTS. He just knifes his way through the Guard and Center and eats the player with the ball. He’s got nice hand-usage inside on Guards and Centers, but it’s hard to project how he’ll do against longer-armed NFL Tackles in the limited look I gave Hercules (yes, I need to do more homework on him).
He had 1 fewer TFL than Bradley Chubb in ’17 with 22, and had the exact same number of sacks as Chubb (10)… and he’s nearly 25 pounds lighter than Chubb… primarily lining up as a DT… WTF???
Hercules is currently projected to go in the 2nd round. I think his Combine is going to tell us a lot more of what he’s capable of doing on the edge. He’s a FREAK(!!!), but he’s not going to be able to knife between Guards and Centers with regularity like he did in college at 250 pounds against an NFL interior that’s bigger, faster, stronger, and more experienced.
I dunno… maybe he’d be better suited as a 3-4 LB, but he screams DE (<– that's his current projection) with his size, incredible burst, and ability to play the run against O-Linemen. Rare talent, but I'm confounded as how to best use him… but he's really got me intrigued.
By the way… I've heard Hercules' name uttered ALL season long, but I'm just now seeing him for the first time. I now SEE why his name was uttered all season long… he's VERY good!
Problem with him is getting a fix on where he should/could play at the next level. He’s definitely not suited to play DT because of his size. We’re not talking Aaron Donald undersized here because Donald had the frame and weight and he doesn’t.
He’s only 6’2″ so even though he could be more suited to play the DE position than DT his height puts him at a bit of a disadvantage at the DE position. 3-4 OLB may be where he ends up playing because of that. But, again, it’s hard to get a fix because he’s never played that position.
Like you said, his speed and quickness off the ball screams DE but at 6’2″ the one thing he’s not going to give you is that ability to get his arms up and bat a ball or change the throw from the qb. And, like you said, he could struggle against NFL OT’s with long arms. But, that quickness could give him and advantage there. Going to be interesting.
I think Christian Sam is being undervalued right now. This guy could end up moving up quickly after the NFL Combine.
Is he a relative of Michael?
Husband
My least favorite draft:
Draftek’s mock as of 2/4
1 11 Mike McGlinchey Notre Dame OT 6’7 310 (We need 2 guards.)
2 42 Mark Andrews Oklahoma TE 6’5 253 (my least fave TE)
3 73 Brendan Mahon Penn St OG 6’4 315 (my most unknown OG)
4a 107 Mark Walton Miami FL RB 5’9 205 (my 11th favorite RB)
4b 127 Michael Hill Ohio State DT 6’2 295 (a DT we don’t need)
6 169 Damon Webb Ohio St. S 5’11 193 (a smallish safety we don’t need)
7a 197 De’Asian Richardson Louisville DT 6’3 322 (TWO DTs we don’t need)
7b 203 Devron Davis UT San Antonio CB 6’0 210 (a thick corner we don’t need)
What if it goes “by the book”?
CBS Big Board Rankings at our Pick Numbers
11 Derrius Guice LSU Jr RB 2 5-11 212
42 Arden Key LSU Jr DE 4 6-6 238
73 Justin Lawler SMU Sr DE 8 6-4 266
107 Nathan Shepherd FT HAYS STATE – DT 11 6-5 300
127 Trey Quinn SMU Jr WR 16 6-0 203
169 DJ Chark LSU Sr WR 23 6-3 187
197 Jake Wieneke S. Dak. St. Sr WR 27 6-4 215
203 Keke Coutee Texas Tech Jr WR 29 5-11 180
By the Book according to Draftek’s Big Board
11 +6 Tremaine Edmunds Virginia Tech OLB 6’5″ 236
42 -17 Da’Ron Payne Alabama DL1T 6’2″ 319
73 +25 Kalen Ballage Arizona State RBF 6’3″ 230
107 — Duke Ejiofor Wake Forest EDGE 6’3″ 275
127 +3 Bo Scarbrough Alabama RBF 6’2″ 228
169 -17 Kentavius Street NC State DL3T 6’2″ 290
197 +30 Kendal Vickers Tennessee DL3T 6’3″ 295
203 -15 James Looney Cal DL3T 6’3″ 278
I only put those up to show what our GM has to contend with when reconciling rating with need.
Naples – Our GM doesn’t have to worry about Draftteks big board, or CBSsports big board, only their own, which is probably very different than any of those. Still, it’s a helluva lot of information to digest, but they’ve been doing it for years, and the grades they have are set with some wiggle room after the combine.
What Grier has to worry about is Mikey “Tradey-pants” Tannenbaum. If he can control him, I think we can be alright
Well I didn’t mean they would be a slave to commercial sites. But they do need to reconcile how a prospect is rated by whomever they consult versus who is actually there when it’s their pick versus what we need.
Meaning what if the BPA is a DT? Do we pick someone we don’t need? Do they just leave off DTs from their Big Board so as to not be distracted?
I think they will have to go BPA by grade, regardless of position with the 1st pick, and maybe even the 2nd pick. Of course, they if they have similar grades on a 1 or more players, they will take the player that fits their need.
Also I do wonder if they even look at NFL.com grades or CBS ratings, probably not draftek and Walter, but why would they not want as much info as possible?
Do they only consider in-house scouting? Maybe they could pick better if they read more?
I doubt they look at any of those sites to learn anything, but they might look at them just for fun.
Think about all the data they compile over the years scouting these prospects. All the scouts from all over the country and even Canada. They don’t really need any of these draft sites for intel. These sites are for the fans and media because teams aren’t going to put their grades on prospects out there.
Tradeypants
LOL
https://twitter.com/PhinsComNews/status/964180608896430080
Miami Dolphins GRADE: C
Ours is a bit incomplete. Let’s see what it is in another year or two.
It’s very biased in favor of the NE Patriots, the recent losers of the Super Bowl, who got nothing at all from their first 2 picks.
Of course they are. Let’s see what Harris, McMillan, Tankersley, Godchaux and Taylor look like in a couple of years. Even Asiata and Ford could pan out.
Mayock:
Tight end
1. Hayden Hurst, South Carolina
2. Dallas Goedert, South Dakota State
3. Mike Gesicki, Penn State
4. Mark Andrews, Oklahoma
5. Will Dissly, Washington
never heard of Dissly.
He doesn’t have a lot of body of work. Not sure how Mayock has him this high.
Mayock:
Linebacker
1. Tremaine Edmunds, Virginia Tech
2. Roquan Smith, Georgia
3. Leighton Vander Esch, Boise State
4. Rashaan Evans, Alabama
5. Uchenna Nwosu, USC
was very impressed with vander esch in his bowl game or championship game
Christian Sam should be in there
Sam is #7.
11: R1P11 LB ROQUAN SMITH, GEORGIA
42: R2P10 C BILLY PRICE, OHIO STATE
73: R3P9 RB RASHAAD PENNY, SAN DIEGO STATE
113: R4P11 TE TROY FUMAGALLI, WISCONSIN
132: R4P30 QB KURT BENKERT, VIRGINIA
186: R6P9 S JESSIE BATES, WAKE FOREST
223: R7P5 EDGE JOE OSTMAN, CENTRAL MICHIGAN
229: R7P11 CB RASHAAN GAULDEN, TENNESSEE
I gave Flowers away yesterday! 😉
I don’t know much about this guy but I came across this.
Chad Forbes @NFLDraftBites Feb 13
Dolphins will pursue FA LBs including Zach Brown, Preston Brown & Tahir Whitehead. Bengals also in FA LB matket, along w/ Chargers. 10 plus/minus quality starters will hit market.
If that’s true, then Timmons is as good as gone, and that’s fine with me. I like Whitehead the best of that group.
I would agree but I don’t know if this guy has any inside intel or just speculates like so many others in the biz.
It’s hard to rate a draft after 1 season, which makes it ridiculous to rate it right after the draft.
BASED ON THIS, THEY GOT A B!!!
New England Patriots
Round 3: (83) Derek Rivers, OLB, 0 games/0 starts; (85) Antonio Garcia, OT, 0 games/0 starts.
Round 4: (131) Deatrich Wise, DE, 16 games/3 starts.
Round 6: (211) Conor McDermott, OT, 3 games/0 starts.
Notable rookie FA signings: Adam Butler, DT, 16 games/6 starts; Jacob Hollister, TE/FB, 15 games/1 start.
So biased.
Get me one of these PLEASE:
Mayock:
Edge rusher
1. Bradley Chubb, N.C. State
2. Marcus Davenport, UTSA
3. Arden Key, LSU
4. Harold Landry, Boston College
5. Sam Hubbard, Ohio State
I also want one of these:
Mayock:
Interior OL
1. Quenton Nelson, Notre Dame
2. Isaiah Wynn, Georgia
3. James Daniels, Iowa
4. Will Hernandez, UTEP
5. Billy Price, Ohio State
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zitoqFgGMy4
My mannnn …..
My mannnnn …
Another undrafted O-lineman who is now a top dog.
Tim Knight says:
February 15, 2018 at 12:56 pm
I don’t know much about this guy but I came across this.
Chad Forbes @NFLDraftBites Feb 13
Dolphins will pursue FA LBs including Zach Brown, Preston Brown & Tahir Whitehead. Bengals also in FA LB matket, along w/ Chargers. 10 plus/minus quality starters will hit market.
———-
He’s a troll, Tim.
LOL, why do you say that?
All ya have to do is read his comments on Twitter. For one, he already has Tannehill as a cut for us.
Oh okay. Regardless of what you think of Tannehill, Gase has already said publicly that Tannehill is his QB in 2018, obviously barring any setbacks. So why even waste your time with scenarios of releasing him when it’s not going to happen? It’s silly!
EXACTLY
Tim Knight says:
February 15, 2018 at 2:38 pm
Another undrafted O-lineman who is now a top dog.
____________________________________________
It would be nice if we could find one of these guys. ….we definitely could use another Mark Dixon right about now.
Jesse Davis is our best shot. Maybe Eric Smith. I thought maybe Steen but not anymore.
Yea, I’m hoping we do have something with Davis and Smith.
Jesse Davis definitely has a chance to be Mark Dixon like. He’s bigger than Dixon, who was undersized at 6’4″ less than 300, but I think Davis should go to the CFL to complete his training. lol
If only Jesse Davis gave into his ANGER. It gives him… FOCUS…
LOL, I would not be shocked if Davis is one of our starters somewhere along the OL.
I wouldn’t either. The team LOVES cheap offensive linemen.
Or a young player who shows promise who can improve and be given the chance to win the job. Why do you and some others into the draft here even bother talking about UDFAs if you frown upon their potential?
Norwell was undrafted in 2014 and is now going to be paid in FA as a top guard.
tim,
I don’t look at udfa’s as guys who can start for the team early in their careers or maybe ever. I look at them as guys who can give the team solid depth and MAYBE you get lucky and get one in a lifetime who can be come a starter. you’re one of the people who always says “he was drafted in that round for a reason”. Well, what does it say when a guy goes undrafted?
LOL – Glad you got that M, although I shouldn’t be surprised. 🙂
Don’t do it Vontae, they have horrible restroom facilities
Nana will be furious
Lou, there are reasons guys go late or undrafted. But there are plenty of examples of them becoming starters and good players at many positions, and OL is one of the top ones. I see guards after 4 years hit FA and get paid good money all the time who were late or undrafted.
I’m saying maybe we found one in Davis and let’s just roll with it rather than focus on it from a negative perspective. Let Davis show us rather than write him off because he was undrafted and cheap. It’s a great scenario for us if he pans out.
Speaking of Vontae, the CB ratings are out and Xavien Howard finished 6th in the NFL, giving up only a 65 passer rating against him.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000916398/article/nfls-top-10-cornerbacks-in-2017-aj-bouye-rules-the-roost
Tim Knight says:
February 15, 2018 at 4:01 pm
Or a young player who shows promise who can improve and be given the chance to win the job. Why do you and some others into the draft here even bother talking about UDFAs if you frown upon their potential?
————
Do NOT underestimate the power of NFL coaching. These are professional coaches who can bring the very BEST out of UDFAs and late-rounders.
So if ya see an UDFA or late-rounder with much potential, leave it to a team with NICE coaching to get the maximal production out of him.
For us? I think our strength is Adam Gase and his ability to work with QBs. Aside from Gase, I think there’s too much turnover in our coaching staff to assess who can bring out the best in our young bucks.
We had some misfortune losing our DC to a HC job after one season and an OL coach who did coke. I think Gase is close to having the staff he wants moving forward if he doesn’t have it already. The new OL coach Washburn has a good rep. So does our new DL coach Kocurek, DB coach Oden and RB coach Studesville.
Let’s hope we have it right. 🙂
Meanwhile,
“Kenyan Drake fell below the 175-carry minimum to qualify for this list, but otherwise, they were star-level performers in this metric. Drake took over as Miami’s feature back a few weeks after Ajayi was shipped out of town and instantly started tearing through defenses. The second-year back averaged 4.55 yards after defenders closed within 1 yard of him in 2017, proving to be tough for other teams to tackle. He will be a popular candidate to have a breakout season in 2018.”
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000915072/article/kareem-hunt-dion-lewis-among-10-most-elusive-running-backs
“Feature back”…
1) It’s ‘featured back’
2) Adam Gase continues to remind the world that he doesn’t want to use a “Feature back”
Well it could be instead of a guy getting 250-300 he’s around 200 and another back is 150 and so on. Put it this way, we’ll look to get Drake the ball quite a few times both rush and rec. I don’t care what you call them or what the splits are, as long as they’re productive and helping us win games.
Rex Ryan only had feetured backs
LMAO!
😆
M – People are gonna call it what they want. It’s just the guy who gets the most carries here. I outlined how he used his backs everywhere he’s been, and you can see there’s always 1 back that gets the majority of he carries, by almost a 2:1 ratio
I get all of that, bud… but what ya/we have to keep in mind is/was the relative health of his RBs since he entered the NFL.
If NOTHING more, I think Gase has learned that he’d better have another NICE tool in the shed as a RB option. Thus, I think we’ll certainly address the RB position early on day 3 of the Draft.
In my eyes? No earlier than our 4th rounder.
*rounders
He was ready to roll with Williams and Drake then Williams went down. We’ll definitely be in the market for RBs.
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Source: #Bengals QB AJ McCarron won his grievance against the team. He’ll be a free agent.
On a competent OL, Jesse Davis is a G/T backup. The one thing I take into account with him is that he only started playing OL at a high level about 4 years ago…so maybe he’s still learning. That said, I still don’t want him starting with how he’s looked this far. He was a college FA who’s been cut by some teams with bad OLs. I haven’t seen anything that says he’s a solid long term starter.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen you say any players are very good. Especially young players who at least flash a bit. LOL
When in high school,
my sons competed against children from Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School.
This shooting has me really upset. Something has to be done to make schools safer. It’s time for everyone to get off their feet and make it happen. Whether it’s metal detectors, security guards, or both, it must be done. It’s obvious this has become a “thing to do”, there have been so many already this year.
Lot of crazy people out there.
There sure as hell are, and every one of those fuckers seems to be able to find an AR-15.
AR 15, shotgun, pistol, car, 5 gallons of gas…the instruments will always be available. Question is how do you find them and stop them.
^
I know what we should do. Let’s make it so any teen can buy an assault rifle, no matter how insane he is, no questions asked. That’ll make America great again.
After all, it’s a free country right?
Everyone should have the freedom to kill as many people as he wants to.
We wouldn’t want anybody who likes to murder lots of innocent people quickly to feel denied their right to the pleasure of a gun. That wouldn’t be sensible.