I like to do this after the draft. Mainly because we really don't know who will be available in any given round prior to the draft. However we can plainly see who was still on the board after its all said and done. I usually do it on Monday so my favorites are fresh in my mind. Then I look back after a few years to see whether I was right or wrong. Last year this would have been my draft if I was the Dolphins' GM. Round 1 - LT Jake Long, Michigan I know it sounds like B.S. but I liked Long because the 1st overall pick is so important you can't afford to screw it up. Because of that you just couldn't ignore the fact that Long could also play RT or even Guard if he didn't pan out. I also liked Matt Ryan, Chris Long, and Glenn Dorsey but they only play one position. If any of them was a bust you would be screwed. Plus our offensive line had been ignored for years. We hadn't had an OT in the Pro Bowl since Richmond Webb in 1996. The added benefit was being able to move Carey back over to the right side. Round 2A - CB Tracy Porter, Indiana I felt Tracy Porter was a tremendous cover corner in a tremendous cornerback class. If he was in this year's draft he would be a 1st rounder for sure. He got injured in the Saints' fifth game last season but he already had a sack and an interception under his belt. Ted Ginn will have to face him in Week 7. I like Merling but I still believe Porter in the 2nd and Red Bryant in the 4th would have been a better draft for us. Round 2B - QB Chad Henne, Michigan I wasn't even targeting Henne but when he landed in our laps it was just too good to pass up even with Beck already on the roster. Round 3 - OLB Cliff Avril, Purdue I couldn't believe Cliff Avril didn't go in the 2nd round. I would have sprinted up to the podium to draft him in the 3rd. He amassed 5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles for a very bad Detroit team last year. Not bad for a rookie. If we hadn't made the trade with the Lions I would have drafted John Greco in the 3rd round. However I really like Langford and I'm glad we got him. Round 4 - OG Chad Rinehart, Northern Iowa Chad Rinehart would have been a need pick in the 4th round because the guy I would have really wanted would have been Red Bryant but I would have been freaking out that we didn't have a starting RG. Rinehart is currently backing up Derrick Dockery in Washington. I would have targeted Shawn Murphy in the 7th round. Round 6A - ILB Spencer Larsen, Arizona I was really high on Larsen and never thought he would make it to the 6th round. Another sprint up to the podium. I have to say it would have been a much better pick than Jalen Parmele. Round 6B - SS Josh Barrett, Arizona State After Yeremiah Bell's injury I really felt like we needed depth at SS. I saw some projections that had Barrett going in the 3rd to 4th round so I thought he was a steal in the 6th. In 6 games he had 22 tackles, 1 INT, and broke up 4 passes for Denver. BTW I'm a big fan Tyrone Culver so all we need now is a backup FS who is a standout on special teams. Round 6C - RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Mississippi Green-Ellis was a beast in the East West Shrine game and I wasn't sold on Ricky making it through the season. He went undrafted so probably not the smartest use of a draft pick but it would have been worth it to me just to keep him away from the Pats. He rushed for 275 yards and 5 touchdowns in 9 games. Because of my mancrush on Green-Ellis I'm very curious to see how Lex Hilliard pans out. Round 7A - FB Peyton Hillis, Arkansas Just like with Henne I wasn't targeting a FB but I was such a huge fan of Schmitt, Hester, and Hillis. I never thought one of them would still be on the board in the 7th round. In 12 games he rushed for 343 yards and 5 touchdowns for Denver. He had another 179 yards in receptions and a receiving TD. Plus he was their leading rusher last season. Wow. I would have hit a homerun with this pick. If hadn't already drafted Avril I would have taken Gary Guyton here. Guyton was another player who went undrafted but he stuck with the Pats. Round 7B - WR Jason Rivers, Hawaii That's right. I really liked all the wideouts from Hawaii and I thought Rivers was the best one. Boy was I wrong. Believe or not I would have also considered Lionel Dotson and Keilen Dykes here. Obviously I wasn't concerned with building the defensive line. I felt like Holliday, Ferguson, Starks, Soliai, and Wright were good enough. Guess that's why I'm not the GM or coach of the Dolphins. I'm so glad Parcells and Ireland didn't listen to me. Plus I would have missed on Donald Thomas.
