Dolphins O-line ranked 18th according to Scouts Inc.
Scouts Inc., A subsidary of ESPN just came out with their rankings of all NFL teams offensive line and the Dolphins came in 18th. Considering the Dolphins were one of the worst offensive lines in the league last year it is a vast improvement with the additions of Jake Long, Justin Smiley and Shawn Murphy/Donald Thomas/Steve McKinney. Now still it is not one of the best in the league.
Jake Long the first pick in the draft although promising still has not shown that he is the man to protect the blind side. He has yet to play a down of pro football so we can’t say anything about his ability and how he will do, so for the most part he is a question mark. LG, C and RT are all non problems with Smiley, Satele and Carey all taking up those positions. But the other question mark is the Right Guard position, Murphy and Thomas have yet to play an NFL down. While McKinney is a veteran and has gotten the job done. There is no telling what he will do at this age. The line is very promising but untill we actually see how the group does we’ll have to assume we have question marks on the line. Here is what Matt Williamson had to say…
18. Miami Dolphins
Obviously, the new powers in charge are putting a lot of emphasis on rebuilding the offensive line. This is a great strategy, and the Dolphins’ line should be much better this season. Jake Long, the No. 1 overall selection in April’s draft, might not be a left tackle prospect like Tony Boselli or Orlando Pace, but he is a nasty run-blocker with great size and technique. He should be very solid on the left side, and his addition allows Miami to move Vernon Carey to right tackle, a much better fit for his skill set. They could rank among the top tackle pairs in the league within the next few years. As the clock struck midnight on the opening of free agency, Miami locked up Justin Smiley as its starting left guard. Smiley needs to stay healthy but should fill a tremendous void between Long and up-and-coming second-year center Samson Satele. Satele should be a fixture in the middle for years to come, which leaves right guard as the only real question mark. Overall depth also is a concern, but this unit has come a long way in a short period of time. It also should not be overlooked that Miami’s front five of a year ago did an admirable job of run blocking, particularly when Ronnie Brown was toting the rock. It should be even better this year. There will be growing pains, but the foundation certainly is in place up front.
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