Some snippets of local interest from Mike Mayock’s pre-draft conference call with reporters:
### Though some draftniks have Todd Gurley rising into the top 10 –-- before Miami picks --- Mayock isn’t among them. In fact, he rates Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon ahead of Gurley.
“I think two running backs go 17 to 32,” he said. “If one goes before that, it wouldn’t stun me. Gurley’s a home run hitter, a difference maker. You have to worry a little bit about the durability and his ACL. He’s had two injuries…
“At 222 pounds, he’s a world class sprinter. When you look at the big plays he made in the SEC, it’s easy to say he’s a difference maker for us. I slightly prefer Melvin Gordon more. Melvin Gordon reminds me of Jamaal Charles. Doesn’t have the breakaway speed of Charles but has everything else. To me, he’s a difference maker. Running back interest probably starts at 17 with San Diego.”
### Mayock wouldn’t be surprised if Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes is available to the Dolphins at 14. “I think Waynes goes 11 to 20,” he said.
“Perhaps 11 to Minnesota, New Orleans 13, Miami 14. Waynes is my No. 1 corner.”
A friend of Waynes involved in his pre-draft preparation indicated two weeks ago that Waynes would be visiting the Dolphins. That ultimately did not materialize; the Dolphins instead decided to spend time with Waynes outside South Florida.
Mayock said the “cleanest” cornerback in the draft is Wake Forest’s Kevin Johnson, who was invited by the Dolphins for a pre-draft visit.
“He will go somewhere 16 to 25," Mayock said. "Really solid player. He’s gotten pushed up because coaches love him.”
He said Washington cornerback Marcus Peters, who was thrown off his college team after arguing with coaches, “will go between 20 and 32.” Bleacher Report's Jason Cole said he's in the mix for Miami at 14.
Mayock also had some insight on Utah corner/safety Eric Rowe, who visited the Dolphins and intrigues them:
“Teams are really split on Eric Rowe. I have him in my top 50. Half the league thinks he’s a third round pick. Teams that like him say if he’s a top 50 pick, is he a corner or safety?... I feel very strongly he’s a second round corner. He’s got length. No way he gets out of the second round and if he went early in the second round, it wouldn’t surprise me at all.”
By the way, Mayock is in the minority in that he rates Arizona State’s Damarious Randall as his No. 1 safety, ahead of Alabama’s Landon Collins.
"It’s such a bad safety class,” he said. “It’s which corners can convert over. I think [Miami of Ohio’s] Quinten Rollins goes in the second round as a safety.” The Dolphins like Rollins, a former basketball player who had seven picks as a corner last season in his first year of football.
### Mayock’s assessment of UCF receiver Breshad Perriman, who visited the Dolphins Wednesday:
“He’s in the conversation with DeVante Parker about who the third receiver is. Does he play to that [4.25 in the 40] speed? No. That’s one of the things he has to learn to do – to play faster. Once he learns how to use his speed to set up corners, his upside is as dramatic as any receiver in this draft.
“The misnomer is he has bad hands, because he had seven or eight drops. He has great hands. Just some dumb concentration drops. At his pro day, he caught everything. He’s a natural hand catcher. I would expect all four [Amari Cooper, Kevin White, Parker, Perriman] to be gone by 20.”
Though Bleacher Report said Miami has fallen in love with Oklahoma receiver Dorial Green Beckham, he has had worrisome off field issues (two involving marijuana; another incident in which he allegedly pushed a woman down four flights of stairs). Picking him at 14 would seem too risky. He reportedly spoke to the Dolphins on Monday.
“He’ll probably go 25 to 40,” Mayock said. “Off the chart measurables but all kinds of character questions.”
Kiper said Maryland receiver Stefon Diggs, who was summoned by the Dolphins to team headquarters, “is special with ball in his hands. Probably [goes in the] fourth or fifth round. Key is finding him touches, whether it’s receiving or in the return game.”
### Pittsburgh offensive tackle/guard T.J. Clemmings, a potential mid to late first-round pick who’s doing a diary for USA Today, told the newspaper that the Dolphins are flying to New Jersey to give him a private workout this week.
But Mayock said “after [Iowa’s] Brandon Scherff, who was a tackle at Iowa and will get kicked inside and will probably go in first 10 or 12 picks, there are a lot of question marks [about the other first-round offensive linemen].
"[UM's] Erik Flowers, [Stanford’s] Andrus Peat, [UF’s] DJ Humphries, Clemmings. All are gifted first-round tackles, but I can punch a hole in every one of those kids. They’re not all ready to play day one. I think they’re getting pushed down to the second half of the first round.
"The reason I have [LSU’s] La’El Collins as my No. 1 tackle is he’s the only one... I know exactly what I’m getting --– a starting tackle who can kick inside to play guard.”
Collins visited the Dolphins; Flowers and Dennis Hickey spoke for several minutes at UM's Pro Day.
### Mayock said Florida State could have 10 to 12 players drafted and the most draft picks in a three-year period in the history of a seven-round draft.
“I go back to the great Miami teams of early 2000s, and you’re like my --- first rounder after first rounder,” he said. “While Florida State hasn’t had as many first round picks as those Miami teams, just the sheer volume puts them in top echelon.”
### Mayock, on Jameis Winston: “I've got (Marcus) Mariota one, because I believe in Mariota, but the other piece of that is, with Jameis Winston I've got trust issues both on and off the field. Do I trust him with the football on the field, given the way he turned the ball over, especially this year with 18 interceptions? It could have been 40 very easily," Mayock said.
"Can I trust him with the ball, which is the most important thing during an NFL game? And two, can I trust him off the field? To me, those red flags are significant enough that my answer is, I would go the other way with Mariota."
Mayock gave Johnny Manziel the benefit of the doubt last year with regard to off-field issues and "I have to put my hand up and say I missed that last year with Manziel, and I'm upset with myself.
“When kids have significant red flags, how often do they change? My perception and my experience is, plus or minus, 90 percent of the time, a kid ultimately turns into who he's always been," Mayock added.
"When you get a repeated pattern of bad decisions, you might be on your best behavior leading up to the draft, you've got all kinds of people around you telling you what to say and how to act. But once you get comfortable, whether it's one year in, two years in, three years in, once you get comfortable again in the NFL and you get paid, typically that kid goes back to being who he always was."
### Washington State defensive tackle Xavier Cooper, a potential early to mid-round pick, said he visited the Dolphins, in an ESPN piece chronicling the visit process for prospects.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/spor...s-gurley-big-concern-on-winston-and-more.html
### Though some draftniks have Todd Gurley rising into the top 10 –-- before Miami picks --- Mayock isn’t among them. In fact, he rates Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon ahead of Gurley.
“I think two running backs go 17 to 32,” he said. “If one goes before that, it wouldn’t stun me. Gurley’s a home run hitter, a difference maker. You have to worry a little bit about the durability and his ACL. He’s had two injuries…
“At 222 pounds, he’s a world class sprinter. When you look at the big plays he made in the SEC, it’s easy to say he’s a difference maker for us. I slightly prefer Melvin Gordon more. Melvin Gordon reminds me of Jamaal Charles. Doesn’t have the breakaway speed of Charles but has everything else. To me, he’s a difference maker. Running back interest probably starts at 17 with San Diego.”
### Mayock wouldn’t be surprised if Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes is available to the Dolphins at 14. “I think Waynes goes 11 to 20,” he said.
“Perhaps 11 to Minnesota, New Orleans 13, Miami 14. Waynes is my No. 1 corner.”
A friend of Waynes involved in his pre-draft preparation indicated two weeks ago that Waynes would be visiting the Dolphins. That ultimately did not materialize; the Dolphins instead decided to spend time with Waynes outside South Florida.
Mayock said the “cleanest” cornerback in the draft is Wake Forest’s Kevin Johnson, who was invited by the Dolphins for a pre-draft visit.
“He will go somewhere 16 to 25," Mayock said. "Really solid player. He’s gotten pushed up because coaches love him.”
He said Washington cornerback Marcus Peters, who was thrown off his college team after arguing with coaches, “will go between 20 and 32.” Bleacher Report's Jason Cole said he's in the mix for Miami at 14.
Mayock also had some insight on Utah corner/safety Eric Rowe, who visited the Dolphins and intrigues them:
“Teams are really split on Eric Rowe. I have him in my top 50. Half the league thinks he’s a third round pick. Teams that like him say if he’s a top 50 pick, is he a corner or safety?... I feel very strongly he’s a second round corner. He’s got length. No way he gets out of the second round and if he went early in the second round, it wouldn’t surprise me at all.”
By the way, Mayock is in the minority in that he rates Arizona State’s Damarious Randall as his No. 1 safety, ahead of Alabama’s Landon Collins.
"It’s such a bad safety class,” he said. “It’s which corners can convert over. I think [Miami of Ohio’s] Quinten Rollins goes in the second round as a safety.” The Dolphins like Rollins, a former basketball player who had seven picks as a corner last season in his first year of football.
### Mayock’s assessment of UCF receiver Breshad Perriman, who visited the Dolphins Wednesday:
“He’s in the conversation with DeVante Parker about who the third receiver is. Does he play to that [4.25 in the 40] speed? No. That’s one of the things he has to learn to do – to play faster. Once he learns how to use his speed to set up corners, his upside is as dramatic as any receiver in this draft.
“The misnomer is he has bad hands, because he had seven or eight drops. He has great hands. Just some dumb concentration drops. At his pro day, he caught everything. He’s a natural hand catcher. I would expect all four [Amari Cooper, Kevin White, Parker, Perriman] to be gone by 20.”
Though Bleacher Report said Miami has fallen in love with Oklahoma receiver Dorial Green Beckham, he has had worrisome off field issues (two involving marijuana; another incident in which he allegedly pushed a woman down four flights of stairs). Picking him at 14 would seem too risky. He reportedly spoke to the Dolphins on Monday.
“He’ll probably go 25 to 40,” Mayock said. “Off the chart measurables but all kinds of character questions.”
Kiper said Maryland receiver Stefon Diggs, who was summoned by the Dolphins to team headquarters, “is special with ball in his hands. Probably [goes in the] fourth or fifth round. Key is finding him touches, whether it’s receiving or in the return game.”
### Pittsburgh offensive tackle/guard T.J. Clemmings, a potential mid to late first-round pick who’s doing a diary for USA Today, told the newspaper that the Dolphins are flying to New Jersey to give him a private workout this week.
But Mayock said “after [Iowa’s] Brandon Scherff, who was a tackle at Iowa and will get kicked inside and will probably go in first 10 or 12 picks, there are a lot of question marks [about the other first-round offensive linemen].
"[UM's] Erik Flowers, [Stanford’s] Andrus Peat, [UF’s] DJ Humphries, Clemmings. All are gifted first-round tackles, but I can punch a hole in every one of those kids. They’re not all ready to play day one. I think they’re getting pushed down to the second half of the first round.
"The reason I have [LSU’s] La’El Collins as my No. 1 tackle is he’s the only one... I know exactly what I’m getting --– a starting tackle who can kick inside to play guard.”
Collins visited the Dolphins; Flowers and Dennis Hickey spoke for several minutes at UM's Pro Day.
### Mayock said Florida State could have 10 to 12 players drafted and the most draft picks in a three-year period in the history of a seven-round draft.
“I go back to the great Miami teams of early 2000s, and you’re like my --- first rounder after first rounder,” he said. “While Florida State hasn’t had as many first round picks as those Miami teams, just the sheer volume puts them in top echelon.”
### Mayock, on Jameis Winston: “I've got (Marcus) Mariota one, because I believe in Mariota, but the other piece of that is, with Jameis Winston I've got trust issues both on and off the field. Do I trust him with the football on the field, given the way he turned the ball over, especially this year with 18 interceptions? It could have been 40 very easily," Mayock said.
"Can I trust him with the ball, which is the most important thing during an NFL game? And two, can I trust him off the field? To me, those red flags are significant enough that my answer is, I would go the other way with Mariota."
Mayock gave Johnny Manziel the benefit of the doubt last year with regard to off-field issues and "I have to put my hand up and say I missed that last year with Manziel, and I'm upset with myself.
“When kids have significant red flags, how often do they change? My perception and my experience is, plus or minus, 90 percent of the time, a kid ultimately turns into who he's always been," Mayock added.
"When you get a repeated pattern of bad decisions, you might be on your best behavior leading up to the draft, you've got all kinds of people around you telling you what to say and how to act. But once you get comfortable, whether it's one year in, two years in, three years in, once you get comfortable again in the NFL and you get paid, typically that kid goes back to being who he always was."
### Washington State defensive tackle Xavier Cooper, a potential early to mid-round pick, said he visited the Dolphins, in an ESPN piece chronicling the visit process for prospects.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/spor...s-gurley-big-concern-on-winston-and-more.html
