2012 NFL Undrafted Free Agents - Miami Dolphins | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

2012 NFL Undrafted Free Agents - Miami Dolphins

FinAtic8480

FinAtic8480

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Derrick Dennis, OL, Temple - 6030 315 5.25 Started 40 games in his career. Experience at both guard and tackle. Thick lower body. Good bend and punch. Physical blocker who must keep his feet moving to create a running lane. Struggles to anchor if he doesn’t bend his knees. Was bull rushed and driven back by Kyle Wilbur in the Shrine Game. Plays better in a short area. Will overextend and go to the ground at times on down blocks. Stops his feet on contact when pulling. A result of losing his knee bend. Needs to be a more consistent finisher as a trapper and in the run game. Has positional technique breakdowns. Was not invited to the Combine. Seventh round/PFA. (A- 33, H-10, BP-25, 10-1.86).

Jeff Fuller, WR, Texas A&M - 6034 223 4.63 Four-year starter. Possession type receiver Son of former San Francisco 49er safety, Jeff Fuller Sr. Physical wide receiver with long arms and good overall body strength. Productive over his career with 233 catches. The first Aggie receiver in history with over 1000 yards in a season. Good hands. Catches the ball out away from his body. Soft hands to make the difficult catches over the shoulder, low balls, or off target throws. Secures the ball in his big hands. Flashes the ability to separate coming out of his breaks and create space. Will compete and concentrate on a ball over the middle. Has production inside the hash marks. Finds the open area in zone coverage or can be physical in press coverage to avoid and get off the line. Good awareness to come back to the ball. Can get open on short, medium, and deep areas. Plays with toughness and intensity. Struggled in 2011 with a variety of injuries that included hamstring and ankle problems. Was not as fast twitch in and out of his cuts like he was in 2010. Senior Bowl notes: Big catching radius. A talented enigma that may prove to be a draft bargain if he gets back to his junior year skill set. Had several drops during the week including some balls off his chest. May be pressing too much instead of just playing the game. 2011 stats: 70-828 yds, 11.8 ypr, 6 TDs. Career stats: 233-3092 yds, 13.3 ypr, 34 TDs. Did not work out at the Combine. Fourth/fifth round. (A-33 5/8, H-9 7/8, VJ-36, SS-4.32).
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http://blogs.ourlads.com/2012/05/06/2012-nfl-undrafted-free-agents-afc-east-miami-dolphins/
 
Neither are really standouts to me. When I watch Derrick Dennis, he really doesn't stand out to me. He's not very athletic. He's pretty balanced so when he gets on the move and is able to catch someone for solid contact, he does a good job. But the bottom line is his range is not good, and even though he's a strong guy, he doesn't have brutal power. The guy on that line that caught my attention more was guard Wayne Tribue who looks like he's got a tremendous body build to go along with explosion and mobility. Definitely raw, not always doing it right, but probably the brighter future.

Jeff Fuller I never got the love for, even going all the way back to 2010 when he was supposed to be a highly rated guy and I just didn't see it. I think he's nothing more than a great story, sort of the perfect storm of circumstantial/surface factors that come together in confluence to create a media and fan hype story.

On the offensive line the guy to keep an eye on will be Jeff Samuda of UMass. Joe Philbin has some connections with that area and level of football. He's a three year starter that showed the versatility to play both left and right guard. I believe he even switched between them during the games.

Samuda is an excellent specimen at 6031 and 312 lbs, having run a 5.08 second 40 yard dash, with a 32 inch vertical, 4.49 shuttle and 7.39 cone drill, plus a 8'9" broad jump. He tacked on 32 bench reps, which showed the guy is not just a mover, he's also very strong. He's got some reputation points working in his favor for his weight room prowess. Two videos stood out to me on him:

First his Regional Combine OL Drills:
[video=youtube;2iBDjOJoJ6E]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iBDjOJoJ6E[/video]

Then, his highlight tape:
[video=youtube;niLvSnFo6Mc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niLvSnFo6Mc[/video]
 
Wow, Samuda seems to play with additude...I like that, if his measurables are correct, the man has speed and as a pulling guard he seem to play with his head on a swivel, and picks up everything with brute force.. I'm surprise he didn't get picked up, even in the late rounds as a flyer. The guy is fast for his size, seems to play on his feet from the little video shown...I don't get it..okay ck, what was his bad side, the side that got him not drafted.. is it his height or something?
 
He played at UMass.

There were only 14 guards drafted in this Draft. They went to Stanford, Wisconsin, SMU, Miami (OH), Utah, Wake Forest, Iowa, Penn State, Colorado, Oregon, Syracuse and Miami (FL). All were FBS schools. Most were in big conferences.

The exception was Gino Gradkowski of Delaware, a perennial powerhouse at the FCS level. Just one guy from the FCS in the whole guard class. Is Samuda better than Gradkowski? Maybe. Maybe not. I know that with essentially only one spot open to an entire class of football program, the odds were stacked against any particular one finding a suitor, and Gradkowski happened to be the lucky one who for whatever reason caught the Ravens' eye.
 
ckparrothead said:
Neither are really standouts to me. When I watch Derrick Dennis, he really doesn't stand out to me. He's not very athletic. He's pretty balanced so when he gets on the move and is able to catch someone for solid contact, he does a good job. But the bottom line is his range is not good, and even though he's a strong guy, he doesn't have brutal power. The guy on that line that caught my attention more was guard Wayne Tribue who looks like he's got a tremendous body build to go along with explosion and mobility. Definitely raw, not always doing it right, but probably the brighter future.

Jeff Fuller I never got the love for, even going all the way back to 2010 when he was supposed to be a highly rated guy and I just didn't see it. I think he's nothing more than a great story, sort of the perfect storm of circumstantial/surface factors that come together in confluence to create a media and fan hype story.

On the offensive line the guy to keep an eye on will be Jeff Samuda of UMass. Joe Philbin has some connections with that area and level of football. He's a three year starter that showed the versatility to play both left and right guard. I believe he even switched between them during the games.

Samuda is an excellent specimen at 6031 and 312 lbs, having run a 5.08 second 40 yard dash, with a 32 inch vertical, 4.49 shuttle and 7.39 cone drill, plus a 8'9" broad jump. He tacked on 32 bench reps, which showed the guy is not just a mover, he's also very strong. He's got some reputation points working in his favor for his weight room prowess. Two videos stood out to me on him:

First his Regional Combine OL Drills:
[video=youtube;2iBDjOJoJ6E]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iBDjOJoJ6E[/video]

Then, his highlight tape:
[video=youtube;niLvSnFo6Mc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niLvSnFo6Mc[/video]
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Agree with you on Samuda. He is an excellent puller with good speed & power. In my opinion the players Miami added to the Oline via the Draft & UDFA fit the system more than a lot of the overpaid backup vets the team currently has. Guys like Cook & Garner are overpaid as backups. Then you have the situation where many have been asked to lose weight to fit the system, some as much as 15 to 30 pds (im looking at you Jerry & Feinga). I think the UDFA Olineman have an excellent shot at making the team cause of how they fit the zone blocking system Miami will run. All the rookie Olineman are no taller than 6'5 & in the 300 to 315 pds range. Dolphins are making big changes to there line, by adding smaller, leaner & more athletic lineman rather than overweight giants who can only power block.
 
ckparrothead said:
He played at UMass.
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So it was a level of competition thing, but we've taken players from even smaller schools, it seems Jerry Rick, Walter Payton, and our own Kendall Langford should have put some of that to rest at those measurables.
 
The UDFAs to watch include OL Josh Samuda, any of the corners since our #4 and #5 spots on the depth chart are so weak at that position, RB Jonas Gray of Notre Dame and WR Derek Moye of Penn State.

Here's some video I whipped up on Jonas Gray, my overall favorite UDFA.

[video=youtube;83wet2qcq4E]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83wet2qcq4E[/video]
[video=youtube;8MJOq1SdBcc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MJOq1SdBcc[/video]
 
Jonas G. looks like he has great vision, and runs patient..I know ND plays big teams, surprise he didn't get a flyer in the drafter either..man we have a crowded backfield. If he has a good ps NE will be looking at our cuts..those bastards..
 
Gray may not play in the preseason. His torn ACL is still fresh, only had the surgery in late November. Dolphins have to be smart and keep him on roster. Talent is talent. No reason to be idiotic. Keep him however you need to keep him. The only way New England ends up with him is if the Dolphins were too stupid to keep him.

Really good patience, good timing and rhythm in the cutback game. Unusual lateral agility for size, unusual acceleration for size, unusual speed for size. For being as big as he is you'd like to see him do more physically, but he's not a Daniel Thomas that way, he gets more yards after contact than I saw Daniel Thomas get at K-State. Not good at all for the passing game (catching and blocking), yet. But presumably, you've got Reggie Bush and Lamar Miller for that.

I like Jerome Messam but he had better watch out if the coaches look like they want to pit he and Gray against one another (which I don't believe is necessary).

I would carry Bush, Miller, Gray, Messam and Thomas on the roster, with Messam working partially as a fullback, and Charles Clay also pulling some snaps there.
 
What's not to like about Gray?

Reminds me a little of a shorter LeGarrette Blount.

Excellent timing and decisiveness.

Samuda looks very agile too. Agree with you on those two.
 
Is it me or does Jonas Gray move like Cecil "The Diesel" Collins?
 
Gray reminds me of Shonn Greene in that Greene was a big back that was capable of a lot of power, but he had sweet feet and there were times you got the feeling he tried to use those feet too much where some good old fashioned north-south power might have better served him. You have to remember that despite being a highly recruited Parade All American, Jonas Gray wallowed away at the bottom of the depth chart for most of his time at Notre Dame. The question is, why? I think the answer is he was a big back that was too in love with his unique agility and speed, so he wasn't running like a big back. That and he probably never took the time to grasp the fundamentals. What changed in 2011 is that he started running more like a big back, using his power and getting north-south more. He also embraced more of the details of the position.

His running style also reminds me of Thomas Jones and Michael Bush.
 
I wouldn't be surprised if a few of these guys make the team or at least practice squad. Front office did a really good job getting so many quality "priority" free agents.
 
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