I think that's about right, although I'm not nearly as high on Merling as he is. I think we reached for Merling when there was a lot of talent on the board and that's the pick that stings the most. I also don't see that Henne is the answer and we could have gotten a good player there as well, so it was unsurprising but also uninspiring. I actually like Langford, but I agree we drafted him higher than we should have.
All in all there were a ton of good CB's we could have had and we didn't take any of them. To me, that's our draft's biggest failing. We need another starting caliber safety, but there simply weren't any in this draft. I would have preferred that we use a couple picks in the 2nd to 4th range on a TE/WR and a CB. Oh well, I guess we did a great job this offseason rebuilding the OL, so I shouldn't complain too much.
First off, I am SOOOOO glad we drafted Jake long #1 . . . was there even another tackle taken in the next 3 rounds after Duane Brown? The tackle pool was completely depleted . . . and all the talk about taking one at 32 . . . lol . . . that would have been the REACH of the draft. We got the best of the group and filled the biggest need.
I strongly disagree with Merling being a reach . . . I think he will be great in this defense . . . tho I could be wrong . . . I know you do your homework on alot of these guys and you are much more knowledgeable than the majority of the people on this board . . . I think he was an absolute STEAL at 32. Just look at his size . . . he is MADE for the 3-4. He may not start right away . . . but you can't pass up that kind of value and talent . . . Parcells must have been licking his chops on that pick . . . kind of like Jerry with Felix Jones. Don't feel bad . . . we may have drafted Henne here if Merling did not fall.
I agree with the Henne pick to a certain extent . . . I didn't think we needed to draft a QB on the first day . . . but it feels good knowing the FO wants to solve this problem by bringing in a guy they really like and having these guys compete. I can't knock them for that. I would probably be more heated if Sweed made it to 54 and we passed on him.
Langford may have been a reach . . . who knows . . . but we can all agree the kid has the talent to be a stud in the 3-4. We possibly should have drafted Godfrey here . . . and try to trade back up in the 3rd round to get Langford . . . but maybe they knew another team liked him and just wanted to be safe . . . maybe they didn't like Godfrey.
And I like both of the Guard selections . . . 2 raw guys who may end up being great players in the NFL . . . especially the kid out of UConn. Have all 3 compete . . . possibly bring in a vet if need be for this year . . . and just wage battle at RG/LG . . . u know Smiley has one locked down . . . its gonna be a war in camp.
The running back selections are intriguing . .. but the 2 guys they drafted seem to be perfect for what the team wants to accomplish . . . and lets face it . . . Cobbs is not gonna be on this team, Booker was traded . . . Ricky is one mistake from a lifetime ban and Ronnie is comming off of an ACL . . . we weren't as deep as many people think we were.
The icing on the cake was the L-Train pick in round 7 . . . very nice pick . . would like to see the kid stick on this DLine.
Combine that with getting a potential starting TE and a MLB . . . this was a very good draft for Miami . . . hopefully you come around on the Merling pick . . . I see 6'5 280 and 4.6 40 yard . . . and I get the chills.
B+ from me . . . we need a young CB . . . but outside of the Flowers pick . . . guys like King, Godfrey, Lee and Molden were just OK . . . we will get that CB next year. Also wanted to grab one of those WR's in the second round . . . but its cool . . . we will bring Bess in as a UDFA . . . and he should stick. Next year I think we address the skill positions.
