My Dolphins' first mock draft (mid-combine)

I would rather see them keep Wallace, restructure Hartline and instead draft a LB, CB, Safety, or OL with their first round pick.

These positions are a much bigger need than WR at this time. In fact I think TE and another RB are bigger needs on offense than another WR.

 

I think the fact that we have so many pressing needs it would be smarter to grab a LB, FS, CB, DT in the first round and throw on top of that the fact the WR class is so deep, we should grab a WR in the second round. Most fans here ***** about the Defense losing ball games but dont want to adress this area in the 1st round. Its laughable.

 

Not a fan of drafting for need. Take the best non QB available and let the chips fall where they may.

 

Its still easy to go non WR and it still be BPA because of how many needs we have across the board. Especially on defense.

I think best value in first two rounds would be to go LB, DT, FS, CB in first round amd grab one of the remaining second round WRs in round two (Perhaps Nelson Agholor or Jaelen Strong). That is smart GM'ing.

 

I'd agree but Hartline is hot garbage.

 

Might have to trade up for one of those wide receivers. I'm all for targeting a WR, but they're increasingly becoming the league's playmakers in the most important phase of the game (pass offense).

 

The irony in this whole post is astounding.

You say two guys who havent even touched an NFL field are automatically going to be 700 yard type WRs..(BTW, where did you get your crystal ball, from that statement I would think you got it from the store "Five Below")

Then you go on to say an injury prone CB and an underwhelming CB can be starters for years? I feel like im taking crazy pills after reading your post. I like Jamar Taylor too but come on man.

 

Agreed. I'd only go WR in the top half of the first if the guy is a perennial pro bowl type. It seems every year WR is the fan preference but there are several more important positions in terms of winning games and we should to those spots first.

 

I guess you missed the fact the defense was absolutely terrible over the latter part of last season. In fact it was the defense which prevented the Dolphins from making the playoffs.

I have no idea how you are convinced Taylor and Davis will be long term players for the Dolphins. As you stated, they haven't been able to stay healthy and while Taylor has the skill set to be an effective player in the NFL, he still remains a huge question mark, IMO.

Davis really hasn't shown anything during the regular season. He has played his best ball during preseason and in practice. I just don't see him as a DB the Dolphins can count on long term.

I would love to see the Dolphins add an offensive guard in free agency and use the draft to rebuild their defense. It wouldn't bother me in the least if they used everyone of their picks in the draft on defensive players.

That is where the real problems are on this team and the area which needs to get a lot better before this team can even think about being a legitimate playoff contender.

 

The only gaping holes are LG and SS.

If Landon Collins is there for us, we take him, it's a no brainer.

Scherf would be tempting but there are some really intriguing guard prospects in every round of this draft.

 

Our defensive breakdown was not in the CB department. It was everywhere else in the defense.

Also, our oline needs help.

 

I agree the oline needs help. If they can't find help in free agency for the OL, I would have no problem with them selecting another offensive lineman with their first round pick.

While Grimes and Jones appear solid in the secondary, I'm just not that comfortable with the rest of the players in the secondary at this time. Wilson was terrible and while Delmas was effective before his injury, I don't have any idea if they plan to try and bring him back.

I like Taylor's skill set, but I still don't know if he is a long term answer at the CB position or not. Even if he does prove to be a solid starter in 2015, there just isn't much depth in the secondary at this time,IMO.

I believe their biggest need on defense is an impact MLB. I just don't know if there is one of those available to them with the 14th pick in the first round. Unless McCain and Jordan come in and show they can become effective LB's on this defense, the LB position just might be the biggest need on this entire team.

The DT position also needs to be upgraded. They need a player inside who can consistently occupy two Offensive linemen on running plays. Therefore freeing up the LB's to make more plays. Right now they just don't have a dominant defensive tackle on the roster.

While I agree with you that the OL remains a concern and needs to be upgraded this off season. I just think that the defense is the major issue with this team at this time.

Drafting a WR in the first round, instead of keeping Wallace and attempting to restructure Hartline just doesn't make much sense to me. I just don't see the WR position as a problem area. Unless they are dumb enough to trade or cut their best WR and create a problem at the position.

 

I'm starting to think we won't go after a WR in the first anymore mainly because of the depth in this draft. With White and Cooper likely already off the board by the time we pick, they may want to address the CB position, which is a pretty big need, and Waynes might still be there. There will still be decent WRs on the board in the second and third round. Last year's draft they also went with need in the first round when they picked Jawaun James, and it was a glaring need. I guess it'll depend on what they do in free agency.. if they fail to bring in a good veteran CB, they'll definitely pick one early in the draft.

 

I wouldn't go after a wide receiver in the 1st unless Cooper or White are still there, or they're willing to trade up to get one of them, similar to how the Falcons got Julio Jones. I think you target a WR in free agency, and get a DT or CB in the 1st. The difference-makers at WR in this draft are Cooper and White, and unless you're getting one of them, focus somewhere else for improvement in the 1st.

 

I'd put DGB in that category as well, but I'm already ruling him out, doubt we go after him... Trae Waynes in the first and Nelson Agholor in the second (if he makes it there) sounds pretty good to me.

 

Love it. Only thing that would change that for me if for some reason Shelton dropped.

 

Thomas was decent at OG last year, Turner will be in his second year, Shelly Smith was just signed last season. Not a fan of those guys?

 

I don't know much about the specific players but CB/WR in rounds 1-2 sounds damn good. LB or S would be nice too, depending on who's available.

 

I think we have to target an olineman in the first 2 rounds, certainly in the first 3. We need depth on the oline or a potential starter early in the draft.

 

If we go into next season with Hartline still on this roster, I'm going to be pretty upset. I want Hartline and Gibson gone, drafting Hartline's replacement. We need help on offensive line, and help in the secondary. I hope we don't have a chance at a big, impact receiver and pass on it.

 

Count me in for BPA, but open to anything. I think there are vets that can be gotten for S and CB. The cbs from what I've read are not world beaters this year. From the mocks I've seen it seems like the best players around 14 may be a WR or DT. If we can trade back slightly it seems LB, G or even RB would be good.

i also do think a playmaker at WR or RB is a huge need, as our red zone issues and inability to get a first down to keep the D from having to make yet another stop were a big problem last year. There were plenty of times the D stopped someone only to have to do it again.

 

Over the last six games of the 2014 season the defense gave up 32.5 points a game. This includes the first Jets games in which the Jets only scored 16 points.

The fact so many people seem to think the WR's are the problem with this team is beyond me. Right now the Dolphins have one of the worst defenses in the NFL and until that is fixed, this team is only going to remain mediocre or worse.

The Dolphins are 2-3 years from being a legitimate playoff team. So they need to spend the next couple of drafts rebuilding the defense and getting some young quality offensive linemen. There will plenty of time in the future to draft a quality WR in the early rounds. Right now there are far more important needs on this team than drafting a WR in the early rounds of this years draft.

 

Too early for real mock drafts. Got to see who we let go and who we grab that first week of FA before we can rule people out.

 

I do agree...I was complaining about our defense all season...BUT I WANT A RECEIVER SO BADLY!!! LOL. I know it's stupid, and we really should go defense and oline.

 

Its not stupid Res. Im open to a WR in rd 1 as long as it is White or Cooper or DGB, I do not want Parker. I just think it would be smarter to grab one of the many defensive needs in round 1 then grab Agholor or Strong in round 2.

I do indeed, want a WR somewhere at least in first 3 rounds, preferably round 2.

 

The WRS are A problem, not the problem. So was the short yardage running game. I want a WR or a TE that can use their body for the ball and a RB that can bust through for short yardage. Both of these would help our QBs deficiencies.

The D was pretty good before the wheels fell off in the interior D line and LB. I think DT is a huge need. I also would love a good ILB, but I think it's possible to do ok with a vet or even keep Misi there (worst case). CB's usually take years to develop, regardless of the round. I'd just rather have a vet and hopefully Coyle can work some magic. IF it has a draft with some studs and CB that would be one thing, I've just read it isnt. We absolutely do need young talent on D though, don't get me wrong. Doesn't mean it HAS to be round 1.

 

The logic behind drafting BPA is that if you keep drafting for need, you end up with too many average players. I think drafting for need is clearly the best thing to do if you are 1-2 pieces away from a championship and you just need to plug some holes. But if as you say we are 2-3 years away from being a legit playoff team, then BPA makes a lot of sense, even if it's in an area that's already decent (e.g WR).

Of course, if the difference in quality isn't that great, then of course you draft for need (I'd choose Shelton over White if we don't fix DT in FA), but otherwise I'm fine with picking high quality over plugging holes with just decent players.

Oh, and as was pointed out by others, our defense was OK before the injuries, so that suggests we don't need to necessarily spend a 1st on defense.

 

Lets not overlook how many injuries we had on D.

Jones, Jordan, Wheeler, Ellerbe, Misi, Jenkins, Finnegan, Thomas, Wilson, Taylor, Davis, that's 11, did I miss anyone, who were out for multiple games. 6 from the secondary alone, the top four LBs, the 3rd overall pick. What defense plays well in that spot?

The offense was lucky by comparison, only losing Moreno, Clay, Albert, Pouncey, while Hartline and Gibson struggled to make it back from serious knee injuries.

We are in bad shape at CB, MLB, FS on D. Plus RB and #2 WR on O. That's assuming Odrick and Clay are re-signed. It's not more of a hill than a mountain.

 

I like ali marpet but i think he is going to go before the sixth round. He had a great showing at the combine.

 

The problem is that the Dolphins have many needs. They need offensive linemen, LB's, secondary help, and interior defensive linemen.

I have to suspect there will be a quality player on the board at one of these positions when the Dolphins draft in the first round. So I would rather them upgrade a real area of need and I just don't see WR being that big a need at this time.

They need to keep Wallace. If Hartline won't agree to restructure his contract, they can always cut him and sign another veteran WR in free agency.

I agree I don't want them to just settle for a decent or average player with their first round pick. I just feel like they can find a quality player with the 14th pick in the draft that is not a WR.

I have stated it many times. The DEFENSE is the major problem with this team and it needs to be fixed before this team will be decent.

Give me two quality guards on office and I will be happy with the offsense going into next year. On defense though, the only players I feel comfortable with at this time are Grimes, Wake, Jones, Jenkins, and Vernon.
Other than these players, the rest of the players on defense are either huge question marks or just not good enough.

 

What is sad is that the way we have drafted in the last 10 years or so we could have stocked half the teams in the league with defensive players. We really can address OL and Defense in FA. There are allot of real good quality playmakers available again in this year's draft and it is high time we stock up on them.

 

If they can find a quality player that's also a need, great then pick him. But if the choice is between someone like White and a good player at a position of need, I'm taking White (which longer term helps us by allowing us to get rid of Wallace and his cap hit). Well, in the end all that matters is what Hickey does. I really hope he nails this draft and comes out with at least one good WR because not every draft will allow us to have a cheap yet good WR core for years to come.

 

The only defensive players who were injured who are worth keeping are Jones, Jenkins and possibly Taylor if he can start playing to his skill set. You did leave Delmas off your list and he is probably the best of the rest. With his history of injuries though, I think they need to find a better solution in the draft or possibly in free agency for this safety position.

I've never been a fan of Misi and he can't stay on the field because of injuries. Finnegan is over the hill and he was mediocre at best last year. Thomas is more a ST player than a defensive back. Wilson was terrible last year and Davis seems to only show up during training camp. I don't see him as a player the defense can rely on long term.

I have been stating for two years that Jordan will never be more than a below average player in the NFL. I just don't see the desire or football intelligence needed to be the player the Dolphins thought they were getting when they drafted him. Even when he was on the field last year and wasn't injured, he was basically a non factor on defense.

I am surprised you listed Wheeler because he played liked he was injured, even when he was fully healthy. He was one of the worst free agent signings in Dolphins history.

Probably the best thing to happen for the defense last season was the injury to Ellerbe. He was terrible in 2013 and it was only because he was out for the season that we learned how productive Jenkins could be in the starting lineup. Because there is no way the coaching staff would have been smart enough to replace Ellerbe with Jenkins in the starting lineup, if they had not been forced to be of Ellerbe's season ending injury.

 

I think that a lot of people who want a WR in the first round feel this team is close to being a playoff team.

I just think they are 2-3 quality drafts from being a legitimate playoff team. I would rather see them start building with younger talent who will be around when they hopefully become a quality team in two or three years.

No matter who they take in the first round this year. I don't see them being any better than 6-10 or possibly 7-9 next year.
The defense has just regressed so much, it is going to take a few years to get it back to merely average, IMO.

 

I think they're close, more like one quality draft + a lucky year without major injuries. I think you can make the case we would've gotten into the playoffs without a few defensive lapses, OR better yet with better coaching! In my opinion it's less the talent on this team and instead more how that talent is used that's holding us back from the playoffs.

 

I agree with you for the most part, though my overall outlook is a bit more optimistic. I saw D that played well for the first 10 games before falling off in the last 1/3 of the season and I can't help but think that injuries and their cumulative effect played a significant role.

The LB unit needs serious work and the CB position is cloudy at best. I don't see us having a top tier defense anytime soon. However I do think we can field an average or slightly above average group that excels at rushing the passer and creating TOs.

I'm in favor of spending most of our resources on offense this year, turning that unit into a top tier unit. Improve the D by keeping them off the field and giving them more points to work with.

 

I respect your opinion in regards to building a top tier offense. I just feel that the defense has regressed over each of the past three years and I think it is very likely they will be a defense near the bottom of the NFL unless they severely upgrade the overall talent.

To become a top tier offense. I think they are going to have to find two solid guards and Albert is going to have to come back and play at the same level he did before his latest serious knee injury. I think they also have to find a RB who can be effective at running the ball late in close games and in short yardage situations.

While I like Clay as an H-Back type of receiver. I still think they need to find a more complete TE who can run block and be a threat in the middle of the field when they get into the red zone.

I would love to see them find a bigger WR who can be a huge target for Tannehill. I just don't feel that this is the year they need to spend a high draft pick on a WR.

My view is there are more important needs on the team at this time, but I certainly understand those individuals who would love to see one of the top WR's in this draft lining up for the Dolphins next year.