Medias Thoughts on the Dolphins Draft
Hashmarks has nailed another one. When the Packers took Brian Brohm with the 56th pick, a huge cheer went up in the Dolphins’ draft room. Michigan quarterback Chad Henne was there guy from the start, and they’re ecstatic about getting him at No. 57.
Peter King had Chad Henne going No. 20 to the Ravens in a trade. Turns out the Ravens preferred Joe Flacco from Delaware State. The Dolphins have a starting left tackle, a starting defensive end and a potential starting quarterback, and we’re only to 57. And they landed a starting linebacker and tight end in a trade with the Cowboys on Friday.
I really think this has been a fantastic draft for the Dolphins. I’m sure fans in South Florida are thrilled. Tampa Bay almost passed on its pick. The fans were doing a countdown as the Tampa Bay selector rushed toward the main stage. The Buccaneers just took Dexter Jackson out of Appalachian State. He’s small, but his speed is unbelievable. With an aging Joey Galloway, Jackson will give the Bucs another deep threat.
Miami drafted a franchise tackle who could be in the lineup for the next 10 years, and it might have gotten its quarterback of the future with an absolute steal in Chad Henne at 57 — using the pick acquired in the Chris Chambers trade to San Diego last season. The roster churns. Lucky for the Dolphins no one came up with a great offer for Jason Taylor.
Miami Dolphins
Best pick: Second-round pick Chad Henne had first-round talent, so he’s a bargain. He could push for the starting job as a rookie.
Questionable move: Not a lot to pick apart. They had a good weekend.
Second-day gem: Sixth-round guard Donald Thomas, a converted defensive tackle, could be a project who can be developed.
Overall grade: A. Jeff Ireland and Bill Parcells did a really nice job. Jake Long was the right choice at the top spot. Getting Henne in the second round was the cherry on the sunday.
1. Miami. It started before the draft. In 2006 tight end Anthony Fasano was the 53rd player picked in the draft, by Dallas. In 2007 linebacker Akin Ayodele started 14 games for Dallas. The Dolphins acquired those two players for the 100th pick in the 2008 draft, their fourth-rounder. Are either of those guys great players? No. But Bill Parcells always believes in improving every spot on the roster, 1 through 53, and this trade was part of that.
Love or hate him, but it’s hard to ignore draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.
Kiper did a post-draft conference call a couple of hours ago and had a few things to say about the Dolphins.
He gave the Dolphins’ draft a B-minus grade, primarily because of the decision to pick Michigan QB Chad Henne with No. 57 pick.
“I don’t see Chad Henne being a big-time quarterback,” Kiper said.
Kiper believes Henne’s long delivery and lack of mobility caused inconsistency and inaccuracy.
Henne usually got a lot of time to survey the field because he was playing behind a talented line at Michigan, anchored by No. 1 pick Jake Long. When teams pressured Henne, the ball sailed on him because of his long delivery and inability to buy time, Kiper said.
“When you look at having all day to throw, he’s accurate,” Kiper said. “He’ll put the ball on the numbers every time.
“But in the NFL you don’t get all day to throw. You’re going to get pressured. When he was pressured at Michigan that long delivery … his accuracy wasn’t very good.
“That’s an issue moving forward for Chad Henne.”
Kiper does like Henne’s arm strength and toughness. “He has great intangibles. I know Parcells saw all that,” Kiper said.
But Kiper said the Dolphins wouldn’t have decided to pick Henne if they didn’t have major concerns about John Beck, the No. 40 pick in the 2007 draft.
The team has said Henne’s selection has nothing to do with Beck. But Kiper isn’t going out on a limb here.
“You didn’t need to do that if you were sold on John Beck,” Kiper said of drafting Henne. “That could have been a player at another position that could have helped this football team.”
He said the Dolphins could have picked up a pretty good CB (Iowa’s Charles Godfrey, maybe) or WR (LSU’s Early Doucet or Vandy’s Earl Bennett) with the No. 57 pick.
The team didn’t draft anyone at either position.
Kiper also said the Dolphins reached on the selection of Hampton DE Kendall Langford with the No. 66 pick. But Kiper understands why.
Langford, at 6-5, 294, has the size needed to play in a 3-4 defense.
“No one would have taken him that high I don’t think except a 3-4 team that wanted a big body that can occupy (blockers),” Kiper said.
But Kiper didn’t think the Dolphins’ draft was a disaster by any means. One draft isn’t going to turn around a team in the shape of the Dolphins, he said.
With Bill Parcells running the show for the first time, it didn’t surprise Kiper that the team focused on building blocks and size.
“You can’t do it all in one year,” Kiper said. “If he didn’t feel like players were good enough at the time of the pick you can’t force a need at that point. There’s another draft next year and there are ways to improve your team by means beyond the draft.”
My Numero Uno
Miami Dolphins: I like this because the character of the drafter was reflected in the picks. It was a Man’s draft, make that He-Man. Big guys. Serious. Top guy on the board, Jake Long, stands 6-7 and weighs 315. The defensive end, Phillip Merling, is not what you’d call a nimble-footed pass rusher. He likes to stack ‘em up at the point. A two-gapper. Oh yes, he’s 6-4½, 275. The QB, drafted with Miami’s second pick in the second round, Chad Henne, is 226. He’s got a gun. I mean for an arm. I assume he’ll challenge for the job, or something more sinister. The average of the nine chaps selected is 6-3, 274. My kind of draft, boy.
The Dolphins had a solid draft. OT Jake Long will step in right away at LOT and get their offensive line headed in the right direction. He is a massive guy with long arms. At times he has struggled with top speed off the edge, but I have seen many tackles succeed in the NFL on the left side that were not as talented. He could always move over to the right side where I think he would be a Pro Bowl tackle. DE Phillip Merling would have been a first-round pick if he did not have a hernia surgery that limited his ability to work out this spring. He has very good strength at the point of attack and can shed blockers very well. They also picked up another DE in Kendall Langford, who impressed me at the Senior Bowl as a prospect with long arms who could develop into a good 3-4 DE. He shows the ability to stack and shed at the point of attack. Chad Henne gives them another QB to work with. He has a strong arm and can be quick and compact in his release. I think he needs to improve his accuracy and decision-making some. OT Shawn Murphy is a physical player.
Miami
The Dolphins went the safe route and landed the draft’s top tackle (Jake Long), who should prove to be a very good selection. They continued to get bigger on both lines with the selections of DEs Phillip Merling and Kendall Langford and added a pair of versatile guards in Shawn Murphy and Donald Thomas, who should earn jobs and develop. RBs Jalen Parmele and Lex Hilliard bring size and more power to the backfield. Overall, Bill Parcells and Jeff Ireland accomplished their goal of getting bigger and added some key pieces for their 3-4 defense. They were also able to land QB Chad Henne late in the second round after choosing not to address the QB position early, and the pick could prove to be a very solid value. A draft filled with linemen may not look sexy, but it will make the Dolphins a much better football team.
Grade: A
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