Walker: Hickey received offers to trade down at 19 but wanted to stay to pick James

[TheWalrus]

The Dolphins had five first round OLs and there was only one left, and Hickey was worried that if he traded down the Cardinals would take him at 20. In other words, he was afraid they were going to reach so he decided to out reach 'em. Basically a panic move.

Nobody knows if the Cardinals would have actually taken him, of course. But the point is if you're already reaching don't compound your mistake by making the player a blankie you're terrified to lose.

 

[Sons Of Shula]

The Dolphins had five first round OLs and there was only one left, and Hickey was worried that if he traded down the Cardinals would take him at 20. In other words, he was afraid they were going to reach so he decided to out reach 'em. Basically a panic move.

Nobody knows if the Cardinals would have actually taken him, of course. But the point is if you're already reaching don't compound your mistake by making the player a blankie you're terrified to lose.

Unless of course that player was highly touted on the draft board and trading back made you realize you might lose him, so you stick to your convictions and take your guy. It can be spun either way depending on your choice of the outlook with an outcome that ultimately can not be decided for another few years. So with that said, why take the"**** it, this team will always suck" route when no one yet knows the final result.

 

[finomenal]

Unless of course that player was highly touted on the draft board and trading back made you realize you might lose him, so you stick to your convictions and take your guy. It can be spun either way depending on your choice of the outlook with an outcome that ultimately can not be decided for another few years. So with that said, why take the"**** it, this team will always suck" route when no one yet knows the final result.

Umm...

Because this team has sucked for most of the last 15 years. They earned the right for me to declare them guilty until proven innocent; especially when you go cornfed AGAIN in the first round.

 

[TheWalrus]

Unless of course that player was highly touted on the draft board and trading back made you realize you might lose him, so you stick to your convictions and take your guy. It can be spun either way depending on your choice of the outlook with an outcome that ultimately can not be decided for another few years. So with that said, why take the"**** it, this team will always suck" route when no one yet knows the final result.

You really think that the Dolphins had five offensive tackles rated among the 20 top prospects in the draft? I don't.

Of course we don't know the final result of the future. I mean, is that really a point being made? How about we simply address the present for a moment. It's bad. I think we would both agree. The team is anyway not good. So then people who thought it would be bad -- based on a number of factors -- were correct to predict that, yes? I was one of them, and in my view the factors that made that my prediction have not changed. Therefore it's logical for me to assume that the outcome will not change.

Why should I wait to make that prediction? Are the optimists waiting for outcomes? I don't see them waiting, even though they have much steeper rhetorical hills to climb. They have to identify what went wrong and then show that those factors have meaningfully changed. Unless they can do both effectively they can't show with coherence that they have any reason to feel like they do.

When the factors change, my predictions will change. Simple as that. And the biggest factor right now -- the factor from which the others flow -- is ownership. The Gargoyle must go.

 

[finomenal]

You really think that the Dolphins had five offensive tackles rated among the 20 top prospects in the draft? I don't.

Of course we don't know the final result of the future. I mean, is that really a point being made? How about we simply address the present. It's bad. I think we would both agree. The team is anyway not good. So then people who thought it would be bad -- based on a number of factors -- were correct to predict that, yes? I was one of them, and in my view the factors that made that my prediction have not changed. Therefore it's logical for me to assume that the outcome will not change.

Why should I wait to make that prediction? Are the optimists waiting for outcomes? I don't see them waiting, even though they have much steeper rhetorical hills to climb. They had to identify what went wrong and then show that those factors have changed. Unless they can do both effectively they can't show with coherence that they have any reason to feel like they do.

When the factors change, my predictions will change. Simple as that.

Hater!
Debbie Downer!!!
Gtfoh and go find another team!!!

 

[Fin Thirteen]

If I wasn't the first guy on here plugging James as our tackle fit, I was one of the first. I think he's just what we need.

But this was a reach and there's every chance he would have been there if we moved down. Every chance. If not, there were some great picks of higher value to the team over the medium term.

Its a very poor start to his GM career by Hickey. I believe he's a good talent evaluator but running a draft is different to scouting talent. Needs to ace the next few rounds.

 

[finomenal]

If I wasn't the first guy on here plugging James as our tackle fit, I was one of the first. I think he's just what we need.

But this was a reach and there's every chance he would have been there if we moved down. Every chance. If not, there were some great picks of higher value to the team over the medium term.

Its a very poor start to his GM career by Hickey. I believe he's a good talent evaluator but running a draft is different to scouting talent. Needs to ace the next few rounds.

The fact that he reached for a right tackle in the damn first round doesn't inspire much confidence in me that he'll be able to ace the next rounds.

 

[dlockz]

Moses and James were still on board as well as Filo and the tackle from Alabama.
Trading down and getting another decent pick would have been a great move.
I feel Moses is a better prospect anyway. No matter how you paint it , James is not good value here.
Reminds me of the Billy Milner pick. James is a solid prospect as a RT , can never be a LT but why we felt need to take him this high is beyond me.
Im assuming the players we liked were dropping like flies

 

[Sons Of Shula]

Hater!
Debbie Downer!!!
Gtfoh and go find another team!!

The difference here is that Walrus presents his views with logic and thought as opposed to whatever the hell you keep spewing out.

 

[gerblack]

Was there a article on here not to long ago talking about how 90% of the time when you trade back for a guy he isnt there? Or at least one of the former coaches turned analyst said that.

 

[Fin Thirteen]

Moses and James were still on board as well as Filo and the tackle from Alabama.
Trading down and getting another decent pick would have been a great move.
I feel Moses is a better prospect anyway. No matter how you paint it , James is not good value here.
Reminds me of the Billy Milner pick. James is a solid prospect as a RT , can never be a LT but why we felt need to take him this high is beyond me.
Im assuming the players we liked were dropping like flies

Gotta disagree with you on Moses. I watch him and I see a guy who should be out there destroying all before him and instead he registers as a mostly competent lineman with sloppy technique and little awareness of the play unfolding around him. I don't believe Moses is properly motivated, or has the same competitive edge some of the other good linemen in the draft have. I think he'll always underachieve.

 

[ONole1]

Hickey admitted he had offers to trade back but didn't pull the trigger as they were locked in on James. That is a rookie GM mistake and unless he changes that quickly he wont be a GM long. You have to get maximum value for your picks and you have to have multiple options. If you lock into players you reach and you end up void of talent...We as Dolpfans know a thing or two about that.

They could have traded back anywhere in round one and IMO picked James but even if they didn't they could have taken Bitonio or XSF and while maybe both a reach at least you added picks in a DEEP draft. I don't hate the James pick, I think Hickey failed to maximize the value of the pick so he failed IMO with his first pick as a GM.

 

[NYNCDOLFAN]

It is what it is......

 

[eger]

When the Browns go to the Superbowl before Miami don't let me be the one who told you so!

I'll be a great grandfather by then.

 

[jim1]

Moses and James were still on board as well as Filo and the tackle from Alabama.
Trading down and getting another decent pick would have been a great move.
I feel Moses is a better prospect anyway. No matter how you paint it , James is not good value here.
Reminds me of the Billy Milner pick. James is a solid prospect as a RT , can never be a LT but why we felt need to take him this high is beyond me.
Im assuming the players we liked were dropping like flies

I firmly agree that if you want James you do the trade and pocket the extra 3rd round pick, especially in this deep draft.

Is James a good player? Yes. Was he a reach? Yes. Does a good GM pull the trigger on that trade and pocket an extra 3rd to bolster a thin roster? Yes, especially how the board was stacked #20-27. But I do think that James can play LT, he has some pretty good feet and lateral movement if you watch him closely. The problem is the opportunity cost of Hickey's clenched ass- we'll know shortly, but that extra 3rd rd pick could have turned out to be Preston Brown, James Gayle, Brandon Thomas stashed for a year on IR, any number of good WRs or OL. That whiff by Hickey was huge- when teams are in play for Brandin Cooks and Johnny Manziel, you take advantage of it and profit from it. This wasn't the Dolphins taking Zack Martin at #19, it was Miami taking Ju'Wuan James. That changes things. Hickey should have taken the extra third and moved on, big screw up for a team in dire need of quantity and quality players. The football IQ of this franchise from Stephen Ross flowing downward is low.