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Dolphins sign "PROJECT X" WR Matt Cole

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by DOLFANMIKE, Apr 29, 2020.

  1. DOLFANMIKE

    DOLFANMIKE FOOTBALL COACH 32 YEARS Luxury Box

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    Thoughts?



    In 2019, Cole was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Special Teams Player of the Year and was an all-conference first-team selection as a wide receiver and a returner.

    He caught 43 passes for 939 yards and 12 touchdowns. As a returner, he averaged 27 yards on kickoffs with a 100-yard touchdown and 26 yards on punts with a 74-yard score.

    The 5-9, 197-pound Curie grad made a name for himself at Northwestern’s pro day on March 10, running a 4.48 in the 40-yard dash and posting a 37.5-inch vertical jump.

    “That was my combine since I didn’t get a chance to get invited to the actual combine,” Cole said.

    The stakes were high. But he said, there was “no need to be nervous. I knew I had to make an impression, to prove I belong and can compete at the next level.”

    The various draft evaluators have taken notice.
     
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  2. my 2 cents

    my 2 cents Well-Known Member

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    The thing that gives him a shot is his play speed and the fact he made slo many tackles on ST's. It was also the way he did it, he is obviously a talented ST's guy with upside.

     
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  3. Vinny Fins

    Vinny Fins Feisty Brooklyn dolfan ️‍

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  4. Fishhead

    Fishhead Well-Known Member

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    Great read. Really pulling for the kid.
     
  5. AGuyNamedAlex

    AGuyNamedAlex Well-Known Member

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    4.48 is fast, but I'm not sure it's incredibly fast for a guy who is 5'9 and needs it to make up for his size.

    Dont get me wrong, I hope he turns out to be an excellent slot or #4 receiver who can contribute on special teams, but it seems like a big uphill battle. More so than typical project players.
     
  6. Phil Hutchings

    Phil Hutchings Well-Known Member

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    Yeah, me too.

    And it’s a no-lose situation for the Dolphins.
     
  7. Phil Hutchings

    Phil Hutchings Well-Known Member

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    Albert Wilson is 5’ 9" too, as is Mark Clayton. I think Duper is 5’ 8”.

    My point is, you don’t necessarily have to be tall to make it.
     
  8. danmarino

    danmarino Tua is H1M! Club Member

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    Cole 40- 4.48

    Wilson- 4.43
     
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  9. Phil Hutchings

    Phil Hutchings Well-Known Member

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    Thanks
     
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  10. Surfs Up 99

    Surfs Up 99 Team Flores & Team Tua

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    I am not sure if Cole or Wilson fits in this category or not, but I always love it when a guy plays faster on the field ( like Jerry Rice) than what his 40 times would indicate.
     
  11. AGuyNamedAlex

    AGuyNamedAlex Well-Known Member

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    I'm not saying its impossible, I'm just saying you need a lot of skills that are well refined to make up for the size disadvantage and even then, to be a #3 WR.

    WR is one position I do generally believe size matters because it impacts the catch radius of a player and what types of routes he can run effectively.

    I mean think about it, if you had two WR with the same athletic skills, but one is 6'2 and one is 5'9 wouldnt you choose the 6'2 guy?

    So like I said, I'm just saying it's an uphill battle for him.

    Also those guys you listed were great and small, it's not impossible. It's just far less likely.
     
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  12. Tin Indian

    Tin Indian Rockin' The Bottom End Club Member

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    If I remember Rice ran a 4.7. Unreal. Never looked close to that slow on the field.
     
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  13. my 2 cents

    my 2 cents Well-Known Member

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    Duper was 190 at his heaviest, Mark Clayton 185, and Nat Moore always listed at 183. Clayton ran 4.6, Duper 4.43, and Nat Moore around 4.6.....Cole ran 4.48 at 204, he is a thick kid especially through his trunk, chest and arms. Kirk Merritt tested absolutely off the charts physically and did it across the board and at what was a a verified 6-0, 215...his build is different than Cole, Merritt is thicker in the legs and not quite as compact or thick up top. I would be interested to see Merritts hand size since in pictures his mitts look huge. I guess these guys would all be considered "smaller" WR's but IMHO they are all plenty big enough to warrant a look on the boundary or in the slot and are not just "gimmick" situational guys.....if they have the talent.....
     
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  14. Phil Hutchings

    Phil Hutchings Well-Known Member

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    Yeah, I can see your point.

    He's obviously not in the same class as the Marks Brothers, maybe not even Wilson.

    But, as I said earlier, the Dolphins have nothing to lose in giving him a tryout.

    And nor does Cole.
     
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  15. Tin Indian

    Tin Indian Rockin' The Bottom End Club Member

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    Hey, he is a UDFA. Nothing to lose and, in fact, quite the opposite. We've done well with those kind of guys.
     
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  16. Ronnie Bass

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    Duper I believe ran a 40 under 4.3
     
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  17. Ronnie Bass

    Ronnie Bass Luxury Box Luxury Box

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    Watching his tape and the way tackles, I would be intrigued to see how he would do on the other side of the ball. Too small to play safety.
     
  18. Phil Hutchings

    Phil Hutchings Well-Known Member

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    Is Preston Williams one such player?
     
  19. Tin Indian

    Tin Indian Rockin' The Bottom End Club Member

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    Yes but I think since he would have been drafted but for his baggage I'd consider him a little different.
     
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  20. my 2 cents

    my 2 cents Well-Known Member

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    Yep Duper at his pro day ran 4.28. Some clocks had him at 4.4 but whatever Duper could flat out fly. I read an article years ago that eliminated the first ten and last ten of the time. and he was right there with some of the fastest top 5 times ever.

     
  21. The Guy

    The Guy Well-Known Member

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    What they should be doing is having these guys run 100 yards (the length of a football field) and clocking their time in miles per hour over the duration of the run. Then you could make comparisons among players with regard to their speeds at any point within the 100 yards.
     
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  22. Phil Hutchings

    Phil Hutchings Well-Known Member

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    That’s a bit pointless, IMHO, as footballers rarely run that far in one burst, unless it’s a KO/punt return, of course.

    Clocking a player’s 40 speed is much more relevant to a gameday scenario.
     
  23. The Guy

    The Guy Well-Known Member

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    The 40-yard distance is certainly a more typically run distance than 100 yards in a game situation. The problem is, you don't know how fast the player was running at any point during the 40 yards. You know only the time it took him to run that distance.

    A few simple sample questions illustrate the benefit of doing it the way I suggested.

    When Henry Ruggs ran 4.27 at the combine this year, was he running faster or slower at the 20-yard mark than some other player (pick one)? How much faster or slower was he running than other players at that point? How about at 10 yards? How about at 30? Did Ruggs run faster from 0 to 10 yards than he did from 20 to 30 yards? Did he slow down, speed up, or say the same from 30 to 40 yards?

    None of those questions can be answered if the only information we have is the time it took him to run 40 yards.

    So what you do is have them run 100 yards and clock their speed in miles per hour, and then you know how fast they were running at 5 yards, 10 yards, 15 yards, 20 yards, 50 yards, 90 yards, and 100 yards (or pick any other point in the run).

    That way you have measures of acceleration, maintenance of speed, top end speed and where that occurred (did it happen at 10 yards or at 60 yards for example), and deceleration and where that occurred (did they decelerate at 40 yards or at 70 for example), over the length of the run.

    And guess what? You can also time the guy from 0 to 40 yards and have exactly the measure you've always had -- the time it took him to run 40 yards.

    It's by far the smarter way to do it and would provide far more information about the player and his speed/running style/running endurance than the typical 40-yard run clocked in time, which is almost worthless by comparison.
     
  24. DOLFANMIKE

    DOLFANMIKE FOOTBALL COACH 32 YEARS Luxury Box

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    I think Cole will be a very good special Teams player.
     
  25. Etrius24

    Etrius24 Well-Known Member

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    Having track speed helps... Game speed is what matters how fast do you play in gear with the football?

    The guy can run and play.... Being a guy that can play special teams gives him a legit shot to stick. The future is limitless for him if he shines on special teams... We need a kick returner... Gator is terrible.
     

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