Dolphins likely in defensive posture as combine approaches | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Dolphins likely in defensive posture as combine approaches

Daytona Fin

Daytona Fin

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The NFL Scouting Combine is this week, and it's time for the Miami Dolphins to get serious.

Serious about locking down their own free agents.

Serious about courting other teams’ free agents.

And serious about building their draft board.

The Dolphins own the eighth pick in the draft, and face a good news/bad news situation.

The good news is the Dolphins could pick a player at pretty much any position on defense and upgrade.

The bad news is the Dolphins could pick a player at pretty much any position on defense and upgrade.They have that many needs.

That's why talk of them targeting Notre Dame outside linebacker Jaylon Smith doesn't make a ton of sense.

Granted, Smith would be great value at eight. He might have been the No. 1 overall pick if he didn't tear the ACL and LCL in his left knee last month.

But ...

"It's not like we're expecting him to be able to play this year," ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper said Monday. "He's such a great player when he's healthy. I think you're going to have to go in thinking this is a red-shirt year. If you get anything at the end of the year, it's a bonus."

Can the Dolphins afford to again let their first-round pick punt on his rookie season? They largely did that in 2015, when a foot injury limited DeVante Parker until late in the year.

Plus who knows if their first-rounder from 2013 -- Dion Jordan -- will ever suit up for Miami again? He still has two months left on his yearlong suspension for a third violation of the league's substance abuse policy.

Of course, you can't rule Smith out completely, given the team's recent history. They were in love with similarly damaged Todd Gurley last year, and might have taken in had the Rams not picked him first.

But does new coach Adam Gase want to go into his first season at less than full strength?

Probably not, which is why several other players are a more likely fit at No. 8:
Click to expand...

Read the rest here: http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nfl/miami-dolphins/article61765962.html#storylink=cpy
 
Miami cannot pick a redshirt player. They have had serious issues as a team with bad picks and picks that were already injured. They need an ROI asap. They don't have a lot of talent to draft a guy 1st 2nd or 3rd, that will sit. those are impact picks - this year
 
Yesterday on Sirius NFL radio I heard an interview with the CBS Draft analyst - sorry I didn't get his name. He was asked how many elite players are in the Draft and his answer was just 4. He rated Tunsil, Bosa, Myles Jack and Jaylon Smith as the only elite players. Since both Jack and Smith are returning from serious injuries and subsequent surgery, it presents an interesting dilemma for teams like Miami, if they are prepared to show patience.
Yes, we always need contributors straight away, but I am curious if others who seriously follow college football also believe that Jack and Smith are so good we should draft them, regardless of whether they can get on the field straight away.
High risk, high return strategy for consideration.
 
I love the defensive approach, huge fan, but I'm just going to leave this food for thought here as well:

"Give me the player who can get after the QB consistently, but I'll wait on the player who blocks for the QB consistently" :ponder:
 
You want to differentiate and separate your defense from the pack? Get high end talents at linebacker and free safety.

The idea that you can just get plug and play guys in rounds 2-4 at those positions is uninspired thinking. I want THREE elite talents between free safety and linebacker over the next few drafts as we build this defense. It's totally do-able. These guys can make plays, wreak havoc, cover ground, hit, cover TE's, create turnovers, etc. They are differentiators. For the past decade, we have gotten next to no playmakers from these positions and it has cost. Morlon Greenwood, Crowder, Jenkins, Misi. All the safeties. Plenty of solid guys who could contribute. Conventional wisdom is that you put big resources elsewhere and look where its gotten us. Since Zach and Brock Marion and those guys, hardly any plays. Let's go against our grain and get some plays.
 
If Smith is a potential number one pick available at 8, I run that card up to the podium Price is Right style. The problem with Miami is we always draft and sign players reactively. The NFL is a long game and the truly good franchises treat it as such. Baltimore, New England, Denver, and Green Bay are always competitive because they draft well and are proactive with their roster. They anticipate holes and have players ready to step in for high priced free agents or declining veterans. Eliminating the best player in the draft because you can't play him the first half of this season is short-sighted and, frankly, a Jeff Ireland-esque decision.

Can anyone imagine if we passed on DeVante because he had a foot injury and he couldn't play the first 8 games of 2015? Drafting DeVante was being proactive. Now Rishard Matthews is a luxury instead of a requirement. That's taking the BPA regardless of position and reaping the benefits. Our skills positions are among the best in the NFL thanks to the savvy drafting of Landry and Parker. Treat the entire roster like we've treated our WRs and we'll be a playoff team sooner than later. So yeah, draft Smith and laugh at every other team in December and beyond when he is healthy and causing havoc.
 
I understand the Jaylon Smith argument..

This team isn't contending for anything next year and outside of Jack, you are not going to find a backer with the range, instincts, and athleticism that smith has, so getting an elite prospect and having him sit for a year could be a beneficial move for the future.

I would only consider it if Ramsey, Jack, and Hargreaves are off the board and I can't move back. Even then I would consider Apple...
 
spiketex said:
Yesterday on Sirius NFL radio I heard an interview with the CBS Draft analyst - sorry I didn't get his name. He was asked how many elite players are in the Draft and his answer was just 4. He rated Tunsil, Bosa, Myles Jack and Jaylon Smith as the only elite players. Since both Jack and Smith are returning from serious injuries and subsequent surgery, it presents an interesting dilemma for teams like Miami, if they are prepared to show patience.
Yes, we always need contributors straight away, but I am curious if others who seriously follow college football also believe that Jack and Smith are so good we should draft them, regardless of whether they can get on the field straight away.
High risk, high return strategy for consideration.
Click to expand...

Personally, I am a big fan of Myles Jack. IMO, the best player in the draft and is definitely worth the early selection. I would also have to say that I would put Ramsey as an elite player over J Smith.
 
spiketex said:
Yesterday on Sirius NFL radio I heard an interview with the CBS Draft analyst - sorry I didn't get his name. He was asked how many elite players are in the Draft and his answer was just 4. He rated Tunsil, Bosa, Myles Jack and Jaylon Smith as the only elite players. Since both Jack and Smith are returning from serious injuries and subsequent surgery, it presents an interesting dilemma for teams like Miami, if they are prepared to show patience.
Yes, we always need contributors straight away, but I am curious if others who seriously follow college football also believe that Jack and Smith are so good we should draft them, regardless of whether they can get on the field straight away.
High risk, high return strategy for consideration.
Click to expand...

Good stuff. I'm surprised Jalen Ramsey is not on that list. He's got great range at FS. He can be an impact guy. Whether he can make plays in his sleep like Ed Reed would be hard to replicate but he's nevertheless a pretty rare talent.
 
"He might have been the No. 1 overall pick if he didn't tear the ACL and LCL in his left knee last month." If this is true, and his long term prognosis is that good then at 8 you would run the draft card to the podium. That's assuming as a LB he was truly worthy of a number one pick. That wold have to be a guy you project to be one heck of a linebacker in the NFL to be worth that high a consideration. We NEED elite players. I'd live with the injury and missed time early in his career, if it means the difference between drafting a very good player and a Luke Kuechly type linebacker.
 
Anyone got a handle on how Jaylon Smith's injury compares with Gurley's? About this time last year we started hearing bullish comments that Gurley was on an optimistic trend for returning to form. One difference of course is the timetable was more in Gurley's favor. His injury was, what, 6-8 weeks earlier on the calendar? But what about extent of injury?
 
spiketex said:
Yesterday on Sirius NFL radio I heard an interview with the CBS Draft analyst - sorry I didn't get his name. He was asked how many elite players are in the Draft and his answer was just 4. He rated Tunsil, Bosa, Myles Jack and Jaylon Smith as the only elite players. Since both Jack and Smith are returning from serious injuries and subsequent surgery, it presents an interesting dilemma for teams like Miami, if they are prepared to show patience.
Yes, we always need contributors straight away, but I am curious if others who seriously follow college football also believe that Jack and Smith are so good we should draft them, regardless of whether they can get on the field straight away.
High risk, high return strategy for consideration.
Click to expand...

That really is the question. Both Miles Jack and Jaylon Smith would be excellent additions, but Miami has been burned a lot with injury prone players. Just look at the 2013 draft and the top three picks for the Dolphins. None have panned out, although injury was just part of it as far as each player getting off to a slow start.

I know people hate the word "safe", but a safe pick could end up being a player whose a long-term contributor. Mike Pouncey was a safe pick and I think fans are satisfied with him. I'd go in another direction there, maybe Vernon Hargreaves who looks the part of a shutdown corner. Maybe with a slight trade down someone like Reggie Ragland.

One thing is for certain, Miami needs defensive players.
 
You can draft safe, and then you'll have a "safe" roster. I don't think you'll ever contend for a championship by being safe.

You have to take some risks and the draft is where you can do that. No one knows how these prospects are going to turn out. But sometimes you win big with players and that will take you to the next level.

If you want to be safe, you can do that in free agency, when you know what you're getting. I'm not saying take risks on every draft pick, but there will be some players that have tremendous upsides that you shouldn't pass up for the "safe" guy.
 
I'll make a prediction....whoever we draft at 8 half the people on this board will love the pick and the other half will hate it. Happens every year. I for one don't believe JS is the best player on this draft and I don't believe he would be a great MLB...his best shot at being great imho is as an OLB but time will tell

Ozzy rules
 
Drafting Smith (who coulda went number 1 if he wasn't injured) is value....unless of course he never fully recovers or he injures the knee again, then its not value lol. Ill pass on Smith.
 
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