Lance Zierlein Ranks Miami's Draft Class 31st out of 32 Teams

[SF Dolphin Fan]

Clicked on this article expecting Miami to be ranked somewhere close to the top 10 and was surprised to see Lance Zierlein of NFL.com ranking the Dolphins at 31st out of 32 teams.

Now, I know draft grades and rankings mean absolutely nothing a week after the draft. Still, I know Zierlein does a lot of the write-ups and scouting reports on players. Don't know if he was a former scout or much about his credentials.

His general opinion was that Raekwon McMillan's ceiling is an average starting linebacker and that Charles Harris is a situational pass rusher. It's true that Harris starts out as a situational guy, but I also think he could emerge as the best pure pass rusher from this class. Miami doesn't need an immediate starter so Harris has time to develop his run game. If he never comes along in that phase, but wrecks havoc on the quarterback that is still extremely valuable in the pass happy NFL.

McMillan to me is very solid and exactly what the Dolphins need at linebacker. I think his ceiling is higher than what Zierlein states.

As always, there will be surprises both good and bad in every draft. We won't know for a couple of years, but on paper I like Miami's draft.

 

[nick1]

Imo he's way too low on McMillan. Best Mike LB in draft

 

[Phinatic8u]

 

[REAL DEAL]

I would say it takes at least three years to grade a draft class. I think impossible to do it this early.

 

[cash]

Its interesting to see how split people are on Harris as a real pass rushing threat. I think he's a driven player that just won't settle for failure and that's a big part of success at the next level

 

[SF Dolphin Fan]

Its interesting to see how split people are on Harris as a real pass rushing threat. I think he's a driven player that just won't settle for failure and that's a big part of success at the next level

To me, he's one of a couple of guys who really popped on tape in terms of pass rushing. I spent a lot of time looking at pass rushers in this draft and Harris and Rivers were two of the most intriguing prospects in my view. Of course, I'm not a scout and I was really just looking at the pass rush.

Harris, though, seems to have it all. Terrific get-off, great spin move, a bull rush. You can see he has power too, which leads me to think his run game could come along. I also think he gives the team the versatility of switching to a 3-4 down the road or with some defensive sets.

 

[Sons Of Shula]

Every team added talent, it's just a matter of opinion as to what type of talent that is and how it fits for a specific team. I thought we did quite well in addressing some of our greatest needs. It'll take a few years to truly see how this year's draft panned out and hopefully b/w now and then we see one or two immediate impact players. I know we have at least one in MLB Raekwon.

 

[uk_dolfan]

Meh. Bored of the hype you hear about future busts every year. Did you fill holes? If so decent draft

 

[phintim]

Well we got the positions the players are yet to be determined yet I enyoy looking at all the draft guides before and afterwards and these guys we drafted this year have all been consistently ranked fairly high by all the publications etc. The thing I look out for that potentially causes issues is when a player suddenly rises in the draft because of the conbine or if a player has numerous injury issues in college. I saw none of these this year. The corner back from Clemson doesn't like to tackle in the run game and the wide receiver catches with his body and not with his hands as much as he should.

 

[Michael Scott]

A lot of people are low on McMillan because of his timed speed and "lack of athleticism"

I see football speed, instincts that remind me of Zach Thomas, a defensive anchor, a thumper, and enough athletic ability to be a 3 down backer.

Some are also low on Cordrea because his best college football was played a couple of seasons ago.

I don't really care. Rate this class after they're all fully developed. These kids haven't even tried on a set of pads yet.

I've seen many Dolphins draft classes get high grades only to be filled with journey men who were mostly out of the league or buried down depth charts a handful of years later.

 

[maralieus]

In Gase we trust.

 

[VBCheeseGrater]

Yeah i saw that too, hopefully will be looking like an idiot in 3 years time. Sure sounds like a load of rubbish to me right now, i think we had a rock solid draft.

 

[jlfin]

Wow, a 20 yr old prospect has hit his ceiling already. That would be a first.
Do people actually get paid to write opinions like this?
Where can I get a gig like that.

 

[fansinceGWilson]

I would say it takes at least three years to grade a draft class. I think impossible to do it this early.

Yet, a lot of people here "graded" the draft. Maybe not with letter grades, but with pros/cons against specific players and/or complaints "x was still on the board." Just like people didn't "grade" the Carroo pick last year, but certainly made there "grade" clear. For me, it was a good draft, but I grade on filling needs, selecting players near ranked position, and no reaches. How the actual draft class grades will wait til winter '21.

 

[finomenal]

Look, I'm no expert on the draft, but there's no way the Dolphins are 31 out of 32. Ridiculous. C'mon now. I'm a Dolphins fan. I know what a 31 out of 32 draft looks like!