Hyde5: Draft Winds analyzes the draft and Dolphins D

[Awsi Dooger]

Luke Kuechly just HAS to be in the discussion for #8 or #9. As Slimm likes to point out, the Dolphins once made a mistake taking a kick returner over the best defensive player in the Draft, Patrick Willis. There are guys the Dolphins could take at #8 or #9 over Luke Kuechly that would not upset me, but then there are guys that they could take that absolutely would upset me.

Just watch Kuechly against the Hurricanes. He's ridiculous. Underrated closing speed and athleticism. No linebacker has a better feel for passing lanes than he does. He seems to know where the running back should be going with the ball better than the running back does. And if you want to see a FOOTBALL PLAYER just watch his interception return for a touchdown. There's something you can't coach there. If he were actually slow enough to scare me, there's no way he gets this TD. But he runs full speed with the ball in one hand and using the other hand to stiff arm Travis Benjamin for like 40 yards. That's just just being an excellent football player.

You beat me to it. At some point before the draft I intended to emphasize Kuechly's performance against the Canes. I was in awe, easily the best defender Miami has faced in years and years. As a Canes fan for more than 40 years only a handful of opponents' efforts truly stand out, and that was one of them.

Jedd Fisch changed Miami's passing schemes dramatically this season. Lots of quick cheap short stuff, instead of downfield risk as preferred by predecessor Mark Whipple. Fisch generally got away with it until the finale against Boston College. Even FSU, which was 3rd in the nation in yards per play defense at 4.16, allowed Miami to abuse the linebackers for short to intermediate gains. Keuchly was like a one-man Foosball stick against the Canes. I swear, that was what it looked like from the stands. I sit low upper deck for a great perspective of the field. Keuchly was prepared for Miami's tendencies and read Jacory's eyes to the point it seemed like there were 4 of 5 of him out there, moving in tandem to cut off every lane. Boston College eliminated the short passes to such extreme Jacory eventually gave up and forced the ball deep, similar to 2009 and 2010, leading to several interceptions.

Keuchly convinced me long me before his interception return. I can picture the play, Keuchly cutting in front then hustling down the right sideline, not slowing down at all while turning his head right to fend off Benjamin. There was no question who would get the best of that combat.

Keuchly would be an instant fan favorite, a Zach Thomas-type only bigger, more athletic and simply better.

As always, I try to project prospects to how well they'd fit on the early '70s teams, in terms of talent, smarts, tenacity and dedication. Keuchly is exactly what that era was all about.

 

[Awsi Dooger]

I've just been doing some work on Olivier Vernon and he's giving me some Cam Wake chills at times. He could be a lot better at the next level than he is at the college level.

Similar to my previous post. You beat me to it again. I've been busy betting college basketball and didn't think there was any hurry to capsule some of these Canes players, or players I watched against the Canes.

Olivier Vernon will be a far superior pro to collegian. He was the one guy I hated to see leave early. Classic case of being undervalued due to situational factors, including lack of playing time this season after the suspension. Not until the final handful of games did Vernon start to find himself. And even at that point, he was handicapped by poor defensive tackles and rarely allowed to unleash his best trait, edge rushing in pure passing situations.

Vernon has excellent agility and the athletic arrogance I always crave. Great frame, the look of an athlete. He can make more than one move while attacking the quarterback, inside or out on the tackle then a quick burst adjustment when confronted by the back. He does have a tendency to dive low to the quarterback's legs, which is now flag bearing in the NFL.

Many Canes fans are down on Vernon, lumping him in with the other guys who left early. Some posters on Miami boards doubt he'll be drafted. I think they are out of their minds. Vernon was the whispered budding superstar heading into 2010. I attended the spring game and Warren Sapp sought him out, standing next to Vernon on the sideline and talking to him at length. Canes fans expected a huge year from Vernon and it didn't happen. No standout performances in marquee games. I didn't overreact because our interior run defense was horrendous, and the defense small and vulnerable in general. Put Vernon on one of the glory year Canes defenses and he'd fit right in and make plays. Likewise, I posted on a Miami board in December that Vernon was the one Canes defender who would look the part if placed in the title game defense of either Alabama or LSU.

Vernon needs to unleash a bit more, to be 10-15% more physical and relentless on the field. Sometimes he'll head upfield instead of ducking his shoulder and taking on the blocker. But that's the tendency among recent Canes prospects. Invariably they remove the concerns once they are in the NFL.

 

[Fin Thirteen]

Mark Barron at 8 or 9 is too high, esp post-op (and it looks like there are a busload of DB FAs out this year).

But whereas RBs are falling out of favor as upper 1st round picks, could safeties now be on the rise? Is it too much to hope his hernia issues cause him to fall to #40? Barron to me looks a nailed-on NFL starter - his instincts and closing speed are ridiculous, he has the size, his hands are good, he hits like a train, his pass coverage is better than he gets credit for. He's pretty much exactly what you want in a safety.

I thought Coyle was a zone man, so I figured Smith might be outta here, but if - as people have posted here - it's more a press defence, then CB isn't necessarily a big need. FS/SS is full of mediocre talent on our roster, a guy like Barron could make a major difference. Could he fall to the top of the second, having just had two hernia ops?

 

[Pachyderm_Wave]

Olivier Vernon was one of my most underrated underclassman in my July thread back before the season. If he played every game like he did as a sophomore in 2009 against Georgia Tech and Wisconsin, he'd be a top 50 pick.

He got the best of Zebrie Sanders several times this year in their matchup, including flat out beating Sanders to the inside for a sack and forced fumble on E.J. Manuel. When he plays with the correct leverage and fires off the ball low without standing straight up, he's in position to use technique instead of relying on athletic ability. Ton of upside with this kid if he takes to coaching and developes the consistency.

 

[hoops]

yeah i'm with you guys on vernon i think that kids a nice talent...

 

[ckparrothead]

You beat me to it. At some point before the draft I intended to emphasize Kuechly's performance against the Canes. I was in awe, easily the best defender Miami has faced in years and years. As a Canes fan for more than 40 years only a handful of opponents' efforts truly stand out, and that was one of them.

Jedd Fisch changed Miami's passing schemes dramatically this season. Lots of quick cheap short stuff, instead of downfield risk as preferred by predecessor Mark Whipple. Fisch generally got away with it until the finale against Boston College. Even FSU, which was 3rd in the nation in yards per play defense at 4.16, allowed Miami to abuse the linebackers for short to intermediate gains. Keuchly was like a one-man Foosball stick against the Canes. I swear, that was what it looked like from the stands. I sit low upper deck for a great perspective of the field. Keuchly was prepared for Miami's tendencies and read Jacory's eyes to the point it seemed like there were 4 of 5 of him out there, moving in tandem to cut off every lane. Boston College eliminated the short passes to such extreme Jacory eventually gave up and forced the ball deep, similar to 2009 and 2010, leading to several interceptions.

Keuchly convinced me long me before his interception return. I can picture the play, Keuchly cutting in front then hustling down the right sideline, not slowing down at all while turning his head right to fend off Benjamin. There was no question who would get the best of that combat.

Keuchly would be an instant fan favorite, a Zach Thomas-type only bigger, more athletic and simply better.

As always, I try to project prospects to how well they'd fit on the early '70s teams, in terms of talent, smarts, tenacity and dedication. Keuchly is exactly what that era was all about.

I don't think any linebacker translates film work onto the field better than Kuechly. He just has the best feel for the spacing and angles, based on his film study. It's one thing to see a camera view of an offense's tendencies as far as where they throw the ball, when, etc...it's another to be on the field and to know what that angle is that the middle option will be looking to come open and have the ball thrown.

Though he's a tackle accumulator, I think he's a little better against pass than run right now, needs a little coaching on some brute force tactics inside the briar patch. But I think he'll get there.

You're right, instant fan favorite. Jersey seller. Icon.

 

[ckparrothead]

Similar to my previous post. You beat me to it again. I've been busy betting college basketball and didn't think there was any hurry to capsule some of these Canes players, or players I watched against the Canes.

Olivier Vernon will be a far superior pro to collegian. He was the one guy I hated to see leave early. Classic case of being undervalued due to situational factors, including lack of playing time this season after the suspension. Not until the final handful of games did Vernon start to find himself. And even at that point, he was handicapped by poor defensive tackles and rarely allowed to unleash his best trait, edge rushing in pure passing situations.

Vernon has excellent agility and the athletic arrogance I always crave. Great frame, the look of an athlete. He can make more than one move while attacking the quarterback, inside or out on the tackle then a quick burst adjustment when confronted by the back. He does have a tendency to dive low to the quarterback's legs, which is now flag bearing in the NFL.

Many Canes fans are down on Vernon, lumping him in with the other guys who left early. Some posters on Miami boards doubt he'll be drafted. I think they are out of their minds. Vernon was the whispered budding superstar heading into 2010. I attended the spring game and Warren Sapp sought him out, standing next to Vernon on the sideline and talking to him at length. Canes fans expected a huge year from Vernon and it didn't happen. No standout performances in marquee games. I didn't overreact because our interior run defense was horrendous, and the defense small and vulnerable in general. Put Vernon on one of the glory year Canes defenses and he'd fit right in and make plays. Likewise, I posted on a Miami board in December that Vernon was the one Canes defender who would look the part if placed in the title game defense of either Alabama or LSU.

Vernon needs to unleash a bit more, to be 10-15% more physical and relentless on the field. Sometimes he'll head upfield instead of ducking his shoulder and taking on the blocker. But that's the tendency among recent Canes prospects. Invariably they remove the concerns once they are in the NFL.

Exactly what I noticed as well. It's part of why I defend Quinton Coples a lot. There are things that handcuffed both guys at the collegiate level that won't be the same when they get to the pros and there are more opportunities for them to eat.

I mean if you want a guy that can get that burst off the ball, get vertical up the field and then BEND the edge, that's Vernon. Similar to Chris Carter a year ago, but a little more brutal with his hands in run defense, a little more well rounded despite poor size which could see him playing more linebacker. Good pickup for the Steelers, who always seem to be able to use a guy like him.

 

[SF Dolphin Fan]

I don't know that I would bother trading up from our 2nd round pick unless we get into a situation where we need Brandon Weeden and can't take the chance that he's there for us at #40. We need our draft picks, have a lot of holes on roster and not a lot of cap money to fill them.

I think Whitney Mercilus could drop and be available at the tail end of the 1st round. I just have a feeling that there will be too much of an Aaron Maybin vibe with him. He really seems to make plays just one way, primarily...and being a one season wonder PLUS being one-dimensional PLUS that one-dimension seeming to only work out for you one way? I mean, that's a red flag to me.

If we're actually considering taking a pass rusher at #40 overall I would consider Malik Jackson if you don't think he'll be there in the 3rd round. I'd prefer to take him with the 3rd round pick but he's a really good player and it's hard to tell what his stock is with the other teams. I like a Cam Johnson a lot. I've just been doing some work on Olivier Vernon and he's giving me some Cam Wake chills at times. He could be a lot better at the next level than he is at the college level.

I haven't really done much work on Chandler Jones yet but that's a guy that supposedly could be available at #40.

I think when you get down to the 3rd rounder that's where guys like Cam Johnson, Malik Jackson, Olivier Vernon and maybe Bruce Irvin start to become a little more attractive though. In all likelihood I'd only use the 2nd rounder on a guy like Johnson or Jackson because they're big in addition to having good burst, and I wouldn't be too interested in the smaller, faster, more one-dimensional guys like Vernon and Irvin until the 3rd round. Get into the 4th round and I like Kyle Wilbur, maybe Jake Bequette.

Sounds like there's enough talent to get a pass rusher in round 2 if Miami does go with Luke Kuechly in the first. That might leave them without a RT, though, unless they can fill that in free agency.

 

[ckparrothead]

Yeah I think that if you can get a Malik Jackson or Cam Johnson you're doing pretty well, especially since the Dolphins figure to be switching to more of a 4-3 with Cam Wake as your multiple guy, Jack, Leo, Elephant, whatever you call it. The guy opposite him has to be a bigger player, like a Malik Jackson.

If the Dolphins were staying in a 3-4 and really committing to it, then Olivier Vernon definitely comes more into it. But in Miami's projected 4-3, Vernon would be the guy you'd want to have if you're letting Cam Wake walk when it comes time for him to sign a new deal.

 

[SR 7]

Ireland did announce that they are looking for LBs that can cover now and he didn't say it specifically out loud but rather quietly threw that comment out there. Hopefully it is regarding Kuch because I'd take him over anyone at 8 right now.

For me the top players would be Richardson, DeCastro, Kuch, and Ingram/Upshaw. I'm against Linemen so DeCastro gets the boot but man he is going to be one of the best linemen to play if he continues at this rate.

 

[Boomer]

Man Alive.....AWSI DOOGER!!!!!!!!!

Hey mate!!

Hoo - Chris is right - I can't JUST nail it down to the 8th pick because then it's 5 players and if we trade down then those people who follow the draft only on Draft day are suddenly scrabbling around. Hence opening it up to first round as a whole.