Anybody else excited about Igbinoghene?

Our corners seem to be the strength of our defense so far.

That was a really cool article! Glad I read it, thanks for sharing.

Definitely. His combination of athleticism and football IQ is exciting. I'm most excited about our first 4 picks and Perry.

At almost 71 and six weeks from retirement from the pulpit, I would be excited if someone put up a set of directions about pronouncing his name.

"RevRick wrote:

At almost 71 and six weeks from retirement from the pulpit, I would be excited if someone put up a set of directions about pronouncing his name.

Just call him 'Iggy'...

"RevRick wrote:

At almost 71 and six weeks from retirement from the pulpit, I would be excited if someone put up a set of directions about pronouncing his name.

Igg - been - ugg - ghenny

What are ya'lls thoughts on X? Will this be his last year as a Dolphin? I know we value CBs, but what if Igbinoghene, or another guy really comes on? Would you be opposed to Grier shedding X and his salary to another team, during the season, for 2021 draft picks if we have a guy who can hold his own on the outside?

"Phin McCool wrote:

Just call him 'Iggy'...

That's what i'll do, likely as long as he's on the team, lol.

As far as my feelings about him, I think that he's going to take time and patience, but could end up being really good. He's literally the youngest player in Miami Dolphins history for one, and from what I've seen from his highlights, a lot of what he did in college would be counted as penalties in the NFL. Let Flores and company coach him up, and hopefully we'll have a really good 22 year old starter in a couple of years.

"Surfs Up 99 wrote:

With us picking Tua he's a guy that's easy to overlook. I am pretty happy with the pick now that I have learned more about him. Here's a nice blog Barry Jackson wrote on him...

https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/barry-jackson/article242417911.html

Thanks for posting that. It was a good read and very interesting.

Noah has the potential to become a big name, not just in South Florida, but throughout the NFL. He has two of the best CBs around to learn from and with the right coaching, he could be a major star for years.

I hate the position pick for sure still, however I'm still excited to see what he brings to the table, and how exactly the Dolphins plan to infuse him, especially at that price (1st rd.) I hope they make him a safety and he puts on some muscle mass.

"IdrA wrote:

I hate the position pick for sure still, however I'm still excited to see what he brings to the table, and how exactly the Dolphins plan to infuse him, especially at that price (1st rd.) I hope they make him a safety and he puts on some muscle mass.

I'm not sure he'd ever really be big enough to play safety, and it seems like playing press man is his strength, so I'm guessing he sticks at corner. Having three high end corners stopping the other team's WRs is a highly useful thing.

"Unlucky 13 wrote:

I'm not sure he'd ever really be big enough to play safety, and it seems like playing press man is his strength, so I'm guessing he sticks at corner. Having three high end corners stopping the other team's WRs is a highly useful thing.

So he's going to cover slot receivers? Woowee, glad we had to go into the 1st round for that need. He seems a little short and scrawny you're right about that. We coulda added a WR or an actual S or even a DT prospect.

"IdrA wrote:

So he's going to cover slot receivers? Woowee, glad we had to go into the 1st round for that need. He seems a little short and scrawny you're right about that. We coulda added a WR or an actual S or even a DT prospect.

With most teams using three and four WR sets, we need guys capable of covering them. Last season, Rowe ended up doing an OK job, eventually, covering TEs. I'm guessing he'll be in that role to start this season too, but I think we'll look to develop someone to replace him there. Whether that's Brandon Jones or not, I don't know.

Either way, I would think that a true safety is on the top of the list for next offseason. Can't fix everything or fill every hole all at once.

"IdrA wrote:

So he's going to cover slot receivers? Woowee, glad we had to go into the 1st round for that need. He seems a little short and scrawny you're right about that. We coulda added a WR or an actual S or even a DT prospect.

I agree that those other positions that you listed are important, too. However, for me, it's like TE, you give me a stud at slot CB and I am one happy camper.

The NFL continues to undervalue slot cornerbacks wrote:

...Troy Aikman pointed out, “There’s a lot of great corners in this league that can’t play inside because of two-way breaks and you’ve got more space around you”; Deion Sanders declared that he was one such cornerback, saying, “I couldn’t do it. In that slot, man, you’ve got to be on it. You can’t guess”; and former NFL linebacker Chris Spielman called the slot “probably the most difficult position to play on the field.”

Rub routes, option routes, hot routes — slot cornerbacks must be able to deal with it all, and they must do so in open space without the benefit of the sideline. We’re increasingly seeing high-level wide receivers that either primarily play in the slot or travel inside frequently to exploit defensive matchups. Last season, Tyler Lockett, Chris Godwin, Keenan Allen and Tyreek Hill all ran over 50% of their routes from the slot. That means the highest-graded wide receiver in the entire league in 2019 (Godwin) ran the majority of his routes from the slot...

https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-the-nfl-continues-undervalue-slot-cornerbacks

"Unlucky 13 wrote:

With most teams using three and four WR sets, we need guys capable of covering them. Last season, Rowe ended up doing an OK job, eventually, covering TEs. I'm guessing he'll be in that role to start this season too, but I think we'll look to develop someone to replace him there. Whether that's Brandon Jones or not, I don't know.

Either way, I would think that a true safety is on the top of the list for next offseason. Can't fix everything or fill every hole all at once.

Plus, I think it's more about scheme in general- we don't want to run a lot of zone coverage and you don't have to with three elite corners. If we're shutting down the opposing team's top three receivers with three players then covering that TE or RB suddenly becomes a lot easier while also dialing up pressure with your remaining 8 guys.

Also, it's important to point out that the Fins had Iggy rated the #1 corner in the draft...so it really doesn't matter what other boards or outside sources thought about the pick.

Slot CB is a starting position in the NFL generally and in particular for the Dolphins. We have 5 or more defensive backs on the field around 70% of the time.

"KeyFin wrote:

Plus, I think it's more about scheme in general- we don't want to run a lot of zone coverage and you don't have to with three elite corners. If we're shutting down the opposing team's top three receivers with three players then covering that TE or RB suddenly becomes a lot easier while also dialing up pressure with your remaining 8 guys.

Also, it's important to point out that the Fins had Iggy rated the #1 corner in the draft...so it really doesn't matter what other boards or outside sources thought about the pick.

Really? I didn't know that. Sweet!

"Unlucky 13 wrote:

I'm not sure he'd ever really be big enough to play safety, and it seems like playing press man is his strength, so I'm guessing he sticks at corner. Having three high end corners stopping the other team's WRs is a highly useful thing.

So are safeties generally bigger than CBS?

"Phil Hutchings wrote:

So are safeties generally bigger than CBS?

Yes, traditionally. Usually heavier and bulkier.

"Unlucky 13 wrote:

Yes, traditionally. Usually heavier and bulkier.

Thanks.

Is that because safeties have to tackle TEs and RBs, as well as receivers, whereas CBs, more often than not, only cover WRs?

"Phil Hutchings wrote:

Thanks.

Is that because safeties have to tackle TEs and RBs, as well as receivers, whereas CBs, more often than not, only cover WRs?

It depends on the system, whether they're playing free safety or strong safety, and has changed quite a bit recently. On some teams, for a long time, strong safetys were almost an extra linebacker. You had guys like Steve Atwater and Rodney Harrison, who were over 6'1", 220 lbs. Sometimes guys who were even bigger and hit like a truck. And then often the free safety was a faster, more agile player, but still bigger than the corners.

Back when I started following the NFL very closely about 30 years ago, it wasn't uncommon for CBs to be very short. You'd see guys out there who were under 5'10" all the time, while safetys were almost always over six foot. But corners have evolved to often be taller and stronger, while safetys have evolved to not be quite as big as they used to be (linebackers too, for that matter). These days, there's less of a clear distinction between the two on some teams.

However, to my original point, Iggy is built more like a corner, with a slimmer frame. He's also extremely fast and plays well in press coverage, so it would be foolish to move him off of the more demanding, and valuable, CB spot if he can develop into a starter there.

"Unlucky 13 wrote:

It depends on the system, whether they're playing free safety or strong safety, and has changed quite a bit recently. On some teams, for a long time, strong safetys were almost an extra linebacker. You had guys like Steve Atwater and Rodney Harrison, who were over 6'1", 220 lbs. Sometimes guys who were even bigger and hit like a truck. And then often the free safety was a faster, more agile player, but still bigger than the corners.

Back when I started following the NFL very closely about 30 years ago, it wasn't uncommon for CBs to be very short. You'd see guys out there who were under 5'10" all the time, while safetys were almost always over six foot. But corners have evolved to often be taller and stronger, while safetys have evolved to not be quite as big as they used to be (linebackers too, for that matter). These days, there's less of a clear distinction between the two on some teams.

However, to my original point, Iggy is built more like a corner, with a slimmer frame. He's also extremely fast and plays well in press coverage, so it would be foolish to move him off of the more demanding, and valuable, CB spot if he can develop into a starter there.

Thank you for the comprehensive reply; it’s very much appreciated.

The first time I really took any notice of Corner play wa during Super Bowl XIII (it was the only live NFL shown over here at that time). Lester Hayes and Mike Haynes were fantastic for the Raiders that night and Joe Theisman was hardly able to find a receiver all game.

Then I remember "Neon" Dion, who was brilliant - when he wasn’t playing baseball!

"Phil Hutchings wrote:

Thanks.

Is that because safeties have to tackle TEs and RBs, as well as receivers, whereas CBs, more often than not, only cover WRs?

I played in the Brit League in the 90's and I was a CB. I was quite fast and agile. Unfortunately, we had two other CB's who were faster and more agile, so I ended up at Strong Safety. If you looked at a fixture list now and picked out a few random fixtures, I could tell you exactly what the weather was doing for any of them cos I spent most of the time on my back, staring up at the sky, having been planted there by a strapping 6 foot plus TE coming out of the backfield. :chuckle:

"KeyFin wrote:

Plus, I think it's more about scheme in general- we don't want to run a lot of zone coverage and you don't have to with three elite corners. If we're shutting down the opposing team's top three receivers with three players then covering that TE or RB suddenly becomes a lot easier while also dialing up pressure with your remaining 8 guys.

Also, it's important to point out that the Fins had Iggy rated the #1 corner in the draft...so it really doesn't matter what other boards or outside sources thought about the pick.

If true that's actually quite worrying in terms of how Grier evaluates talent and sets up the draft board. I don't know how anybody could rate Iggy above guys like Okudah and CJ Henderson. It explains a lot as to why the dolphins seemed to reach on several picks.