LT - Jake Long: Dominant run blocker and good pass blocker. First pick in the 2008 NFL Draft and if he hadn't been taken #1 would have been selected at #2 because he is truly a special talent. I'm sure you can find plenty of info on him.
LG - Justin Smiley: Very good pulling guard who is best suited to be the RG for Miami as they pull left and run off of Jake Long. Unfotunately, Miami has a 2nd year center and the veteran Smiley will likely play LG to avoid putting 2 rookies next to one another. Smiley is an average pass blocker, but exceptional run blocker who was injured for almost all of 2007. But, in 2006 he was the linchpin of a line that blew open huge running lanes for Frank Gore in San Francisco. He is exceptionally agile and plays with power, but he is a better run blocker than pass protector.
C - Samson Satele: He was a 2nd round choice of Miami in 2007 draft and the first rookie starting center in recent memory for the Dolphins. He has an exceptional punch and is a very good mirrorer in pass protection. He excels at reaching the 2nd level and finding his target in space. He has the potential to follow in the footsteps of former Dolphin great Dwight Stevenson, who was probably the best center in NFL history. Satele certainly isn't there yet, but he has a lot of ability and was very good on a poor Dolphin line in 2007. He far outplayed the more heralded Ryan Kalil of USC who was selected 1 pick ahead of Satele.
RG - Shawn Murphy?: This spot is wide open, and definitely the weak link for the Dolphins in 2008. Eventually Justin Smiley will be moved to RG, but not in 2008. New Head Coach Tony Sparano is a former OL coach who is quite high on Murphy--son of the Atlanta Braves' Major League Baseball MVP Dale Murphy--who transferred to Utah State as a DL and switched to the OL late in his career, but is 320 lbs. and agile for his size. If it's not Murphy, whom the Dolphins traded up in the 4th round to select, then it will likely either be 2007 7th rounder Drew Mormino who lacks bulk and strength, or 2008 6th rounder Donald Thomas who is very quick and strong in the upper body but also raw and weak in the lower body. If the Dolphins make a late trade or FA acquisition, it will be to fill this final position on the line. Ultimately, Justin Smiley will probably play RG, but until this final position is competently manned, Smiley will have to help out rookie LT Jake Long and 2nd year C Samson Satele by playing LG.
RT - Vernon Carey: Vernon played LT last season and if I recall correctly only allowed 3.5 sacks, which was quite respectable. But, he allowed a lot of hurries and our QB fumbled the ball several times as well. We didn't have as many offensive plays as many other teams either since we stunk. But, Carey, who is a solid run blocker and mediocre pass protector, acquitted himself as servicable at LT. The selection of Jake Long means Vernon Carey can move back to RT where he was quite successful in 2006, meriting much consideration for the Pro Bowl for his overall play. He could concentrate on his run blocking, which is quite good, and he generally didn't face elite speed pass rushers playing RT; and when he did the QB could see them coming and get the ball away.
All in all, we only kept 2 OL guys from our weak 2007 line, RT Vernon Carey and rookie C Samson Satele. Carey was out of position at LT in 2007, but will be a stalwart RT this year as he was back in 2006. Satele had a very very strong rookie season, and he is expected to build upon that and become one of the best young C's in the league. Top pick Jake Long is expected to be an extremely good player--the consensus best OT in a draft that is being called the best OT draft in memory. Those 3 are all top notch players. Justin Smiley is now healthy, and is considered one of the best run blocking pulling guards in the league. His weakness is pass protection, so we'll see how he fares this season now that he's finally healthy again. That last spot, probably RG because we need to play the veteran Smiley at LG to avoid putting 2 rookies next to one another, is the only question mark on the line.
Our depth is non-existant. We're rebuilding the line from the bottom up with draft picks. Our new Head Coach Tony Sparano, along with our new VP Bill Parcells and our new GM Ireland, built the Dallas Cowboys OL the same way. They are doing it again in Miami, and we should have a very good OL starting in 2008.
As for better or worse in 2008, there's simply no comparison, we've upgraded at every single position. Vernon Carey was a subpar LT but a good RT, so by switching him to RT we instantly get better at RT. Jake Long is a huge upgrade at LT. Justin Smiley is better than any G we had at any point in 2007. Samson Satele returns as our starter at C, but he was a rookie last year and he's a 2nd year player this season, so we naturally expect progression.
Hope this helps. If it does, thank me, lol.
