Phins O-line
Projected Starters:
LT - Wade Smith: tons of potential, great feet, has the athleticism to always get in the proper position... suppossedly got significantly stronger over the offseason, which may help him in being more aggressive... adequate as a rookie and should continue to improve with valueable experience... I see him as solid starting LT for next year, and possibly an elite LT in the years following
LG - Jeno James: an all-around great player... tough, physical, smart, very hard worker... both young and well-experienced... a coach's dream and popular in the locker room
C - Seth McKinney: former 3rd-round pick... has good blood, as his brother Steve has been a solid starter at C for the pas few years... smart, fierce, hard-nosed player, who seems aggressive with a good football mentality, but seems slow at times... should benefit with more experience... has great power for a C, but I question his athleticism... I see him as an average starting NFL center for next year
RG - Greg Jerman: former undrafted free agent... supposedly very smart as a player, and very hard-working... pretty aggressive, but not very powerful... somewhat limited athletically... even though he's physical, he's more of a finesse blocker who always gets in good position to get the job done (actually reminds me a little of Richie Incognito - the LT for Nebraska last year)... from a talent-only standpoint, he's marginal as a starter, but combine with his great smarts, har-work, and intangibles, he's adequate
RT - Vernon Carey: big and overpowering... has played both tackle and guard spots in college... actually has good feet and atleticism, especially considering his size... is a mauler-type as a run-blocker, and solid in pass protection... needs to keep his weight under control... if the general public consenus is right (which it often is in projecting rookie O-lineman), Carey should be a solid starter early on, and possibly and elite RT in the NFL
Projectd Backups:
LT, RT, LG, RG - Damion McIntosh: has started 37 games at LT over the past 3 years for one of the top rushing teams in the league in San Diego... quite heavy for an LT... doesn't seem to have a major weakness, and seems to be a better run-blocker that pass-blocker... I see him as an average starter, possibly better that average starter when fully healthy... seems like he could be a good OG... may possibly take Jerman's place when healthy, or may remain as the top backup definately at LT, and possibly all other G and T spots
RT, RG, C - John St. Clair: haven't really seen him play and don't really know much about him, except that he started 16 games for the Rams in 2002... was supposedly a liabilty in pass protection as i think he gave up a lot of sacks at RT... some say his most natural position is at C since that's what he played throughout college, but looks to be mainly a backup RT and RG for the Phins... seems like he'll be a solid backup
LG, C - Billy Yates: a big overachiver, who is undersized... smart, responsible, hard-working, and tough... undrafted out of Tex A&M (plyed with both McKinney and Whitley)... LG is his most natural position, but has also taken reps at C with the Phins... should make the roster and be a serviceable backup at LG and C
RG - Taylor Whitley: IMO, is very overrated... from what I've seen he has horrible athleticism, often overextends and lunges, bending at the waste, and is very heavy-footed... he is powerful, and is the poor man's mauler type... really his only position is RG... (reminds me a lot of Stephen Peterman, the rookie G from LSU - this is not a good thing cause I think Peterman is also extremely overrated and will be a bust: both are unathletic, one-dimensible inconsistent run-blockers with very little upside)... I think the Phins are just saying he's competing for the RG spot to give him confidence, and maybe partly just because he was a 3rd-round pick... IMO, at best he'll barely make the 53-man roster as the lsat O-lineman whether he deserves it or not... I doubt he'll be a Phin after this year though
Others:
C, RG, LG - Rex Hadnot: don't really know anything about him, except that he's a 6'2, 325, G from Houston... can play G and C, cnter being his 1st position... my guess is he'll make the practice squad, or take Whitley's spot on the roster
RG, LG - Tony Pape: I actually saw a good amount of him on TV this past year, as I like watching Michigan play, and cooincidently I often watched him specifically since I knew the Phins were looking to draft O-lineman in the 2004 draft... I think he's overrated to be honest and wasn't impressed... many projected him as a mid-round pick, but he fell to the 7th and I'm not surprised... seemed to have slow reactions as a tackle, isn't all that physical, and often seems off balance and lunges... doesn't really seem to have a significant strength as a player... will compete at G for the Phins, but I doubt he'll make the team... possibly the practice squad at best
Others competing: Brad Bedell, Eric Wilson, Shawn Lynch, Dan Goodspeed, Andy Wagstrom
Based on overall talent, the starting group should be at least better than average. Potentially, this entire group could be something very special for many years to come. Of course, though, that depends on health, chemistry, etc. But, this is definately an area of the team that Dolphin fans can look foward to both in the immediate future, and long-term future.