• Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, who orchestrated the Dolphins’ big trade with Philadelphia, said he initially went to Miami looking to move into the top 10 of the draft.
“It's not like we started off by offering [Byron Maxwell and Kiko Alonsoand the 13th pick for the 8th pick],” Roseman told me.
"[Dolphins executive Mike Tannenbaum] is a tough negotiator. He needed to get value for that.
“I think that narrative of [Maxwell] not playing well isn’t accurate. He did play well. You're talking about him being a solid starting corner. It's so hard to find guys with that kind of length. He's a starter on two Super Bowl teams. He’s a good player.
"Kiko Alonso, you talk about explosiveness. The first game of the season, he made an interception that few people on Earth can make. He's got unbelievable physical talent, unbelievable upside. Don’t forget: Kiko was Defensive Rookie of the Year [in 2013].
“This was a situation where we gave up a lot. We gave up two starters but that's the cost of doing business to get into the top 10.”
But also keep in mind that if the Eagles thought either player would be a star, they very likely wouldn't have given them up.
• One Dolphins official cautioned not to overlook Neville Hewitt in the team’s linebacker assessment; Miami is high on him. And there's also still eagerness to see more of Zach Vigil.
• Though the Dolphins plans to add a running back to share the load with Jay Ajayi, Adam Gase likes Damien Williams. The No. 3 job will be his to lose against Isaiah Pead, Daniel Thomas and others.
Superagent Drew Rosenhaus said on his WSVN-Fox segment tonight that he believes Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott (not a client of his) would be too good to pass up for Miami if available at No. 13 and said he's in the same class as Todd Gurley, who caught Miami's eye last year.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/spor...m-for-growth-whiteside-um-football-notes.html
“It's not like we started off by offering [Byron Maxwell and Kiko Alonsoand the 13th pick for the 8th pick],” Roseman told me.
"[Dolphins executive Mike Tannenbaum] is a tough negotiator. He needed to get value for that.
“I think that narrative of [Maxwell] not playing well isn’t accurate. He did play well. You're talking about him being a solid starting corner. It's so hard to find guys with that kind of length. He's a starter on two Super Bowl teams. He’s a good player.
"Kiko Alonso, you talk about explosiveness. The first game of the season, he made an interception that few people on Earth can make. He's got unbelievable physical talent, unbelievable upside. Don’t forget: Kiko was Defensive Rookie of the Year [in 2013].
“This was a situation where we gave up a lot. We gave up two starters but that's the cost of doing business to get into the top 10.”
But also keep in mind that if the Eagles thought either player would be a star, they very likely wouldn't have given them up.
• One Dolphins official cautioned not to overlook Neville Hewitt in the team’s linebacker assessment; Miami is high on him. And there's also still eagerness to see more of Zach Vigil.
• Though the Dolphins plans to add a running back to share the load with Jay Ajayi, Adam Gase likes Damien Williams. The No. 3 job will be his to lose against Isaiah Pead, Daniel Thomas and others.
Superagent Drew Rosenhaus said on his WSVN-Fox segment tonight that he believes Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott (not a client of his) would be too good to pass up for Miami if available at No. 13 and said he's in the same class as Todd Gurley, who caught Miami's eye last year.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/spor...m-for-growth-whiteside-um-football-notes.html
