The under-the-radar realities that made Phillips over Najee a smart move and a quick six-pack of notes. | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

The under-the-radar realities that made Phillips over Najee a smart move and a quick six-pack of notes.

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While it would have been tempting to select Alabama running back Najee Harris 18th overall, or traded down slightly to draft him, here’s another reason the Jaelan Phillips pick made sense:

Though the Dolphins’ 41 sacks were 10th in the league, they had to blitz more than most to accomplish it.


The Dolphins blitzed 39 percent of the time last season, third most in the NFL.

During the past two seasons, the Dolphins were 31st in pass rush win rate, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Dolphins rushers defeated their blocks within 2.5 seconds only 35 percent of pass rushing snaps.


So the Brian Flores/Josh Boyer scheme helped generate sacks, but the Dolphins need more skilled pass rushers — beyond Emmanuel Ogbah — who can generate a rush when the Dolphins send only four.

That’s why Phillips at No. 18 made sense, presuming he doesn’t have a recurrence of concussion problems; he had two concussions at UCLA.


 
DE over RB... Every... Single... Time.

I really wanted us to draft Najee Harris at 18 because what worried me about Philips was the injury history but after the clarification on his past, I am very ok with Phillips over Najee.
 
Interested that they circled back to the Robert Hunt thing - he played very well at tackle but I guess their hope is he’ll be even better at RG and the new guy will plug and play at RT. If so, we should be a top 15 OL assuming Kindley and Jackson have even a tiny bit of growth.
 
Also this:

▪ ESPN analysts continue to question Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for his playbook comments, which — as explained here — do not warrant the attention or criticism that they’re receiving.
“What the hell? What the entire hell?” former NFL safety Ryan Clark said on ESPN’s Get Up.
“He should have lied. What do we always say about Alabama players? They’re the most NFL ready. They understand playbooks. They can process. He was supposed to have a quick trigger because he understands.
“Now he had a quick trigger because he had four first-rounders playing on his team? You’re not going to have that in Miami. Not only is your body beat up, but you ain’t that smart either? If I’m Brian Flores, this is something I do not like hearing.”

Quick aside: The “ain’t that smart” comment is unfair. From all indications, there is no concern at all with Tagovailoa’s intelligence or mental aptitude.


Here’s my quick aside: it’s ironic someone used the sentence “ain’t that smart” considering “ain’t” is not a word, and reluctantly got put into the dictionary a couple years ago.

Maybe Ryan Clark ain’t that smart, either.
 
Interested that they circled back to the Robert Hunt thing - he played very well at tackle but I guess their hope is he’ll be even better at RG and the new guy will plug and play at RT. If so, we should be a top 15 OL assuming Kindley and Jackson have even a tiny bit of growth.

Agree, Hunt was our best linemen last year by far. I personally wouldn’t have moved him to G just yet but honestly our G play was pretty horrid so with Kindley having a year of experience and back to LG we could be incredibly powerful inside.

“The decision to move Robert Hunt to guard so early in his career is puzzling in this sense: During the final six weeks of the season, Pro Football Focus said he was fifth best of 37 qualifying right tackles.”

Read more here: https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/...y-jackson/article251400358.html#storylink=cpy
 
Also this:

▪ ESPN analysts continue to question Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for his playbook comments, which — as explained here — do not warrant the attention or criticism that they’re receiving.
“What the hell? What the entire hell?” former NFL safety Ryan Clark said on ESPN’s Get Up.
“He should have lied. What do we always say about Alabama players? They’re the most NFL ready. They understand playbooks. They can process. He was supposed to have a quick trigger because he understands.
“Now he had a quick trigger because he had four first-rounders playing on his team? You’re not going to have that in Miami. Not only is your body beat up, but you ain’t that smart either? If I’m Brian Flores, this is something I do not like hearing.”

Quick aside: The “ain’t that smart” comment is unfair. From all indications, there is no concern at all with Tagovailoa’s intelligence or mental aptitude.


Here’s my quick aside: it’s ironic someone used the sentence “ain’t that smart” considering “ain’t” is not a word, and reluctantly got put into the dictionary a couple years ago.

Maybe Ryan Clark ain’t that smart, either.

Flo put it in perspective;

Brian Flores on Tua saying he didn’t know the play book really, really well in 2020: “He’s comparing last year to where he is right now. I get it.”
 
Also this:

▪ ESPN analysts continue to question Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for his playbook comments, which — as explained here — do not warrant the attention or criticism that they’re receiving.
“What the hell? What the entire hell?” former NFL safety Ryan Clark said on ESPN’s Get Up.
“He should have lied. What do we always say about Alabama players? They’re the most NFL ready. They understand playbooks. They can process. He was supposed to have a quick trigger because he understands.
“Now he had a quick trigger because he had four first-rounders playing on his team? You’re not going to have that in Miami. Not only is your body beat up, but you ain’t that smart either? If I’m Brian Flores, this is something I do not like hearing.”

Quick aside: The “ain’t that smart” comment is unfair. From all indications, there is no concern at all with Tagovailoa’s intelligence or mental aptitude.


Here’s my quick aside: it’s ironic someone used the sentence “ain’t that smart” considering “ain’t” is not a word, and reluctantly got put into the dictionary a couple years ago.

Maybe Ryan Clark ain’t that smart, either.

Agree completely, but with that said.... didn't Tua get an abysmal wonderlic score??? I know that's not the end all be all, but a 13 is brutally terrible.

People said Jameis Winston wasn't that bright and couldn't process quickly/grasp the playbook and he DOUBLED Tua's score with a 27.

I'm a big fan of Tua but even that is concerning.
 
I was not happy at the time of the Philips pick as I've had my fill of spending high draft capital on players with significant collegiate injury histories. But I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt because it could be a case of buying low on the highest-rated prospect at his position.

As far as Harris, I would have loved to get him but only at the top of the 2nd or after trading down from 18. That was a bad pick by the Steelers who have many holes, including along that broken offensive line. I'd also hoped all along we'd get a shot at Javonte Williams at the top of the 2nd because I believe he could be Marshawn Lynch 2.0. Oh well, we know how that played out...
 
“Now he had a quick trigger because he had four first-rounders playing on his team? You’re not going to have that in Miami. Not only is your body beat up, but you ain’t that smart either? If I’m Brian Flores, this is something I do not like hearing.”

Fortunately, he will be throwing to three 1st rounders and a 2nd. So we get 95% of Tua's production at Alabama
 
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