Finswatch
Club Member
It hit me last week how close we were to solidifying the offensive line. I like Chop and would have taken him over Graham Barton, it was close, but I thought that Chop has more potential this season and going forward to help the Dolphins more than Graham Barton. I don't think Grier was/is wrong to prioritize the pass rusher over OL if the edge guy has a similar grade to the OL you're considering but you missed out on a guy who is probably going to be an all-Pro for a decade for the Steelers and you were one pick away,
If we were willing to give up a 2025 third for a great running back (this I have to admit was a luxury pick, as much as I like the player), we should have been willing to do the same to get a great OL who could have played G or T for us.
I believe in drafting the best player at a position of need, and don't feel like we did that with second round pick, Patrick Paul. We needed to get at least 2 players in this draft who could come in and play well this year. Maybe we did that by doubling up on edge players and slot receivers but we still have a hole in the middle of the OL that needs to be fixed in the next few weeks or months.
I would have been great with a RG in round 2 after taking Chop. Pick my guy Haynes from UConn, he plays right away imo. There were other guys available who were potential starters on the IOL. Would have saved us the $5-8 mil we're going to need to pay for van Roten or Risner.
I hope I'm wrong about Patrick Paul and that he gets the coaching he needs to become a viable starter by 2025 but what if he languishes like some of our recent OL day 1 or 2 picks have? I was encouraged by the articles about AJ dedicating himself to improving and becoming mentally and physically ready to play but it took the guy three frickin years and not getting his 5th year option picked up to get his ass in gear. Maybe he and TA become better examples for Paul, I don't know what to believe about our second round pick. Here's what I've read on him in no particular order:
"He doesn't bend well, he's a great athlete who can move, he was poorly coached by Dana Holmgren at Houston, he is a polished pass protector, he's a technical nightmare who relies way too much on size and length. He's inexperienced, he's played a ton of games, he's improved and is dedicated to his craft."
I can't remember reading more conflicting info about a prospect. We can only hope that Butch Barry and the vets can get to work on him and it takes. I have felt forever that Miami picking any OL in rounds 1-3 was usually a waste because we had no idea how to evaluate or develop offensive linemen since Jimmy Johnson left town. I think Butch Barry is the first good OL coach we've had in a long time but we've been hamstrung with a lack of picks and cap space in the past few years, We need Barry to do more with less.
I had an argument in here with a fan who said we should have taken the Duke C, the lower rated UM guard Keegan and the PSU C over Wright. I thought those were crazy suggestions at the time. He mentioned good teams and good drafting teams like KC and Philly drafting multiple OL in every draft. The fan was right esp about Philly that seems to keep adding to a wealth of talent on the OL every year. I don't know how they're going to fit Juergens, Keegan, Steen and all the young talent they have into the lineup but they don't care. Nor does KC who also keeps adding to the OL and took a bad line a few years ago and made it better with FAs and Trey Smith and Humphrey.
I do think the better teams have had better coaching and better scouts when it comes to developing o-line prospects. Maybe that changes with Barry and a full complement of draft picks next year. not sure what the cap situation will be but I could see a need for 2-3 more starters on that line next year. If Paul can play and Brewer is good that number drops to maybe one player but it would be nice to load up on middle round picks like the Eagles do and start selecting more IOL players in the middle rounds.
If we were willing to give up a 2025 third for a great running back (this I have to admit was a luxury pick, as much as I like the player), we should have been willing to do the same to get a great OL who could have played G or T for us.
I believe in drafting the best player at a position of need, and don't feel like we did that with second round pick, Patrick Paul. We needed to get at least 2 players in this draft who could come in and play well this year. Maybe we did that by doubling up on edge players and slot receivers but we still have a hole in the middle of the OL that needs to be fixed in the next few weeks or months.
I would have been great with a RG in round 2 after taking Chop. Pick my guy Haynes from UConn, he plays right away imo. There were other guys available who were potential starters on the IOL. Would have saved us the $5-8 mil we're going to need to pay for van Roten or Risner.
I hope I'm wrong about Patrick Paul and that he gets the coaching he needs to become a viable starter by 2025 but what if he languishes like some of our recent OL day 1 or 2 picks have? I was encouraged by the articles about AJ dedicating himself to improving and becoming mentally and physically ready to play but it took the guy three frickin years and not getting his 5th year option picked up to get his ass in gear. Maybe he and TA become better examples for Paul, I don't know what to believe about our second round pick. Here's what I've read on him in no particular order:
"He doesn't bend well, he's a great athlete who can move, he was poorly coached by Dana Holmgren at Houston, he is a polished pass protector, he's a technical nightmare who relies way too much on size and length. He's inexperienced, he's played a ton of games, he's improved and is dedicated to his craft."
I can't remember reading more conflicting info about a prospect. We can only hope that Butch Barry and the vets can get to work on him and it takes. I have felt forever that Miami picking any OL in rounds 1-3 was usually a waste because we had no idea how to evaluate or develop offensive linemen since Jimmy Johnson left town. I think Butch Barry is the first good OL coach we've had in a long time but we've been hamstrung with a lack of picks and cap space in the past few years, We need Barry to do more with less.
I had an argument in here with a fan who said we should have taken the Duke C, the lower rated UM guard Keegan and the PSU C over Wright. I thought those were crazy suggestions at the time. He mentioned good teams and good drafting teams like KC and Philly drafting multiple OL in every draft. The fan was right esp about Philly that seems to keep adding to a wealth of talent on the OL every year. I don't know how they're going to fit Juergens, Keegan, Steen and all the young talent they have into the lineup but they don't care. Nor does KC who also keeps adding to the OL and took a bad line a few years ago and made it better with FAs and Trey Smith and Humphrey.
I do think the better teams have had better coaching and better scouts when it comes to developing o-line prospects. Maybe that changes with Barry and a full complement of draft picks next year. not sure what the cap situation will be but I could see a need for 2-3 more starters on that line next year. If Paul can play and Brewer is good that number drops to maybe one player but it would be nice to load up on middle round picks like the Eagles do and start selecting more IOL players in the middle rounds.
