Common theme in our picks......

[Huffer]

Anyone else notice that so far the common thread between our picks has been versatility. I think that could be one of the reasons that put the guys we got ahead of some of the others on Sabans board. He's always preaching about how a player needs to be versitile so he can find a way to contribute to the team and I think all of our picks have that. They all have the ability to contribute immediately in one way or another.
I know they aren't glamour picks but I feel they are solid picks. Just from listening to the conference calls they sound like they have some brains and are all willing to play wherever needed. Seems like Saban has "quality character" pretty high up on his criteria for any position. I know it's all a guessing game, but I feel our staff is making very educated guesses. I'm excited to find out how these guys will pan out for us.

 

[finfan54]

Not just versatility but smarts and character who's downfall is either past injury or bad weeks at the combine/senior bowl. Small stuff when you consider what coaching does. I think the picks were pretty surprising but after letting this sink in, I think we had these guys pegged obviously and they were not concerned about alot of these other guys falling.

 

[Doakle]

Yep, its clear that a lot of better known players may not tick the right boxes when it comes to what the Dolphins are looking for. Versatility, the right athletic ability, intelligence, and coachability all seem to go into it.

 

[brparkway]

I think a common theme of Saban's day 1 picks is productivity. Ronnie, Roth, Crowder all were productive playmakers in college. Ditto Allen & Hagen (all-time Pac-10 receptions leader). He doesn't waste valuable high (& expensive) picks on potential, which kills many a coaching career. And of course he knew what Daniels could do, so it wasn't really a project pick. He then uses day 2, where the risk is lower & potential reward-per-buck bigger, for projects like Alabi, Vickerson, Wright, & now Toledo. Smart strategy. I foresee getting a lot more years of production from Nick's drafts than Wanny's.