Miami Draft Grades and Comments: Post Yours!

[RichmondWeb]

I'm giving this draft a B-. It wasn't too bad but we are trying to be the best, and this was not our best given 11 picks, 5 top 82 picks, plus trading away Devone Bess, as our resources. I'm not so disappointed in the players we got, but it's in the players we didn't get.

Most of our deficiencies on offense were ignored, and we also had many needs on defense and ST which were addressed. With all of those resources we should have drafted 11 players minimum, adding competition and depth at more positions. We only drafted 9 and one was a kicker.

Everything was going great, we traded away #42 for good value and then even recovered the lost pick at #82. But there in the third it started to unravel. Bess was traded for no picks to Cleveland for a seven slot trade up in the 4th and trading a high 7th for a basement 5th. The best part of that deal was the high 4th should have been tradeable during the QB run there, but for whatever reason, we used the pick instead; so much for Bess.

The victory at #82 was short lived when we turned around and gave our only good 5th and only good 7th left to GB (along with a 4th) to grab Davis at #93. There were several comparable CBs left and there was not much interest in CB after our panic pick. This cost us 2 players and we never got them back. Davis was an unnecessary trade up reach and then Jenkins was also a reach, at the Bess pick, which should have been traded to offset the Davis debacle. Quality LBs were selected all through round 4 after we selected Jenkins.

After we got Dion Sims, a lot of quality useful players slipped by us but we had given away our picks; all the time knowing we would draft Sturgis and Jones with our last two picks. That left us with one low 5 which was Gillislee and we were done. No OT, DT, nor WR picks, and no ST nor depth guys when we could have had two or three of these guys. We're not SF, we need holes filled, competition, and depth, so it's wrong to give away picks in this situation.

Sorry, but that isn't championship draft management. Parts of it were so they get a passing grade. It's too bad because we had a lot invested in this draft.

RW

 

[Fin Thirteen]

Have to agree. I'd give us a C, maybe C+.

Looking team by team, a lot of them had really solid drafts. A few howlers (Browns, Colts and a few others). Comparatively few mediocre drafts, IMO. We were one of them. Jordan and maybe Taylor aside, I can't get excited about anyone. There were no real fear factor players after Taylor, the third round was a mess and I hate the Sims pick. Thomas, Sturgis and Gillislee were solid if uninspiring. The others were kind of head scratchers, with the talent around.

This was NOT a draft for the horizontal approach. We didn't screw the pooch, but we did manage it poorly, IMO.

 

[finfan54]

A- and could be an A+ if Jordan becomes great.

I attach FA to this grade because it was such a big part of what we were able to do in this draft. The trading up to 3 with a 2nd rounder cant be beat. Getting a Jason Taylor right now is just incredible! He will be Jason Taylor at the very least.

Jamar Taylor is the guy I wanted in 2nd round.

We got a guy at G who fits our scheme and will be better than Jerry 3rd rounder long term.
Gilllisle and Sims give us bigtime scheme fits with what our weaknesses were according to Philbin's likes.
Everyone else is a two year project minus the kicker, who will take Carpenters job soon imo.

 

[phintim]

For filling needs I give it an A plus. In fact prior to the draft I proabably could have told each position we were going to draft in each round not just the player other than I would have guessed wrong and picked the safety in the 5th and the kicker in the 7th.
Because we were drafting for need yet again because we yet again we were drafting for another new coach who yet again wanted his own player we were underwhelming on the players we chose IMO so Ip give this portion of our draft a c plus based on our first 2 picks plus I am hopeful 2 to 3 of the middle rounder will work out.
I was hopeful after lasts years fairly decent draft Ireland had caught on and changed his style a bit and was going to become a bit more successful at this game. Nope he reverted back to his previous drafts methods for the first 4 years. Instead of letting the talent float back in the draft to his pick and if not the trading back or simply drafting a more talented player at a different position he reaches. I call this draft management on the clock and because he is no longer a rookie I will be generous and give him a D.
So I basically agree with the first post on this thread and give this draft a C plus.
I finally agree we need a better GM. I believe Ireland works very hard, handles the money fairly well and has a eye better than most for talent in the later rounds. In fact what really irrated me the most yesterday was Ireland giving away our 7th round picks. If Ireland would ever look back on his entire body of work his best work has been in the 7th round. More of those players have made the roster and contributed to the team than any other round and considering ther draft status have surpassed every round including the first round. I am not saying the first rounders are not better players but for their draft status the 7th round picks have delivered more for their value. I just wonder if the reason for this is because Ireland relaxes a bit more in this round and trusts his instincts and drafts the player more for their skill set than the position of need. If Ireland had been doing this in all rounds this would be a team of studs.

 

[RichmondWeb]

Have to agree. I'd give us a C, maybe C+.

Looking team by team, a lot of them had really solid drafts. A few howlers (Browns, Colts and a few others). Comparatively few mediocre drafts, IMO. We were one of them. Jordan and maybe Taylor aside, I can't get excited about anyone. There were no real fear factor players after Taylor, the third round was a mess and I hate the Sims pick. Thomas, Sturgis and Gillislee were solid if uninspiring. The others were kind of head scratchers, with the talent around.

This was NOT a draft for the horizontal approach. We didn't screw the pooch, but we did manage it poorly, IMO.

Dion Sims is my favorite pick; I have been banging his drum since the combine. If you read his bio he has pass-catching ability and upside as a former basketball player who was used as a seam threat early in his career. Most of his modern tape he played at 285# for whatever reason and was mostly a blocker. This offseason he has dropped his weight to 262# and more importantly increased his lean body mass from 82% to 87%, this translates to him being stronger and faster and yet still good sized.

We have Keller this year and he is not a good blocker and is an unknown going forward. Enter Sims who can be the blocker for this year and could learn to be a dual threat in the future; a solid contributor now plus upside.

With our OT situation being what it is, with Martin probably starting, we need a blocking TE option to help protect the QB. Sims will also add punch to the running game and short yardage offense. Down the road as a dual threat TE he would help execute play action since the defense will be confused about his intentions on every snap.

I see nothing but upside here but very little "sex appeal".

I disliked the Davis and Jenkins picks, both were expensive reaches for questionable talents.

RW

 

[SF Dolphin Fan]

I think we should have done more as well. Absolutely love the first two picks, Jordan and Taylor were home runs in my opinion. But I don't know how much we got after that. I'm okay with the Thomas pick, but I'd have taken Wheaton or Patton (one of the biggest draft steals) there.

 

[SF Dolphin Fan]

I think we should have done more as well. Absolutely love the first two picks, Jordan and Taylor were home runs in my opinion. But I don't know how much we got after that. I'm okay with the Thomas pick, but I'd have taken Wheaton or Patton (one of the biggest draft steals) there. I wanted Green, from Rutgers, when they traded up for Davis. I like the Sims pick.

 

[bratface68]

I like how they got so much faster on defense. They have depth with the DBs now. Lots of competition at a lot of the positions

 

[FearTheBeard]

1. Dion Jordan, DE, Oregon - A+
With a draft thin on elite talent, Ireland moved up and got one of the few blue chippers. I viewed the pass rush as the most important unit to upgrade, and the FO didn't disappoint. Jordan will bring an element of flexibility to our defense which will make everyone better, he will be able to line up at linebacker and defensive end and once he adds some bulk to his frame will be a consistent force across from Wake. This helps us push Odrick inside for more downs, making life without Soliai and Starks in 2014 easier. The cherry on top is the fact we stole the pick from Oakland to well below market value, and absolutely perfect pick. Premium talent at a premium position.

2. Jamar Taylor, CB, Boise St. - A
This is exactly the guy I was hoping for, and I was baffled he fell to us where he did. I like many considered him a backend 1st rounder, and to get him in the latter part of the 2nd round was a steal, with exceptional value meeting one of our biggest needs. Taylor can instantly be plugged in and push for a starting role. My favorite pick of the draft and a perfect fit.

3a. Dallas Thomas, OL, Tennessee - B
A lot of people didn't like this pick and I'm not quite sure why, I think he's a better fit than Armstead on our line and is a lot more pro-ready. He also brings an element of flexibility to our line and is a good mover. Many fans are wondering why we would take a guy who's projected at guard when we need a tackle? The fact of the matter is our guard play is pretty average and all 3 of our guys are impending free agents. Bringing in a guy we can groom behind Cog or even plug into the starting line is a great fit. With Cog and Jerry unlikely to rejoin us in 2014 (don't exactly fit our ZBS) Thomas will be a starter before too long. It would've been nice to trade up for Keenan Allen, but this was hardly a reach and sets us up with 3 pieces for the future on our line. I view him as a long term guard in our offense.

3b. Will Davis, CB, Utah State - C-
It's not so much the player we took, I'm not crazy about him but he has some impressive tools that I think Coyle will get the most of, it's what we gave up to trade back in to select him given that he was more of a 4th round prospect. Davis has some bad tape but if there's anyone I'd trust getting the most out of him it's Coyle, it's pretty clear that they don't like a corner who runs higher than a 4.4 because I thought Poyer would've been a good fit, and he fell all the way to the 7th. The fact that we passed on some offensive playmakers, most notably Quinton Patton who I really like makes this pick sting more. On the surface it was a bad move, but Coyle gets the most out of his DB's so that gives the grade a slight bump. I wouldn't have minded seeing us take a NT to groom behind Soliai (like a Brandon Williams). All in all my least favorite pick, but we can't write him off. We need talented corners, and I'm happy that we placed an emphasis on that.

4a. Jelani Jenkins, OLB, Florida - C+
I like the element of speed we're bringing to our defense and see the FO's vision. This was an alright pick, Jenkins has skills that translate to the next level and we needed to add some coverage skills to our LB core. My only gripe is the 4th round was a tad high for a guy who's blocked by some big free agent signings, but I like what he brings to us in the pass game, just with Wheeler in the mix I think we could've waited on linebacker till a bit later. Could've had a pretty decent safety or Johnathon Fraklin instead.

4b. Dion Sims, TE, Michigan State - B+
I like Sims and he brings the Fasano element back into our offense. He's not quite the blocker that Fasano was yet, but he has the frame to be very solid in that regard. He is also very athletic for his size and is a legit redzone threat which our offense lacks. I look for his biggest impact coming inside the 20s and he fits well with Keller. On top of that we need someone helping Martin, and he can do that.

5a. Mike Gillislee, RB, Florida - B+
Gillislee was the best back left on the board and doesn't have a lot of tred on his tires. I would've liked a bigger back a bit earlier, but he will compliment Miller well and is aggressive in blitz pick up which is a hole in Miller's game. He's got some good upside, only concern is he may not quite be the short yardage back we could've used, but I think we already might have one of those in Jonas Gray.

5b. Caleb Sturgis, K, Florida - C+
Ya, it's a kicker in the 5th round, doesn't bother me that much. Only position you can get an immediate contributor at this late in a draft and he will push Carp off the roster. I don't like his low trajectory on his kicks, but aside from that he was one of the top 2 kickers in the draft and wouldn't have been there later. No problem with bringing him aboard.

7. Don Jones, DB, Arkansas State - B+
I like Jones, he's got exceptional tools and that's what I want out of my 7th rounder. I figured he was on our radar and didn't even realize he was still on the board until we grabbed him. More speed and athleticism in our secondary and will help on special teams year 1 and could be a nickelback in the future, solid pick.

Overall: B+.
I really liked what we did, we strengthened our pass defense which was the top thing on my wishlist, we didn't cave into a Brandon Albert trade and we got some guys who can be immediate contributors and high ceilings. I would've liked to add an offensive playmaker at the WR positon and the amount we gave up to move up and pick Davis leaves a bit of a sour taste in my mouth but I couldn't have asked for a better top 2 picks.

 

[Digital]

1. Dion Jordan, DE, Oregon - A+
With a draft thin on elite talent, Ireland moved up and got one of the few blue chippers. I viewed the pass rush as the most important unit to upgrade, and the FO didn't disappoint. Jordan will bring an element of flexibility to our defense which will make everyone better, he will be able to line up at linebacker and defensive end and once he adds some bulk to his frame will be a consistent force across from Wake. This helps us push Odrick inside for more downs, making life without Soliai and Starks in 2014 easier. The cherry on top is the fact we stole the pick from Oakland to well below market value, and absolutely perfect pick. Premium talent at a premium position.

2. Jamar Taylor, CB, Boise St. - A
This is exactly the guy I was hoping for, and I was baffled he fell to us where he did. I like many considered him a backend 1st rounder, and to get him in the latter part of the 2nd round was a steal, with exceptional value meeting one of our biggest needs. Taylor can instantly be plugged in and push for a starting role. My favorite pick of the draft and a perfect fit.

3a. Dallas Thomas, OL, Tennessee - B
A lot of people didn't like this pick and I'm not quite sure why, I think he's a better fit than Armstead on our line and is a lot more pro-ready. He also brings an element of flexibility to our line and is a good mover. Many fans are wondering why we would take a guy who's projected at guard when we need a tackle? The fact of the matter is our guard play is pretty average and all 3 of our guys are impending free agents. Bringing in a guy we can groom behind Cog or even plug into the starting line is a great fit. With Cog and Jerry unlikely to rejoin us in 2014 (don't exactly fit our ZBS) Thomas will be a starter before too long. It would've been nice to trade up for Keenan Allen, but this was hardly a reach and sets us up with 3 pieces for the future on our line. I view him as a long term guard in our offense.

3b. Will Davis, CB, Utah State - C-
It's not so much the player we took, I'm not crazy about him but he has some impressive tools that I think Coyle will get the most of, it's what we gave up to trade back in to select him given that he was more of a 4th round prospect. Davis has some bad tape but if there's anyone I'd trust getting the most out of him it's Coyle, it's pretty clear that they don't like a corner who runs higher than a 4.4 because I thought Poyer would've been a good fit, and he fell all the way to the 7th. The fact that we passed on some offensive playmakers, most notably Quinton Patton who I really like makes this pick sting more. On the surface it was a bad move, but Coyle gets the most out of his DB's so that gives the grade a slight bump. I wouldn't have minded seeing us take a NT to groom behind Soliai (like a Brandon Williams). All in all my least favorite pick, but we can't write him off. We need talented corners, and I'm happy that we placed an emphasis on that.

4a. Jelani Jenkins, OLB, Florida - C+
I like the element of speed we're bringing to our defense and see the FO's vision. This was an alright pick, Jenkins has skills that translate to the next level and we needed to add some coverage skills to our LB core. My only gripe is the 4th round was a tad high for a guy who's blocked by some big free agent signings, but I like what he brings to us in the pass game, just with Wheeler in the mix I think we could've waited on linebacker till a bit later. Could've had a pretty decent safety or Johnathon Fraklin instead.

4b. Dion Sims, TE, Michigan State - B+
I like Sims and he brings the Fasano element back into our offense. He's not quite the blocker that Fasano was yet, but he has the frame to be very solid in that regard. He is also very athletic for his size and is a legit redzone threat which our offense lacks. I look for his biggest impact coming inside the 20s and he fits well with Keller. On top of that we need someone helping Martin, and he can do that.

5a. Mike Gillislee, RB, Florida - B+
Gillislee was the best back left on the board and doesn't have a lot of tred on his tires. I would've liked a bigger back a bit earlier, but he will compliment Miller well and is aggressive in blitz pick up which is a hole in Miller's game. He's got some good upside, only concern is he may not quite be the short yardage back we could've used, but I think we already might have one of those in Jonas Gray.

5b. Caleb Sturgis, K, Florida - C+
Ya, it's a kicker in the 5th round, doesn't bother me that much. Only position you can get an immediate contributor at this late in a draft and he will push Carp off the roster. I don't like his low trajectory on his kicks, but aside from that he was one of the top 2 kickers in the draft and wouldn't have been there later. No problem with bringing him aboard.

7. Don Jones, DB, Arkansas State - B+
I like Jones, he's got exceptional tools and that's what I want out of my 7th rounder. I figured he was on our radar and didn't even realize he was still on the board until we grabbed him. More speed and athleticism in our secondary and will help on special teams year 1 and could be a nickelback in the future, solid pick.

Overall: B+.
I really liked what we did, we strengthened our pass defense which was the top thing on my wishlist, we didn't cave into a Brandon Albert trade and we got some guys who can be immediate contributors and high ceilings. I would've liked to add an offensive playmaker at the WR positon and the amount we gave up to move up and pick Davis leaves a bit of a sour taste in my mouth but I couldn't have asked for a better top 2 picks.

I noticed your mock draft in your signature. With the exception of 1 or 2 guys (Kayvon Webster for 1), I think we could have drafted that entire mock draft in your sig. Which would you have preferred, your sig mock or our actual draft?

 

[RichmondWeb]

I noticed your mock draft in your signature. With the exception of 1 or 2 guys (Kayvon Webster for 1), I think we could have drafted that entire mock draft in your sig. Which would you have preferred, your sig mock or our actual draft?

No way was Dallas going to trade 3 of their 6 picks to move up to #12, not this year with an aging team in salary cap hell. In fact they traded down (and then blew their draft) but we did make some other trades. Love that Portland State Kicker, GO VIKES!!!

RW

 

[FearTheBeard]

I noticed your mock draft in your signature. With the exception of 1 or 2 guys (Kayvon Webster for 1), I think we could have drafted that entire mock draft in your sig. Which would you have preferred, your sig mock or our actual draft?

Since my mock was more of a projection as opposed a preference I would definitely go with the one we got. This exceeded my expectations because they actually placed an emphasis on the pass rush and secondary, which I didn't think they would. Taylor way over Alford for me, Jordan over Eifert, no Brandon Albert massive contract. Would've preferred a Christine Michael in the backfield/drafting a RB a tad higher and really like that we got Jones in the 7th. To me this draft turned out way better than what I projected we would do. I would've personally in our slots gone:

1. Dion Jordan, OLB
2. Jamar Taylor, CB
3a. Dallas Thomas, OL
3b. Quinton Patton, WR
4a. Johnathon Franklin, RB
4b. Dion Sims, TE
5a. David Quessenberry, OL
5b. Jordan Poyer, CB
7. Da'Rick Rogers, WR

Hindsight's 20/20 obviously, but the only things I would change would be the Will Davis pick (grab Poyer late), take a high end running back in the 4th cause there was good value there, and I would've taken a flier on Rogers skillset. But when you look at a draft and say that 4 or 5/9 would be the same if I was drafting, I can't have too many gripes. With those 4 changes it really just comes down to the Davis pick, and to a lesser degree the Jenkins pick. Still like Jenkins, not gonna pile on Davis either. If I'm sitting at my 4a pick I probably would've drafted Poyer without the knowledge of him falling to 7, same for Rogers, same for Quessenberry. The Day 3 picks are all about preference, I don't have an expectation that they meet my specific needs out of a pool of 100s of similar players, that's the problem with the common fan on this board.

---------- Post added at 10:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:28 PM ----------

No way was Dallas going to trade 3 of their 6 picks to move up to #12, not this year with an aging team in salary cap hell. In fact they traded down (and then blew their draft) but we did make some other trades. Love that Portland State Kicker, GO VIKES!!!

RW

It's Jerry Jones, I thought he'd have a man crush on Vaccaro, wouldn't be the first time he went against logic. No way Patton was gonna fall to the 4th, no way Swope was gonna fall out of the 3rd round (said by 99% of finheaven), no way Star was gonna fall out of the top 10, no way Travis freaking Fredrick was gonna be a first rounder. That's the draft for ya, never say never.

 

[RichmondWeb]

I wonder if Ireland's supposed 150 player limited board contributed to the 3rd round meltdown and reach for Jenkins? With 11+ picks one should have more alternatives than that to choose from.

I was shocked to see so many good players go undrafted; shows the depth of the draft. Guys we mocked in the mid rounds like Chase Thomas and Matt Scott.

Perhaps it wasn't such a crime to piss-away our late picks in this draft because the real value is in the UFA's with a draft class this deep. I'm upset because we "only" drafted 9 players when we could have drafted 12, but other teams only drafted 5 or 6 players; very few teams drafted 9 or more players. I still say quantity is good, especially if your picking sucks!

I can't wait to learn more about our UFA crop after seeing what Michael Clay can do:

CBS has him ranked 28th OLB, 7-FA and said:

"The highly regarded prep prospect initially made his way onto the field as a long snapper for the Ducks. His instincts and physicality quickly made him one of Oregon's top reserve linebackers, and once given an opportunity to start he quietly proved more consistently effective than more highly publicized teammates Dion Jordan, Kiko Alonso and John Boyett, among others. He led the Ducks in tackles each of the past two seasons, averaging 101 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and three sacks during that time."

Impressive ZT type.

RW

 

[FearTheBeard]

I wonder if Ireland's supposed 150 player limited board contributed to the 3rd round meltdown and reach for Jenkins? With 11+ picks one should have more alternatives than that to choose from.

I was shocked to see so many good players go undrafted; shows the depth of the draft. Guys we mocked in the mid rounds like Chase Thomas and Matt Scott.

Perhaps it wasn't such a crime to piss-away our late picks in this draft because the real value is in the UFA's with a draft class this deep. I'm upset because we "only" drafted 9 players when we could have drafted 12, but other teams only drafted 5 or 6 players; very few teams drafted 9 or more players. I still say quantity is good, especially if your picking sucks!

I can't wait to learn more about our UFA crop after seeing what Michael Clay can do:

CBS has him ranked 28th OLB, 7-FA and said:

"The highly regarded prep prospect initially made his way onto the field as a long snapper for the Ducks. His instincts and physicality quickly made him one of Oregon's top reserve linebackers, and once given an opportunity to start he quietly proved more consistently effective than more highly publicized teammates Dion Jordan, Kiko Alonso and John Boyett, among others. He led the Ducks in tackles each of the past two seasons, averaging 101 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and three sacks during that time."

Impressive ZT type.

RW

He didn't panic on 3a as far as I'm concerned, Thomas is a very nice fit where we got him. He panicked when he saw the corners coming off the board and probably didn't have a midround grade for a lot of the corners.

 

[RichmondWeb]

He didn't panic on 3a as far as I'm concerned, Thomas is a very nice fit where we got him. He panicked when he saw the corners coming off the board and probably didn't have a midround grade for a lot of the corners.

I agree. I'm good with the Thomas pick, and I loved the trade down at #82 which indicated we were good with the board at that point. What was shocking was then trading #109, #146, and #224 to get back to #93 to draft Davis, a mixed review guy. Plus there were more mid-round and plenty of later round CBs out there; how many were on our board?

RW