First Six Picks

[BobDole]

i usually wait to do this until i know what's what - but what the hell.

1. brandon spikes - ILB - florida - exactly what you want in an ILB for a 3-4. big, tough, physical, experienced, great leadership - he's the total package. this moves crowder over so he can roam free. him and mcclain are my top choices for the first rounder and by a long shot.

2. earl thomas - FS - texas - okay, some of you will say i am crazy thinking he falls - and you might be right. i look at it like this - he'll be the third safety taken. berry goes first and then someone will **** themselves over how mays performs at the combine - that leaves thomas. i could even make an argument for burnett going before thomas - but that probably won't happen. it is extremely rare for 3 safeties to go in the first so i'll go ahead and assume thomas falls to us - somehow. if he's gone then i'll take burnett here. there are 4 free safeties with excellent coverage skills that i'd take - berry (duh), thomas, burnett, and allen. thomas is the best pure coverage guy of the bunch with the best ball skills. exactly what we need.

3. eric norwood - OLB - south carolina - very good pass rushing skills and plays with a lot of intensity. he'll go somewhere in the third and who knows what happens with porter and taylor.

4. ed dickson - TE - oregon - it's pretty obvious we need some talent at TE and dickson has tons of NFL potential. i was going to put hernandez here but you guys would rip my head off for being such a gators homer. hell, i wanted to slot cunningham there in the 3rd.

6a. ben tate - RB - auburn - good size and speed here. would be great value if he lasted this long - which he very well might. haven't liked what i've seen from hilliard so far so getting another RB is smart.

6b. ekom udofia - NT - stanford - at around 320 lbs this guy is a monster. i've watched him a few times this year and he's pretty much unmovable. i know how bill likes to grab the NT's late - and this would be a pretty solid pick IMO.

haven't done enough research yet to list the rest of my picks. i like to wait to do my mocks until i know exactly where the picks are, exactly where players are likely to be slotted, and what the hell is going on with certain positions (WR is a big one - i'm assuming we get a #1 in FA - obviously - and OLB is another one - if taylor retires, etc.) but i was getting a little antsy in the pantsy. go nuts.

 

[MiamiDolfan85]

almost everyone not named Brandon Spikes is not gonna be there.....

and please,UF players just suck....hopefully we dont add another to this D

 

[BobDole]

almost everyone not named Brandon Spikes is not gonna be there.....

and please,UF players just suck....hopefully we dont add another to this D

eh. who knows. as of right now thomas is the only reach. one of the reasons i like to wait is to see who rises and who falls - none of that's too crazy.

UF players suck, eh? like kevin carter, jevon kearse, mike peterson, andra davis, reggie nelson, etc.? there are 3 gators in this draft that will be impact NFL players - and spikes is one of them. spikes is EXACTLY the type of player we need in the middle.

 

[ArmyFin7]

Didn't we trade our 5th rounder to KC for Thigpen?

 

[BobDole]

Didn't we trade our 5th rounder to KC for Thigpen?

i wasn't going by rounds there - i was just going first 6 picks - that's why i used that title. but yeah, that's probably unnecessarily confusing. i'll change it.

 

[hoops]

i like some of those picks...they could be there

but i downwright can't stand the brandon spikes pick in the first round

and i assume you have tate over anthony dixon of miss st at rb cause anthony dixon will be long gone by the 6th...and probably tate as well

plus i'd like a higher rated nt prospect somewhere in there than what you have and a wr (unless we fill it in free agency)

 

[ckparrothead]

My thoughts are...

1. I wouldn't be surprised by taking Brandon Spikes. He has the versatility and physicality to play in THIS system. He consistently gets off blocks. He can read the QB's eyes. He can rush the passer from an outside or inside position.

2. That said, I haven't pegged him for us yet, for various reasons, more having to do with other needs, other available talents, etc. It has nothing to do with me saying Brandon Spikes is not for Miami, because I believe Miami would love him.

3. There's enough in the hopper between Chris Clemons and Tyrone Culver that if we do jettison Gibril Wilson, I'm not sure they'd address FS in the 2nd round.

4. THIS staff, will not draft a 6'0" guy to play OLB in their 3-4. I firmly believe that. I don't even think they'd do it for an ILB. I have issues with Norwood against the run. We'll see.

5. I don't really see a ton of potential in Ed Dickson. I see a guy with a little bit of athleticism, inconsitent hands, no real on the line blocking ability, it's hard for me in general to really like anyone from this Tight End class other than Jermaine Gresham. This is an availability of talent thing, you can't just peg a TE for the 3rd round figuring you've taken care of the position...because the guys at the position in this draft suck. I doubt Hernandez would be available at that spot but even if he is I'm not sure Miami would take him. He doesn't block either.

6. Who will Ben Tate kill, screw or steal from between now and the draft to land him in the 6th round?

7. I have no issues with the Udofia pick.

 

[hoops]

going along with that height issue i think brandon graham is gonna measure out at just around 6 ft at the combine despite his listing at 6 ft 2...having said that do you think we wouldn't look at him at strongside olb as a result

and i like anthony dixon more than tate at rb...dixon is a load and imo the kind of guy this regime would draft...but i think tate is also

 

[ckparrothead]

I like Ben Tate a whole lot I just don't think there's any way he lasts until the 6th round unless he kills someone, screws someone, or steals from someone.

I have to take a look at Dixon some more.

My gut says no, we won't look at Graham as a SOLB.

Could look at an A.J. Edds though. He can play.

 

[BobDole]

i like some of those picks...they could be there

but i downwright can't stand the brandon spikes pick in the first round

and i assume you have tate over anthony dixon of miss st at rb cause anthony dixon will be long gone by the 6th...and probably tate as well

plus i'd like a higher rated nt prospect somewhere in there than what you have and a wr (unless we fill it in free agency)

i'll take spikes or mcclain there in the first. can't go wrong with either one.

who knows what will happen with the running backs from now until draft time. that position fluctuates a ton in the months leading up to the draft. i haven't done my running back homework yet - i just needed a solid back in there - and tate sounded about right. but yeah, he very well might be gone in the late 4th/early 5th.

udofia intrigues me a lot. huge guy with loads of potential. i'd obviously rather have williams or odrick - but ILB and FS are more important IMO.

i said in there that i assume we'll fill the WR need in FA - and if we do - that position can be completely ignored. if we don't get one in FA - then henne will be in trouble.

these picks will definitely change in future mocks - this was just a starting point.

 

[hoops]

I like Ben Tate a whole lot I just don't think there's any way he lasts until the 6th round unless he kills someone, screws someone, or steals from someone.

I have to take a look at Dixon some more.

My gut says no, we won't look at Graham as a SOLB.

Could look at an A.J. Edds though. He can play.

shoot...i've been watching graham he plays with great leverage and power sheds well...i think he can make the transition to standup strongside backer effectively...i just don't like his height all that much and i know how this regime is a real stickler for size

what about derrick morgan as a strong side olb...he's got the size this regime covets and he can really play

 

[ckparrothead]

Bill Parcells once flat out labeled height as one of the core traits he will not sacrifice in his linebackers.

 

[greasyObnoxious]

Bill Parcells once flat out labeled height as one of the core traits he will not sacrifice in his linebackers.

so, i guess we can scratch Eric Norwood, Von Miller, O'Brien Schofield and Cameron Sheffiled among others off the list

 

[PhinsRDbest]

Florida's recent draft classes have been sub par recently but maybe this year they will buck the trend. They could do worse than Spikes.

 

[BobDole]

My thoughts are...

1. I wouldn't be surprised by taking Brandon Spikes. He has the versatility and physicality to play in THIS system. He consistently gets off blocks. He can read the QB's eyes. He can rush the passer from an outside or inside position.

2. That said, I haven't pegged him for us yet, for various reasons, more having to do with other needs, other available talents, etc. It has nothing to do with me saying Brandon Spikes is not for Miami, because I believe Miami would love him.

3. There's enough in the hopper between Chris Clemons and Tyrone Culver that if we do jettison Gibril Wilson, I'm not sure they'd address FS in the 2nd round.

4. THIS staff, will not draft a 6'0" guy to play OLB in their 3-4. I firmly believe that. I don't even think they'd do it for an ILB. I have issues with Norwood against the run. We'll see.

5. I don't really see a ton of potential in Ed Dickson. I see a guy with a little bit of athleticism, inconsitent hands, no real on the line blocking ability, it's hard for me in general to really like anyone from this Tight End class other than Jermaine Gresham. This is an availability of talent thing, you can't just peg a TE for the 3rd round figuring you've taken care of the position...because the guys at the position in this draft suck. I doubt Hernandez would be available at that spot but even if he is I'm not sure Miami would take him. He doesn't block either.

6. Who will Ben Tate kill, screw or steal from between now and the draft to land him in the 6th round?

7. I have no issues with the Udofia pick.

i was not aware of the height thing - i knew he liked them tall - but i didn't know it was a must. in which case - just switch that pick to brandon lang. i'm not real high on any of the OLB's this year - we missed out HUGE last year. it's crazy how one draft can have such a deep class and then there's a bunch of nothin the next.

a cover safety is a must IMO. i haven't seen anything from clemons yet to tell me he has what it takes to start - but i also haven't expected a whole lot out of him since he was a 5th rounder. i would love to change that pick to dan williams but i'm not so sure. culver gets beat often and badly - i don't know how safe he is in miami. and if wilson stays i'm hoping they rotate him and bell at SS.

there are only 3 TE's i like this year - gresham, hernandez, and dickson. i know we need one so i just picked 1 of the 3. this is another position i'd like to fill in FA but i thought getting a #1 receiver and starting tight end would be wishful thinking.

and tate - i guess hoping he fell that far was crazier than i thought. oh well.

thanks for the input man.