Draft Chatter

[SF Dolphin Fan]

That Top Pick
Now that the Jets finally won a game, Jacksonville sits at the top of the draft list. If neither team wins another game, I assume Lawrence is drafted by the Jaguars. Would the Jets then go with another quarterback, or more of a sure thing like Sewell, the left tackle from Oregon? More specifically, what ramifications might that have on Miami? The Jets could be in a position to trade the pick. Personally, it looks like a nice quarterback draft but like a pretty big drop from Lawrence to the next quarterback. Wilson might be #2, although that's definitely debatable.

The Houston Pick
The Texans currently have the #6 overall pick, which of course belongs to Miami. Houston finishes at home against both the Bengals and Titans. So many teams are packed in that 4-5 win range that's it's hard to predict where that pick will end up. My best guess is they beat Cincy and lose to Tennessee and end up close to #11 overall.

Player Accolades
Who gets the Heisman? Is it Devonta Smith or maybe another 'Bama standout Najee Harris? Both should be targets for Miami. Smith maybe with that Houston pick and Harris perhaps with that 2a (Houston) pick.

Another potential Dolphin target Zaven Collins of Tulsa won the Bronco Nagurski Trophy as college football's national defensive player. He finished the season with 11.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and four interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns. He reminds me a little of Jason Taylor, both in built (6-4, 260) and his knack for the big plays.

How do you Factor in the Opt Outs?
The Dolphins very well could have the choice between Smith and Ja'Marr Chase with that first pick. Chase was absolutely unstoppable last year, but opted out. Smith just kept cruising. Personally, Smith might be a better fit for Miami as someone who runs precise routes and played with Tua at Alabama. But will scouts ding the many players who opted out? Will it depend on their reasons? For example, if player A lived with an older grandmother and wanted to do his best to protect her, and player B simply had put up enough good film and didn't want to risk injury, would they be looked at differently?

 

[Pachyderm_Wave]

if player A lived with an older grandmother and wanted to do his best to protect her, and player B simply had put up enough good film and didn't want to risk injury, would they be looked at differently?

Yeah. Player B is going to have to explain why he chose to quit now. It only gets easier the second time.

 

[Pachyderm_Wave]

NFL Personnel Executive to Player B:

"In your opinion, at what point is it ok for football players to quit? When they start seeing their name pop up in mock drafts?"

"What if they start putting high school recruits in mock drafts? Is it ok to quit then and wait around a few years for the NFL to come calling?"

"When did you begin to worry about getting injured - when you saw your name pop up in mock drafts?"

"What would you say to your teammates that maybe don't have a future in professional football about why you quit?"

"Who advised you that quitting on your team to 'prepare for the draft' was the right choice?"




There may be no wrong answer to these questions in the eyes of some, but the answers will give you all the insight you need into the character of the individual.

 

[SF Dolphin Fan]

NFL Personnel Executive to Player B:

"In your opinion, at what point is it ok for football players to quit? When they start seeing their name pop up in mock drafts?"

"What if they start putting high school recruits in mock drafts? Is it ok to quit then and wait around a few years for the NFL to come calling?"

"When did you begin to worry about getting injured - when you saw your name pop up in mock drafts?"

"What would you say to your teammates that maybe don't have a future in professional football about why you quit?"

"Who advised you that quitting on your team to 'prepare for the draft' was the right choice?"




There may be no wrong answer to these questions in the eyes of some, but the answers will give you all the insight you need into the character of the individual.

It's a fair question and I wouldn't dock someone with a legitimate reason. Get's a little dicey after that.

 

[LargoFin]

Terrace Marshall did the right thing this year. Went out there, played 10 games. Had nothing else to prove nor needed to help the team.

 

[SF Dolphin Fan]

Terrace Marshall did the right thing this year. Went out there, played 10 games. Had nothing else to prove nor needed to help the team.

Really improved his stock as well.

 

[jimthefin]

I don't think we are going to see teams "punish" the opt outs.

There may be a team or two who holds it against the "quitters" but I expect to see the talented guys get drafted where they should.

 

[PSU Cane]

Terrace Marshall did the right thing this year. Went out there, played 10 games. Had nothing else to prove nor needed to help the team.

He only played 7.

I really like Marshall as a prospect. He's been in several of my Mock drafts. Size, speed.....he has the tools. That said, the timing of his opt out is odd, right before a matchup with their biggest rival Alabama.

Why?
- Some might say the team was 3-4 and with all the other opt-outs on the team and COVID peaking again, he decided to shut it down. Not so bad.
- Others might say it was because Bama and UF were coming up on the schedule, tough games. Was he concerned his tape would take a hit against better players?

Questions will be asked by NFL teams. Guys opting out midseason will have to explain something that looks questionable on the simplest level.

 

[PSU Cane]

I don't think we are going to see teams "punish" the opt outs.

There may be a team or two who holds it against the "quitters" but I expect to see the talented guys get drafted where they should.

Every situation will be looked at differently.

I would expect a guy like Paris Ford opting out after getting into an argument with a coach will be viewed differently than Jaycee Horn who opted out after his coach was fired, or a kid nursing an injury who decided to opt out the last few games.

As i said in other posts, i expect many kids to come out of this clean from a character/leadership perspective. I do not expect ALL kids to come out clean.

 

[jimthefin]

He only played 7.

I really like Marshall as a prospect. He's been in several of my Mock drafts. Size, speed.....he has the tools. That said, the timing of his opt out is odd, right before a matchup with their biggest rival Alabama.

Why?
- Some might say the team was 3-4 and with all the other opt-outs on the team and COVID peaking again, he decided to shut it down. Not so bad.
- Others might say it was because Bama and UF were coming up on the schedule, tough games. Was he concerned his tape would take a hit against better players?

Questions will be asked by NFL teams. Guys opting out midseason will have to explain something that looks questionable on the simplest level.

The question could also be would he have opted out if LSU 7-0?

 

[jimthefin]

Every situation will be looked at differently.

I would expect a guy like Paris Ford opting out after getting into an argument with a coach will be viewed differently than Jaycee Horn who opted out after his coach was fired, or a kid nursing an injury who decided to opt out the last few games.

As i said in other posts, i expect many kids to come out of this clean from a character/leadership perspective. I do not expect ALL kids to come out clean.

It may cause teams to look at them a little closer character-wise.

But I think they look pretty closely now anyway.

 

[PSU Cane]

It may cause teams to look at them a little closer character-wise.

But I think they look pretty closely now anyway.

I have read and heard a lot of things over the years.

I think you would be surprised how lazy some of the teams are when it comes to draft prep.

 

[Feverdream]

Then there are situations like the Minnesota program... where it is estimated that over half of the players have caught Covid. Why would you continue to stay there? Masochism? Rank stupidity?

 

[jimthefin]

I have read and heard a lot of things over the years.

I think you would be surprised how lazy some of the teams are when it comes to draft prep.

My buddy is a Vikings fans and he told me he saw an interview with Nick Saban where he said he told NFL teams(including the Vikings)that Dimitrius Underwood was not going to be able to function in society, let alone the NFL.

The Vikings took him anyway and it did not turn out very well.

 

[BigNastyFish]

NFL Personnel Executive to Player B:

"In your opinion, at what point is it ok for football players to quit? When they start seeing their name pop up in mock drafts?"

"What if they start putting high school recruits in mock drafts? Is it ok to quit then and wait around a few years for the NFL to come calling?"

"When did you begin to worry about getting injured - when you saw your name pop up in mock drafts?"

"What would you say to your teammates that maybe don't have a future in professional football about why you quit?"

"Who advised you that quitting on your team to 'prepare for the draft' was the right choice?"




There may be no wrong answer to these questions in the eyes of some, but the answers will give you all the insight you need into the character of the individual.

Great questions. IMO. Self-preservation VS. selfishness. No doubt there's a diagnostic hidden in that woodpile.

Especially with a dude like Flo --- I'm 99% sure he'd be very interested in such info.

As you know first hand in 'bama -- better players do not equal better TEAM!

How are the cousins BTW?

>>> Merry Xmas and have a dominant New Year!