I think it's telling that the Dolphins draft is pretty much universally loved, not liked, loved, by draftnicks. There are a few grumpy grumpkin fans that hate it, but there always are.
By my count, we drafted 4 starters (Waddle, Phillips, Holland, Eichenberg), 2 rotational starters (Long, Doaks) and a really mean prospect in Coleman. You're absolutely right, a few may not develop, but this is a better team today than it was a few weeks ago. If both Holland and Phillips step up, this is going to be a scary good defense! I'm also very excited to see Tua's growth in year two since I believe he has a complete team around him.
Oh just stop with all the reason and logic already! Reediculoussness! My biggest takeaway from this draft: They had a plan. They stuck like Chuck to their plan. Waddle was the man from Go, firmly believe that. That pick and every other pick, including the trades on draft days, there was NO HESITATION. As soon as the Dolphins were on the clock, pick was in or deal was done. And not desperation moves, talking heads and fans had other ideas (hence all the sadness, tribulation, and weeping amongst the women) and in most circumstances those players were on the board and they passed on them for their guys. Here's the thing: Fantasy Football is won by QB, WR, RB and TE REAL Football is won by C,G,T, and End And this team is being built accordingly. I love the Holland pick the most, I'm a Husky fan and watch a lot of Pac-12 football. That kid looks a lot like Earl Thomas, maybe even a little faster, but that kinda instincts. He's gonna make Mac cry like Marcia, him and Phillips.
For sure, if I consider he's a glorified slot receiver at the next level at 5'9 (and a half) And I know the Waddle fan boys will say slot receivers are the new path to greatness. I also gave it an F because of the fact that we gave up 2 firsts, one of course being top 6 for a damned WR. The other reason being I would have done so many different things.... From never making the trade back to 6 in the first place... From picking about 3 different players I had rated above Waddle.... to not cutting our losses and trading back after the our 2 Main targets came off the board(and a 3rd that fell into our lap we would have basically just traded Cinci a WR for top OL, and it's pretty plain to see who they were... totally unprepared... for the monkey wrench they threw at us. And if Sewell turns out to be awesome in Detroit I will be even more mad, including the other players I had over Waddle.
So you would have preferred they take a damned WR at 3 instead of a damned WR at 6 while picking up another first round pick?
The NFL draft is a craps shoot. Teams draft players they feel will help their team and they’re chosen based on scout evaluations. Those evaluations are sometimes spot on, sometimes they’re off. Sometimes a team tries to change a player’s skills set to fit the team rather adjusting the team to the player’s skills. For all we know, Waddle for example may turn out to be the greatest receiver in Dolphins history. Then again, he may be a bust and ole Tre Nixon drafted by the Patriots in the last round may be the greatest receiver of all time. Sometimes you just never know. A lot of folks who have been skeptical of who we drafted have been all over Grier. Well we all know Grier didn’t draft without consultation and consent from Flores. So the question ultimately becomes... How much do you trust and believe in Flores? Food for thought.
I have no idea how good Flores/Grier are at drafting. We'll have to wait and see on that. But I'm 90% certain (maybe more) that we finally found the right head coach, and that's good enough for me. Drafting is a crapshoot, so having the right HC should over time make enough of a difference. Just need Tua to be consistently above average, and with this defense we'll make it.