Local Papers Condemn past drafts

[ZOD]

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/football/8458828.htm

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/...pr18,0,4899462.story?coll=sfla-dolphins-front

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports...tions/sunday/sports_0418bdd7145af14810b0.html

It's across the board! Total failure grade of the Wannestedt drafts.

Most interesting from the Herald article.

"A Dolphins source familiar with the GM interview process confirms that Spielman showed Huizenga documentation that his grade for Florida State receiver Anquan Boldin was higher than for Moore. And Spielman's grade on Fletcher was the lowest among those grading the since-traded cornerback.

Spielman declines to talk about such matters, but he says the past three drafts have served as an educational experience that could help him next weekend........................................

The part about a player fitting a system is a not-so-veiled reference to Fletcher, who never played press coverage at Wisconsin, was not physical enough to play press coverage in the NFL and predictably failed when he was asked to play press coverage for the Dolphins."

 

[Ohiophinphan]

They were all fair and firm reports and equally damning of the results. If Rick can pull us out the hole created by the failed drafts with his work in free agency and this draft he will quailify as a genius in my opinion. But its a big if.

 

[ZOD]

For those that may want to look them up.....

2003 Draft
PLAYER ROUND COMMENT
Eddie Moore 2 Injured all of '03
Wade Smith 3a Starter as rookie
Taylor Whitley 3b Backup
Donald Lee 5a Backup
J.R. Tolver 5b Backup
Corey Jenkins 6a Special teamer
Tim Provost 6c Cut
Yeremiah Bell 6d Practice squad '03
Davern Williams 7d Cut this month

2002 Draft
PLAYER ROUND COMMENT
Seth McKinney 3 Projected starter
R. McMichael 4a Starter
Omare Lowe 5a Cut
Sam Simmons 5b Special teamer
Leonard Henry 7b Backup

2001 Draft
PLAYER ROUND COMMENT
Jamar Fletcher 1 Bust, traded
Chris Chambers 2 Starter
Travis Minor 3a Backup
M. Greenwood 3b Starter
Shawn Draper 5 Cut
Brandon Winey 6a Cut
Josh Heupel 6b Cut
Otis Leverette 6c Cut
Rick Crowell 6d Cut

2000 Draft
PLAYER ROUND COMMENT
Todd Wade 2 Starter, left team
Ben Kelly 3 Cut
Deon Dyer 4 Traded, cut
Arturo Freeman 5 Backup
Ernest Grant 6a Cut
Jeff Harris 7b Cut

 

[inFINSible]

The encouraging thing I see, is that we seem to be finding a higher percentage of players that make the team, out of the last two drafts.

Those two, from what I can tell, had the most RS influence.

I think 2001, Rick may have been involved but, not fully involved, because that was his first year with the team....

 

[FinfanInBuffalo]

I would give the Dolphins a grade of C in the drafts. Combined with the free agency moves and the success at resigning their own players and I would give them a B.

In addition to the drafts, Wanny and crew have also acquired:

Starters or projected starters:

Ricky Williams
David Boston
AJ Feeley
Jeno James
Damion McIntosh
Wally Ogunleye
Larry Chester
Junior Seau
Sammy Knight

Quality depth:
Jeff Zgonina
Jay Williams
David Bowens
Reggie Howard
John St Clair

Contributors now gone:
Jamie Nails
Todd Perry
Terrell Buckley


All while lossing very few players in their prime.

The Dolphins have been hampered by not having high picks and having only one first round pick in the last four years. If Taylor Whitley can become a starting guard, they will have drafted 3 starting OL in two drafts (with no first round picks) and acquired 2 more via free agency. Thats a complete replacement of the OL in three years.

The first article is correct, the drafting has forced Miami to be active in FA to fill starting positions every year. Also, the core of the team is aging. A few years from now, the team will look much different. This draft needs to build as much for the future as this year.

Zach, Jason, Sam, Timbo, Junior will all be gone within 5 years.

We need to start finding replacements now.

 

[ZOD]

The point you miss is that we have not had an influx of good CHEAP talent. Those players you listed play for more than a 1st year 4th round rookie contract. We have still not seen the full ramifications of the veteran guaranteed contracts. The draft failure is partially responsible for the reworking of various contracts throughout the past couple of years.

Take the "my team" sunglasses off and you can see that we are potentially looking at a "Raiders East" here.

 

[FinfanInBuffalo]

Originally posted by ZOD
The point you miss is that we have not had an influx of good CHEAP talent. Those players you listed play for more than a 1st year 4th round rookie contract. We have still not seen the full ramifications of the veteran guaranteed contracts. The draft failure is partially responsible for the reworking of various contracts throughout the past couple of years.

Take the "my team" sunglasses off and you can see that we are potentially looking at a "Raiders East" here.

Sorry to disagree, but Ricky, Boston, McIntosh, Ogunleye have all been cheap. Cheaper than the price of first or second round draft picks, that counted on to become starters. Comparing their salaries to 4th round draft picks is just a little self serving.

All of the reserves (except Howard) have been inexpensive moves. The draft failures have nothing to do with the rework of contracts. They were reworked to keep them with the team. We would have reworked the contracts regardless. The draft failures have led to the signing of FAs and nothing more.

Keep the team sunglasses comments to yourself.

 

[Danny]

There's no doubt that Wanny has missed a lot more than he has hit on draft day.He did bring in Ricky with a trade for 2 1st round picks. The players we've gotten in free agency this year are Rick's players and not Wanny. And Wanny has given up future higher picks to draft a player in a lower round which I think is a mistake. Anyway, I'm glad that Rick's in charge and I hope we'll go for Evans with our first pick as is been a long time since we took a playmaker with our first pick.

Ozzy rules!!

 

[ZOD]

Originally posted by FinfanInBuffalo

The draft failures have led to the signing of FAs and nothing more.

No harm meant by the sunglasses comment but if you compare even the best case draft picks with the free agent acquisition you'll see the difference.

Boston's cap hit for this year WILL BE 1.9 million
Thompson cap hit WILL BE 1.1 million
2nd rounder Chambers playing under his draft contract will be 712,000.

Seau cap hit WILL BE 3.3 million
2nd round Moore playing under his draft contract will be 613,000
3rd round Greenwood will be 628,000

Knight cap hit will be 1.7 million
Freeman will be 535,000

Larry Chester WILL BE 1.1 million
Dario Romero will be 530,000

On the mess of an O-line
Playing under draft contracts
Mckinney cap hit-530,000
Smith cap hit-458,000
Whitley cap hit-439,000

Free agents
James cap hit 1.2 million
St. Clair cap hit 900,000 (may not start)
Mcintosh- 585,000 (a damaged goods contract this year that will accelerate)

Ogunleye was not a free agent acquisition
Mcintosh's salary will be crushing NEXT YEAR

and Ricky while cheap for performance in free agency at 3.75 million was replaced by a man that has gained just as much yardage and is playing under a draft contract this year at 1.1 million dollars after a HOLDOUT for more in his rookie year.

 

[BuffBillsMan90]

Any chance those reports were altered? Hindsight is 20/20

 

[NCFINFAN38]

WOW ZOD, now THAT is proving a point. Well said and explained. You should have been a lawyer.

 

[ZOD]

Originally posted by Clumpy
Any chance those reports were altered? Hindsight is 20/20

Now Clump.....

You wouldn't blasphem our own Rick Spielman now would you?

 

[ZOD]

Originally posted by NCFINFAN38
WOW ZOD, now THAT is proving a point. Well said and explained. You should have been a lawyer.

Someone once told me here that if they wanted to see doom and cry I'd be the first one they'd call.

 

[infiltrateib]

ZOD: one small note...

We have consistently picked in the bottom third of the draft. That makes your numbers a lot more appealing, because:

1) Any "hits" (starters) will be more rare and also have lower salaries than if we had to pick them in the top-15

2) Free agency has hindered our ability to draft starting-caliber players. Ricky cost us 2 1sts. When you don't pick in the first round, you have a much lower probability of hitting on a starter.

3) Draft picks become free agents. Yes, Chris Chambers will play for $700,000 this year... but he's going to cost much more next year. Players take time to develop... and that's usually 2-3 years. Rookie contracts rarely last more than 3-4 years... which builds into my next point:

4) Every contract contains a risk allocation. The point is that rookies are unproven. If they were proven, they'd be paid like veterans of the same talent level. Chambers only costs $700k because he wasn't a sure thing. We hadn't seen him play in the NFL. We assumed the risk of his inability to compete at this level. If we want to keep the talent we just drafted, we're going to have to pay him the big figures... and then he goes somewhere else on your chart.

5) It obfuscates the fact that our success rate will be lower than other teams. We consistently win and this means we have to take more "risks" in the later half of the first round/second round.

Yes, we have fewer starters picked up from the drafts, and yes, we pay them less... but 1) there are rational explanations for that and 2) given our usual draft position and the average length of rookie contracts, it's not really reparable.

 

[ZOD]

I'm following you.

Don't get me wrong here it's been an admirable effort. It's a hit and miss process I know. The problem originated further back than this reign too but the foundation of the whole problem stems from success or failure in the draft.

BTW
Your argument leads to another doom and gloom subject that I don't want to get into......I'll save that one for January in the case of failure. :D