Source: Dolphins to draft Kouandijo first round; Not Planning to draft Linebacker

I wouldn't take Mosley or Shazier in the first.

 

I'd prefer to see Ellerby playing outside like he did in Balt. I think it's more natural for him.

 

Mosley might not be the next coming of Ray Lewis, but he is a solid, disciplined MLB with leadership qualities and who'll be pretty much plug-and-play. With the addition of Mosley, the whole defense will get better, IMO. Ellerbe will probably move to WLB with Misi and Wheeler battling for the last SLB spot. This might put Reshad Jones into a better position, as he will have reduced responsibilities in coverage and will play more of the role he played in his pro bowl season. I think with Mosley in this team we won't have any apparent weaknesses with everyone healthy (knock on wood) and playing. Couple that with Jordan in his second year and with a full offseason program to get better, we'd have ourselves the makings of a top 5 defense.

 

Either one would be excellent value at 19 IMO.

 

Really? I'll have to skim the draft forum for your take on them.

 

I believe the Koa Misi to MLB rumor. I really do. I don't believe the part about Miami not planning to draft a linebacker because of it. Perhaps it's true. But I doubt it. I don't know if they're particularly planning or not planning to draft a linebacker. I would be willing to bet they've got at least two linebackers rated in their top 19.

I think they're trying to figure out what they're going to do at every single position if absolutely nothing changes between now and September, as should any NFL team. This is why you sign a Jason Fox at this late an hour. Even if they don't come away with a new right tackle (which in their minds I'm positive they believe they will) then Jason Fox is the starter in their minds. At linebacker they're trying to figure out what's the best way to fix a broken but talented unit and they think moving Misi to the inside with Ellerbe at Will and Wheeler at Sam is the way to go. I don't know about Misi at the Mike but I certainly think Ellerbe will make a better Will than Mike and I'm positive that Wheeler will make a better Sam than Will. That doesn't mean any of the players will be worth their coin.

As for Cyrus Kouandjio, like many players who seem to plateau, I question his commitment to getting better. Alabama has a reputation for putting out well-coached and technically sound players. Kouandjio was to be no exception since obviously the man is not all that athletically gifted (as one could see for years on tape, as well as at the Combine).

But most disappointing to me was that in 2013 his footwork was really no better than I'd ever seen it in prior years, and then in the run up to the draft even though James Andrews swears the guy's knee has never interfered with his practice or training regimen, the guy shows up to the Combine and puts out what really is the kind of embarrassing performance that makes me question how hard he trained for it.

Even though he was dominating at the college level I kept watching his prior years tape and wanting to see him do things that show he's a legit athlete with legit left tackle feet and athleticism, and I was left wanting. I hoped he would show up to camp in 2013 more fit than ever, more explosive than ever, more athletic than ever, like so many young and developing players do so often in college...ready to have a better season than their last, and ready to make their final season their best. He just didn't do that.

And if you think he was only exposed in ONE game, then you've really not watched a lot of his tape. Wasn't just Oklahoma and Eric Striker. He also had a piss poor game against Auburn and I saw him getting beaten by relative nobodies earlier in the year. I don't know how comfortable I am with a guy who can have this happen to him in one of his last games of college:



It's one thing if mentally you just keep looking like you're not ready...but you have immense talent. I don't know that Cyrus has ever really had that going for him. He needed to be a size/technique story...and he's missing the latter.

 

Bottom line, I believe there's gonna be better players on the board.

 

That's what I was thinking too. While everyone else is looking at the "Misi to ILB" notion from a Misi standpoint, I was looking at it from a Wheeler & Ellerbe standpoint where Hickey and Coyle's goal might be to move the pair to SAM & WILL, perhaps only temporarily until ties can be cut with one or both, and simply using Misi to facilitate it. If that's the case, all 3 linebacker positions could be viewed as being volatile b/c of the unknowns involved, which means it's quite possible for Mosley to be high on Hickey's list b/c of his versatility.

Hickey can draft Mosley knowing the versatility would allow him next year to cut/trade whichever party isn't up to snuff. If Wheeler has a great camp and preseason at SAM but Ellerbe is lacking at WILL, then Mosley can take over WILL. If Misi looks bad at MIKE, then Mosley can take over and let Misi & Wheeler battle it out at SAM. If Ellerbe is fine at WILL but Wheeler is lacking at SAM, then Misi can shift back to SAM with Mosley taking the middle. But then again, Hickey could be entertaining this Misi to MIKE idea for the simple fact that he does NOT want to draft a linebacker early and would rather look for other means to address the situation, like a shuffling of the current linebackers to see if he can first solve it in house before the use of draft picks.

 

Given what Coyle seems to want in his MLB it wouldn't surprise me if Misi to MLB is more than just about the Ellerbe-Wheeler moves though.

If Rey Maualuga is the kind of player he likes at MLB then Koa Misi probably fits right in.

Ever since Misi was drafted some people thought his future might eventually take him to the Mike position. I thought so as well, although I was pretty adamant that you needed to make that a gradual transition because you can't just have him try to jump from DE at Utah to ILB in the NFL.

At this point I believe they would favor the option of Ryan Shazier more than C.J. Mosley.

 

does that mean you'd feel more comfortable about Wheeler at SAM than Ellerbe at WILL? I might be equally if not more inclined to go with Ellerbe at WILL and then someone slightly bigger at SAM who offers greater pass rush/blitzing potential like Kyle Van Noy. Wheeler paired with Jordan/Vernon on what will occasionally be the strong side does not derive smiles of confidence from me against the run. Van Noy isn't much bigger but at least he's longer, has a little more room left to fill out, and offers better pass rush ability.

 

Ultimately yeah I think Wheeler probably would have more notable an improvement at Sam than Ellerbe will have moving to Will. I've not made it a secret that despite Wheeler's disappointing performance in 2013 I believe he was still better at Will than Ellerbe was at Mike. At least Wheeler brought to the table exactly what they thought they would bring in terms of their stated goals of getting a more attacking player that could blitz. They professed to wanting the same thing out of Ellerbe but he did not give them that at all.

When you look at Wheeler's time in Indianapolis versus his time in Oakland and what helped make him an impact player in Oakland that didn't end up having his weaknesses exploited...I pretty sure that translates better at Sam in this defense than Will.

On the other hand while I suspect that Dannell Ellerbe could be a better player at Will than at Mike, I really don't know that. I don't really know if he's a viable player period, to be honest.

 

That's a good point, the Bengals at least have had pretty strong tendencies for the type of players they've had at the linebacker positions, and Misi fits it two-fold as a converted SOLB(or a close analogue given the strong/weak weirdness here), and him likely being a bigger, run-oriented guy. They also seem to tend to prefer smaller/faster weakside guys, and converted 3-4 OLBs or longer guys at SOLB.

 

I think Misi can do it from a skillset standpoint, he has all the traits, we just don't know if the reading diagnosing is mike backer worthy..I'm excited to find out, he's a good football player ya know..

 

It's also worth noting that the team isn't necessarily in a position where Misi being a run-down only guy is particularly problematic as they've got a Nickel sub on the roster already in Jelani Jenkins.

 

I'm not sure that Misi moving to MLB would affect his status that way. In 2013, Ellerbe and Wheeler were the two that stayed on for nickel packages and even if the two played WLB and SLB in base I wouldn't think that would affect their status in the sub packages. Absent an addition at the position I think Wheeler will be competing with Jenkins to keep his role in nickel defense. Probably a losing battle. They seem to like Jenkins especially for nickel as you say.

 

This.
Jenkins was taking snaps from Wheeler late in the season anyway. We could see a base lineup of Wheeler, Misi, and Ellerbe, and then Jenkins and Ellerbe in the nickel package as the regular rotation.

 

He's also underrated in pass coverage, he's really not bad, he's no jelani, but he's decent, better than Ellerbe I'll tell you that.

 

Just puttin this out there, three years ago, when I was in camp, I watched a perfectly executed drop by Koa Misi, read the out route by the tight end,checked his spacing, lookedat the Qb and jumped the route for the pick six, it was perfect.

Remember that play last year on the sideline against the pats, he was thirty yards downfield, and got his head around for the deflection..I've seen more good in pass defense than bad.

 

Jenkins is in for a big year, imo. This kid just turned 22 in March, and he was playing some very good ball down the stretch last season. Good cover linebackers are big these days, and he flashed those skills late last year. Really looking forward to watching him contribute more. He and Jordan are both primed for breakout years, imo. Very excited.

 

Remember that hit he put on Thad Lewis? Woof. Too bad he beat us twice.

 

Shell smashed, crushed him like a bug in the ground. Got fined for it too. Aside from that flag, the Bills game was a bright spot for him, iirc. Jenkins, who's a sharp kid, is gonna key for us next year, I really think that. Big things from last year's draft class on the horizon, man. Jenkins and Jordan for sure, maybe one of the corners steps up. Philbin on Jenkins:

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/spor...o-mulls-options-fins-notes.html#storylink=cpy
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I see what you did there.. Now if only we could change that signature picture..

 

I know I'm late to this topic but going back to the Kouandjio thing, it sounds like smoke screen to me. What's new to me is that there was nothing wrong with his knee to begin with. The news about the arthritic degenerative knee made me think about what caused Alabama Jesse Williams fall from a first round DT prospect to ending up in the 5th round and missing his rookie season last year. If Kouandjio knee is in fact fine and it was a lie then I think it makes him draftable but I don't think the Dolphins are interested. Personally, I think he's not as athletic as they like. His footwork in pass protection especially when he matched up against a speed rusher like sophomore Oklahoma OLB Striker he struggled. Overall he's a good tackle though but better as a run blocker. I think he's more a man blocking scheme guy.

I don't know if Misi will make a good MIKE but I'm sure coaches can figure that out. I won't mind Mosley at 19; someone who can command a defense and make calls and adjustments quickly before the snap...A Zach Thomas type who can see things and anticipate plays.

 

Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net reports that Alabama OT Cyrus Kouandjio is not a first-round target for the Dolphins, despite previous reports that mentioned just the opposite.

According to Pauline, Notre Dame OL Zack Martin is the “object of their desire,” but Miami reportedly doesn’t expect him to be available by the time they are on the clock.

Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post previously reported that the Dolphins’ GM Dennis Hickey prefers Kouandjio to Martin, so it’s hard to say for certain who the Dolphins are really looking at.

Pauline’s source did say that the Dolphins could look to move back if an opportunity to do so arises.

Pauline specifically mentions that Nevada OT Joel Bitonio could be a target for the Dolphins later in the draft.

Martin has been a popular name connected to the Dolphins in recent Mock Drafts, but apparently they have other targets in mind.

Reports from the NFL Combine mentioned that “several” NFL teams failed had failed Kouandjio after giving him a physical.

He was able to participate in Alabama’s Pro Day and some evaluators have said that they still like him a lot, so there is a chance that there could be some truth to this.

 

I'm thinking they will pick S'ua Filo. That sounds like a pick Miami would make, out of left field, and it fits the Shelley Smith and what Philbin has been talking about.