The most interesting/intriguing young guy to watch in camp/preseason will be.......? | Page 3 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

The most interesting/intriguing young guy to watch in camp/preseason will be.......?

John Biello said:
ive seen nothing from bobby mccain to think he will improve and solve our slot corner problem, id love to be wrong but i dont feel he is the answer. perhaps you, or someone like hoops or S.O.S. can clue me as to what type of player pitts may be is he a potential slot replacement sleeper?
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Thanks but J-off-her-doll, Hoops, CK, and others would be much more adept at answering any questions about Pitts than I. I haven't really watched him play.
 
#1 Parker-this is the year he needs to break out to be a true #1. If he does live up to his talent we could have a top 5 WR in the NFL. If he has another average year it would be hard to pick up his option.

#2 Howard-he looked like he as all the tools needed to be a very good to great cb at times, and other times I.E. 2nd Buffalo game he looked bad. We can't compete against New England with out a real #2 cb, so he may be the most important candidate.

#3 Carroo-there is no real consequence if he doesn't break out, but I like him, and I'm sick of everyone whining about that trade.
 
Dajesus said:
Carroo-there is no real consequence if he doesn't break out, but I like him, and I'm sick of everyone whining about that trade.
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So regardless of whether or not he steps up, the large amount of draft capital we invested in him is irrelevant?

Au contraire mon frere. Front offices do not that kind of leeway in such a trade that had us depart with very valuable commodities. Just b/c some might be weary of hearing about the trade doesn't somehow deem it excusable.
 
I almost went with Parker but it's real simple with him. Open hips and he's gold. If he's truly playing faster in terms of burst and the juice to open hips NFL dbs have no chance.

Miamis for the first time in as long as I can remember sitting on 5 legitimate talent top 10 at their position players ceiling wise.

Tannehill, Ajayi, Parker, x Howard, Laremy tunsil. Ajayis is more about setting a tone than top level pure talent but set the right tone he damn sure does.

If Charles Harris can prove to be a legit pure edge rush win option Miami has all the premium positions covered for the long haul.
 
Harris, McMillan and Howard. If they all 3 turn into good to great starters our defense will be insane. I really think Howard is going to have a big year, and I think harris will be an instant impact kind of guy. McMillan I'm excites about but LB usually takes longer to get going.
 
NoblePhin said:
I'll go with Drake. If he can save Ajayi from having to carry the load all year we will be better off for it. He can return, but I want to see him get ore touches and catches to exploit defenses.
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And I'll agree with you......expecting big things from him this year.
 
OK, so my list is going to be a little controversial, so I'll say this ... you said "interesting to watch" so these are guys with the upside to be impressive but not necessarily guaranteed to be. OK, the first one is pretty common, the other two are not.

1. Raekwon McMillan
I was higher on him going into the draft than the vast majority of analysts. When looking at a prospect generally people look at where they are at, and what is their perceived ceiling. I find that it's also worth considering their trajectory over a longer period of time as well as how they are harnessing their talents. So I saw McMillan as a better prospect coming out of High School than most of those other LB's being discussed. I saw him master his role at Ohio State. I saw him determined to improve every step of the way. I saw him become a leader on and off the field. I saw him become truly accountable at an early age. I saw him play within himself and within his scheme very effectively. People often under-emphasize players that are "smooth" athletes. They prefer to geek out about the explosive athletes. But at the end of the day, the LB position is one of the positions that requires the most instincts. Players, like Zach Thomas, who can master that, get into positions that require less explosiveness, less quickness/agility, less pure speed, less fast-twitch athleticism. Because McMillan has that, he rarely needs to flash his athletic ability. Compounding that, he is a smooth athlete, so while he may get from point A to point B just as quickly as a more explosive guy, it looks less impressive. I think he has the speed and quickness to be a very good MLB. I think he can become a good coverage LB in time. What I'm looking for from him this pre-season will be how quickly he starts to master the mental aspects. Ultimately, the kid is highly instinctive and a workaholic. He will be a great MLB. But, the jump to the NFL as the brain of the defense for a kid who cannot yet legally drink, well that's a big ask. I'm interested to watch how quickly he begins to understand how all the pieces work together in the defense. There is going to be a steep learning curve and a lot of wrinkles to learn ... all while going up against bigger, faster, more precise men.

2. Chase Allen
What?!?!?!?!?!? Yeah, the UDFA. The kid is one of those small school guys with big size and speed. Can he win a roster spot at Sam and make Misi expendable? Longshot, to be sure, but hey, Gase is going to keep a couple of UDFA's, I just have that feeling. Could Allen be one of those guys?

3. Praise Martin-Uguike
OhNoes ... not another UDFA!?!?!?!?!? I hope I got that name right. This kid fell not because of talent, but because of an unusual history that may turn some people off. It definitely stunted his development and hurt his career arc. But this guy has the burst and lower body strength to contribute on an NFL roster. But, he'll be a bit of a tweener, with not enough size to win a spot in our DE rotation and maybe not enough experience and knowledge to win a spot in our competitive fringe LB spots working against guys like Allen, Hewitt and Hull. I can see him winning a spot though if he can become a good contributor on special teams. Guys like Fede and Hull have got to be looking over their shoulders at this guy.

4. Isaac Asiata
Finally, a real player! Well if you're still reading, I'm less concerned about practices without pads. I want to see how he does when the pads go on. He's got a lot to learn, but if he can get a handle on things by the 2nd pre-season game, I'd start the road grader. Our OL needs more power, needs more run blocking, needs more take-charge mentality, needs more nasty. Welcome Isaac, please start imposing your will on the AFC East.
 
Digital said:
OK, so my list is going to be a little controversial, so I'll say this ... you said "interesting to watch" so these are guys with the upside to be impressive but not necessarily guaranteed to be. OK, the first one is pretty common, the other two are not.

1. Raekwon McMillan
I was higher on him going into the draft than the vast majority of analysts. When looking at a prospect generally people look at where they are at, and what is their perceived ceiling. I find that it's also worth considering their trajectory over a longer period of time as well as how they are harnessing their talents. So I saw McMillan as a better prospect coming out of High School than most of those other LB's being discussed. I saw him master his role at Ohio State. I saw him determined to improve every step of the way. I saw him become a leader on and off the field. I saw him become truly accountable at an early age. I saw him play within himself and within his scheme very effectively. People often under-emphasize players that are "smooth" athletes. They prefer to geek out about the explosive athletes. But at the end of the day, the LB position is one of the positions that requires the most instincts. Players, like Zach Thomas, who can master that, get into positions that require less explosiveness, less quickness/agility, less pure speed, less fast-twitch athleticism. Because McMillan has that, he rarely needs to flash his athletic ability. Compounding that, he is a smooth athlete, so while he may get from point A to point B just as quickly as a more explosive guy, it looks less impressive. I think he has the speed and quickness to be a very good MLB. I think he can become a good coverage LB in time. What I'm looking for from him this pre-season will be how quickly he starts to master the mental aspects. Ultimately, the kid is highly instinctive and a workaholic. He will be a great MLB. But, the jump to the NFL as the brain of the defense for a kid who cannot yet legally drink, well that's a big ask. I'm interested to watch how quickly he begins to understand how all the pieces work together in the defense. There is going to be a steep learning curve and a lot of wrinkles to learn ... all while going up against bigger, faster, more precise men.

2. Chase Allen
What?!?!?!?!?!? Yeah, the UDFA. The kid is one of those small school guys with big size and speed. Can he win a roster spot at Sam and make Misi expendable? Longshot, to be sure, but hey, Gase is going to keep a couple of UDFA's, I just have that feeling. Could Allen be one of those guys?

3. Praise Martin-Uguike
OhNoes ... not another UDFA!?!?!?!?!? I hope I got that name right. This kid fell not because of talent, but because of an unusual history that may turn some people off. It definitely stunted his development and hurt his career arc. But this guy has the burst and lower body strength to contribute on an NFL roster. But, he'll be a bit of a tweener, with not enough size to win a spot in our DE rotation and maybe not enough experience and knowledge to win a spot in our competitive fringe LB spots working against guys like Allen, Hewitt and Hull. I can see him winning a spot though if he can become a good contributor on special teams. Guys like Fede and Hull have got to be looking over their shoulders at this guy.

4. Isaac Asiata
Finally, a real player! Well if you're still reading, I'm less concerned about practices without pads. I want to see how he does when the pads go on. He's got a lot to learn, but if he can get a handle on things by the 2nd pre-season game, I'd start the road grader. Our OL needs more power, needs more run blocking, needs more take-charge mentality, needs more nasty. Welcome Isaac, please start imposing your will on the AFC East.
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There are some excellent members/posters here at FH. You are most certainly one of them Digital. Nice write up.
 
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NoblePhin said:
I'll go with Drake. If he can save Ajayi from having to carry the load all year we will be better off for it. He can return, but I want to see him get ore touches and catches to exploit defenses.
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I really like Kenyon and if he can carry 8-10 times a game....and stay healthy, then that gives us a nice change of pace. He's electric as his 5+ ypc and big play TD vs Buffalo can attest. Kind of the same role he had at 'Bama. Not sure how much more we'll see from him on passing downs, cuz I think Williams is pretty darn good in that role.
 
no particular order :

Raekwon McMillan
Drew Morgan
Deon Lacey
AJ Hendy
Lafayette Pitts
 
People who are lukewarm on Raekwon and who want to give him the benefit of their doubt should go to draftbreakdown.com and watch a few vids of 2015 compared to 2016. The improvement is dramatic. Better physical condition, better speed, better tackling, better angles, better diagnosis, better coverage. And he's 20 years old.

Even if the 2016 Raekwon on tape doesn't convince you that he can be a quality starter in the pros, just stop to appreciate the rapid rate that this kid is improving at and the room for growth that his body, athleticism, attitude and intelligence allow him.

As Digital alluded to, the best players are usually those guys for whom the game happens a little slower, who seem to be smooth and unhurried because they're mentally a fraction ahead of most of the rest.

Raekwon in 2016 looked like one of those guys.
 
I am interested in seeing the back end receivers fight it out. I imagine at least 2 will make the ps. I hope someone in the secondary that's not an obvious starter blows us away somehow
 
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