I'll be posting some various threads on several topics related to Dolphins Training camp this week and will be basing my thoughts not just on the 3 practices I attended live, but also based on things I've read from folks I respect and from the excellent coverage we've seen here in this forum from guys posting highlights, thoughts, and pundit observations.
This thread discusses the player I think is our most interesting "discovered talent" in Miami this offseason. Like Kadar Kohou last year this guy is coming out of college a little known player but he is lighting it up at practice and best of all, he is an Offensive Lineman. Yep... I said it he plays OL and he looks really really good.
Alama Uluave is a Center out of San Diego State and this years top URFA. He is absolutely killing it at camp in one on ones and in team reps. He is now taking reps at backup Center. Eich is no longer repping at Center with Williams and Uluave taking those reps. I don't recall seeing anyone else rep there either.
First of all he is a little older than most rookies at 24, but he does have the standard short stocky build many Centers have at 6'2 308. He has very quick feet, and does not give ground on one on one's much and in team he has no problem stuffing the NT from penetrating, or even getting upfield to ILB's to seal them off of the play. He plays strong, and bangs defenders to a halt. He has excellent hand usuage inside. My son was a full ride kid at Center with Eastern Washington (when Cooper Kupp was a senior) and it was actually him who actually first identified Aluave at practice during the Thursday one on one's. Now here's my best description of what we saw....
The one on one drill has a player line up at NT or DT and then the DL slants to either an OG or the Center and then the two go at it one on one. So Uluave was blocking the same guys Conner Williams, Hunt, Eich, and all the other Center OG's were blocking. That was usually the NT's but sometimes was even Wilkins or Seiler when they lined up even in our dollar look for the drill. Not one of our OL won the one on one's more than they lost them, EXCEPT Uluave. He won about 80% of his battles, and about half of those wins he absolutely dominated, even against guys like Davis, Tyman, and some of the other backups. He looked better than good. Seeing him doing what he was doing was on the same level of seeing CB Cam Smith knocking down all those passes in his reps.
Uluave excelled during team and clearly knew his assignments, finished the job with convincing blocks both at the point of attack, pass pro, and easily sealed things off when he needed to for the play to succeed (inside runs, etc).
So back to his impressive one on one's, the same guys that were beating Eich, beating Hunt, and beating all our other inside guys were getting absolutely stonewalled by Uluave.
When you get a chance to watch reps look for backup Center #62 Uluave and I assure you his play will give you something to smile about. He outplayed Conner Williams in one on ones and was at least as good in team drills. I was really impressed with how he handled Reuben Davis more than once.
Could his play and reps with 2nd team Offense lead to Conner Williams being moved to LG? That's what I'm asking myself. There's no way the coaches havent noticed what my son and I noticed, and his reps with 2nd team just signal more of that notion. He may end up being the guy we talk about this year as our top Rookie or URFA find!
I'm very excited to see how this pans out at a position (OL) that we desperately need a breakthough!
This thread discusses the player I think is our most interesting "discovered talent" in Miami this offseason. Like Kadar Kohou last year this guy is coming out of college a little known player but he is lighting it up at practice and best of all, he is an Offensive Lineman. Yep... I said it he plays OL and he looks really really good.
Alama Uluave is a Center out of San Diego State and this years top URFA. He is absolutely killing it at camp in one on ones and in team reps. He is now taking reps at backup Center. Eich is no longer repping at Center with Williams and Uluave taking those reps. I don't recall seeing anyone else rep there either.
First of all he is a little older than most rookies at 24, but he does have the standard short stocky build many Centers have at 6'2 308. He has very quick feet, and does not give ground on one on one's much and in team he has no problem stuffing the NT from penetrating, or even getting upfield to ILB's to seal them off of the play. He plays strong, and bangs defenders to a halt. He has excellent hand usuage inside. My son was a full ride kid at Center with Eastern Washington (when Cooper Kupp was a senior) and it was actually him who actually first identified Aluave at practice during the Thursday one on one's. Now here's my best description of what we saw....
The one on one drill has a player line up at NT or DT and then the DL slants to either an OG or the Center and then the two go at it one on one. So Uluave was blocking the same guys Conner Williams, Hunt, Eich, and all the other Center OG's were blocking. That was usually the NT's but sometimes was even Wilkins or Seiler when they lined up even in our dollar look for the drill. Not one of our OL won the one on one's more than they lost them, EXCEPT Uluave. He won about 80% of his battles, and about half of those wins he absolutely dominated, even against guys like Davis, Tyman, and some of the other backups. He looked better than good. Seeing him doing what he was doing was on the same level of seeing CB Cam Smith knocking down all those passes in his reps.
Uluave excelled during team and clearly knew his assignments, finished the job with convincing blocks both at the point of attack, pass pro, and easily sealed things off when he needed to for the play to succeed (inside runs, etc).
So back to his impressive one on one's, the same guys that were beating Eich, beating Hunt, and beating all our other inside guys were getting absolutely stonewalled by Uluave.
When you get a chance to watch reps look for backup Center #62 Uluave and I assure you his play will give you something to smile about. He outplayed Conner Williams in one on ones and was at least as good in team drills. I was really impressed with how he handled Reuben Davis more than once.
Could his play and reps with 2nd team Offense lead to Conner Williams being moved to LG? That's what I'm asking myself. There's no way the coaches havent noticed what my son and I noticed, and his reps with 2nd team just signal more of that notion. He may end up being the guy we talk about this year as our top Rookie or URFA find!
I'm very excited to see how this pans out at a position (OL) that we desperately need a breakthough!
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