Two years in, Dion Jordan of the Miami Dolphins remains a mystery. The coaching staff has not figured out the best way to use the former first-round pick. He began as a defensive end and the coaching staff even started him at outside linebacker in Sunday’s season finale against the New York Jets. But according to Jordan, a position switch in 2015 isn’t necessary for him to reach his potential. “I’m a defensive end, man,” Jordan said Monday as players cleaned out their lockers. “I will continue to do whatever they need me to do, whether it’s covering a special-teams kick or blocking on a kickoff return or covering guys in space.” http://espn.go.com/blog/afceast/post/_/id/74522/dolphins-dion-jordan-im-a-defensive-end Good Lord...
To me, this is just another Miami Dolphins player coming out and saying what is honestly correct. He is not a 43 OLB who should dropping into space and building his game around covering and tackling in space. I'm just telling you guys right now that he's going to fail in that capacity. I have no faith in him doing it successfully. He's has the make-up of someone I'd want in my 34 OLB position. We drafted the wrong player. Let's just be honest about it.
Right now he's a major bust. Hopefully we figure out how to use him and he doesn't do anything stupid in the offseason this year.
Its just my opinion, but I think the most glaring issue with Dion Jordan is that he was the 3rd pick in his particular draft year and he has not justified his selection. You would expect a 3rd pick to be an impact player and he hasn't come close to that To compound that fact is that a 2nd round pick was spent to move up to pick him at #3. Our existing 1st round pick and the 2nd round pick could have both made more of an impact than Jordan has, but we will never know. Maybe Jordan will surprise all of us eventually.
I think he can play... but he's best suited to be a 34 OLB or a nickel linebacker WHEN he drops about 20 pounds. And if you don't think he can play in space, I'm not sure what you've been watching this year to form that opinion. Because I saw a guy who tackled Cordarelle Patterson on a kickoff return in the open field even though DJ was overweight in doing it.
Our defense doesn't have a spot for a 34 OLB, so what's the guy supposed to do? It's not his fault so I don't think you say bust. I think you say dumb pick.
34 OLBs occasionally play in space so that's nice for DJ. But there's a difference between asking a guy do occasionally do that versus asking him to do that 90% of the time. I think DJ really would turn into a bust if we asked him to play in space 90% of the time. I think that's a disaster waiting to happen.
Miami's SAM LB position, which was manned by Philip Wheeler this year and Koa Misi in 2013, is not all that dissimilar to a 3-4 SAM LB spot. I *think* Dion Jordan could play that despite not having played that spot in Oregon's 3-4; but he certainly has not shown the chops as a pass-rusher to warrant continued time at DE or as a open-side rush LB in a 3-4.
I think there are repeated examples of Dion Jordan covering, pursuing, and tackling in space this year. At 290 pounds or whatever he's at now.
We didn't draft the wrong player. We have the wrong defensive coordinator and he runs the wrong scheme. I still think that Jordan would excel as a 3-4 OLB.
Well put, haha! I actually like Jordan a lot as a player so I wish I was as optimistic about his fitting into a 43 as so many here who say it's going to work. If we could transition to a 34 I think it would be awesome because we could ship out Wake today and Jordan would be the perfect replacement. I think we could roll with Misi, Tripp and Jenkins as the inside guys as well. We don't have a NT and that's a big need in the 34 but as some have argued the right scheme could turn Earl Mitchell into a bit of a solution.
