Early Observations of the Rookie Class

[gafin]

The offseason program is officially over and all eyes are looking towards training camp. I now have a chance to reflect on the progress of the Dolphins’ 2014 draft class. I wasn’t sure what to expect with three players coming from the SEC and the rest coming from the FCS, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the overall talent of this group. They have seemed to set the bar higher than expected going into training camp and this year’s preseason games. Here are my impressions of the Dolphins 2014 rookie class so far:
Ja’Wuan James, OT, Tennessee:
Throughout OTAs and minicamp, it’s readily apparent that James possesses the athleticism and maturity that will allow him to start at the right tackle position this season. What impresses me the most is that the spotlight hasn’t been too bright for him, and the one good thing about an offensive lineman is that he doesn’t stand out for the wrong reasons. He’s been able to hold his own in terms of technique, foot speed, and hand placement so far through the offseason program and hopefully that translates when defenders like Cameron Wake and Olivier Vernon are in full gear come training camp. His athletic ability is a complete upgrade to where the Dolphins were a season ago at the right tackle position.
Jarvis Landry, WR, LSU:
After a handful of practices that I’ve witnessed, it looks like Landry was a major steal for the Dolphins in the second round. His consistency in route running, dependability, and cleanly catching the football separates Landry from some of the other young wide receivers that I’ve seen. The knock on Jarvis was the lack of foot speed due to a bad 40 time at the combine, but that has not been apparent when he’s really playing the game of football. He continually gets separation because of his precise routes, and when he is in a crowd, knows how to position his body between the defender and the football. His wide catch radius and ability to catch in traffic will be very helpful to quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

http://www.thefinsiders.com/blog/2014/early-observations-of-the-rookie-class

 

[russianbear]

sounds like Jarvis plays faster than his 40 times would imply.....who would've guessed that?

really excited to see some contributions from this year's rookie class, as well as last year's this season....

 

[fisi]

Nice post, thanks!

 

[Buddy]

Thank you, good info!

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

 

[utahphinsfan]

So, Dennis guessed correctly at pick 19?

Landry for ORoTY?

 

[So Be]

Surprising to see that Congemi, working for a Phins TV show, has nothing but good things to say on all the Dolphins picks. I have watched Finsiders before being extremely bored with them saying nothing. They are absolutely horrible. JMO. The show really needs someone like a Kimbo, who has something to say and is a pleasure to listen to.

 

[zach attach]

Yes, Kimbo. "Broadcstin' for my family!" That guys great, I wish he had gone further with mma

 

[So Be]

Yes, Kimbo. "Broadcstin' for my family!" That guys great, I wish he had gone further with mma

Different Kimbo. I was talking about former Phin Kim Bokamper, who is really good for local CBS.

 

[Austin Tatious]

I think the first three picks will eventually be long term starters. I'm not sure Landry and Turner start this year, though. I'd say you probably could have gotten James on a trade down. I would have come down, taken the extra pick and come out of there with Nix the DT out of South Bend who has the massive size to hold down the point of attack that offsets the difference in size when we went from Soliai to Mitchell. If we came out of there with James, Nix, Turner, and Landry, that would have beeen A+ stuff, boys. But we played it cautious and there is no Nix.

As for the rest of the draft, let's hope for depth. I am not seeing starter material anywhere. Jordie Tripp may have potential as a backup in the base defense long term. If nothing else he should be an ace on teams. Lynch should be a decent well rounded TE. Maybe like a poor man's Dan Johnson to use a 1980s reference.

Anthony Johnson, while not drafted, could bring an uptick to the performance of the rookie class because he has a high ceiling. There is considerable untapped potential. He can be quick and active.

The 4th round corner has size and measurables that scream out safety project to me. I wonder if he got overdrafted.

It's too early for proclamations but my sense is Hickey may have a better common sense for drafting than his predecessor, at least in terms of eye for talent and common sense of what to do. Essentially you are looking at 3 starters, and maybe some role player backups. Fitting what the coach needed. I'd think a coach would like Hickey. A few drafts like that and Hickey could point to a solid track record and say "look what I put in place."