Five of the team's nine total picks weigh more than 290 pounds -- and the average weight of those nine players is 275 pounds.Not since 1980 had the Dolphins taken this many linemen in one draft. Even then, when they also picked up six linemen, the draft consisted of 12 rounds instead of seven, making this year's emphasis on building the lines even more notable.As a result of Saturday's first pair of selections, it's also the first time in 43 drafts that the Dolphins have taken an offensive lineman and a defensive lineman with the first two picks.
My personal opinion is Miami did exceptionally well in this years draft. Best draft in years could land 4-5 starters which is exceptional considering the average NFL draft over the last 5 years averages 2 starters per year.Perhaps the steal of the draft was landing the second rated QB on the board at #57 without having to make a trade to make it happen. Here are some draft grade & comments by ESPN, Sports Illustrateds Peter King and USA Today...
ESPNs Mel Kiper
GRADE: B-Jake Long fills a need at left tackle, and I liked Bill Parcells' selection of Clemson DE Phillip Merling with the 32nd overall pick because he's solid against the run. The pick of Chad Henne in the second round tells you Miami is not sold on John Beck; however, I'm not sold on Henne. He has accuracy issues and a long delivery and he isn't mobile. I do like his toughness and he does have some of those intangibles you look for in a quarterback. Defensive end Kendall Langford is a big body, but I thought he was somewhat of a reach after an average senior season. Shawn Murphy really came on as a guard and he could battle for a starting spot. Jalen Parmele was a workhorse at Toledo, a big running back who also has some speed. And Lionel Dotson was a good seventh-round pick who should be able to help at nose tackle.
Sports Illustrated Peter King
The five teams I liked
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.
USA TODAY
Miami Dolphins: Grade B Minus
Safely tucked away OT Jake Long as first overall choice last Tuesday. Should start on the left side for many years. DE Phillip Merling slipped into second round after a weak workout and sports hernia surgery but he should fit this 3-4 scheme on the left side, more because he can play the run than for his pass-rushing. Great value here, especially if Dolphins trade Jason Taylor. QB Chad Henne will be an immediate factor. Solid, solid board.
NFL NETWORK-Vic Carucci
Miami Dolphins: Grade; VERY IMPRESSIVE!
The Dolphins wisely went with the safest No. 1 overall choice, Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long, and enhanced their chances of getting maximum immediate production by signing him well before the draft. Maybe they found their franchise quarterback in Chad Henne, a second-rounder from Michigan. Clemson defensive end Phillip Merling, their other second-round choice, looks like he'll be a solid run-stopper as long as he has no lingering problems recovering from sports-hernia surgery.
PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY-Miami Dolphins
Jake Long joins Ron Yary (1968) and Orlando Pace (1997) as the only offensive tackles to be taken No. 1 overall. Although lacking elite athleticism, Long’s outstanding run blocking and efficient pass protecting has him looking like an OLT fixture for the next decade. Along with ORT Vernon Carey, the addition of Long gives the Dolphins an enviable pair of offensive bookends to build around. Miami was almost as needy at guard as it was at tackle, so 24-year-old Shawn Murphy and Donald Thomas will be in the mix for starting jobs in training camp, although Thomas needs to improve his lower-body strength. A hernia operation scared off teams from taking DE Phillip Merling in the first round, but Miami was glad to pluck him at No. 32. He won’t terrorize quarterbacks with blistering speed off the edge, but he should hold up nicely as a 3-4 end in Miami’s new scheme. With the selection of Chad Henne, the QB derby in Miami is shaping up as one of the NFL’s most intriguing training-camp battles. Henne’s a long shot to earn the starting gig in Week One, but he certainly will be groomed to compete soon for the top job. While not nearly as polished as Merling, Kendall Langford has the raw upside to emerge eventually as the better 3-4 end. He’s bigger than Merling and plays with the nastiness coaches love in their linemen. After shipping shifty and undersized RB Lorenzo Booker to Philadelphia, the Fins added some pop to their ground game with beefy RBs Jalen Parmele and Lex Hilliard. Too small to man the nose but not quick enough to play end, injury-prone DL Lionel Dotson will struggle finding a role in the 3-4.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Free Agent Signings
Parcells and Company were busy after the draft signing undrafted free agents. Story below is from Sun Sentinel
written by Harvey Fialkov
WR Davone Bess (Hawaii)
LB Kelly Poppinga (BYU)
OT Mike Byrne (Delaware)
OT Dan Gore (Boise State)
WR/QB Jayson Foster (Georgia Southern)
K Dan Carpenter (Montana)
TE Matt Mulligan (UMaine)
WR Davone Bess (Hawaii)
LB Kelly Poppinga (BYU)
OT Mike Byrne (Delaware)
OT Dan Gore (Boise State)
WR/QB Jayson Foster (Georgia Southern)
K Dan Carpenter (Montana)
TE Matt Mulligan (UMaine)
After not drafting a receiver with any of their nine picks, Dolphins General Manager Jeff Ireland said he expected to add 8-10 college free agents Sunday night, including a couple of receivers.
He wasted no time in signing junior receiver Davone Bess of Hawaii and Georgia Southern quarterback Jayson Foster, who will be converted to a receiver.
They also added Portland State tackle Daren Heerspink, Delaware tackle Mike Byrne, Boise State tackle Dan Gore and Montana kicker Dan Carpenter.
According to The Associated Press, the Dolphins also signed Maine senior tight end Matt Mulligan to a two-year deal.
Mulligan, who is 6-5, 251-pounds, had 13 catches for 157 yards with two touchdowns in 11 games this season. He helped block for a rushing attack that compiled 2,177 yards at 4.2 yards per carry.
Bess, a former teammate of Dolphins center Samson Satele and fullback Reagan Mauia, had 106 catches for 1,266 yards and 12 touchdowns last season with Colt Brennan as his quarterback.
The Dolphins also signed BYU linebacker Kelly Poppinga (6-foot-2, 240 pounds), a former teammate of Dolphins quarterback John Beck, who had a team-leading 113 tackles last season.
His brother, Brady Poppinga, is an outside linebacker for the Packers.
"It was a tough decision,'' Poppinga told KSL.com. "They both had identical offers and I was really leaning towards Seattle, but at the last second, and I mean literally at the last second, I decided to sign with Miami.''
Foster told the Savannah Morning News that Dolphins vice president of football operations Bill Parcells called him about 20 minutes after the draft. He said the Dolphins will try to convert him into a receiver.
"I'm back to playing football," said Foster who gained 1,844 yards with 24 touchdowns his senior season while earning the Walter Payton Award.
The 6-5, 310-pound Heerspink told the Bellingham Herald that he had a deal with the Dolphins before the draft was completed.
Byrne, a Division I-AA All-American who blocked for Delaware quarterback Joe Flacco (taken by the Ravens with the 18th pick Saturday), will be converted to center. Obviously, the Dolphins watched plenty of film on Byrne, because they were also interested in Flacco.
"Mike knew the Dolphins had shown the most interest, and their offensive line coach [Mike Maser] was in daily contact with me," Jim Ulrich, Byrne's agent, told The News Journal (Dela.). "He's in a great position to make the team. He's so versatile.''
Gore, who started at right tackle last season, told the Idaho Statesman that, "Miami had the best opportunity and best offer.''
Carpenter, a teammate of Dolphins sixth-round pick, running back Lex Hilliard, told the Helena (Mont.) Independent Record that Dolphins assistant special teams coach Steve Hoffman worked him out last week. He will compete with Dave Rayner and incumbent kicker Jay Feely.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Strengths & Weaknesses of Day Two Picks
Brought to you by our friends at Scouts Inc...
Kendall Langford
Selected by: Miami Dolphins
Round: 3 Pick (Overall): 3(66)
DE (6'5 ", 287, 4.95) HAMPTON
Scouts Grade: 69
Flags: (S: SPEED) Player lacks ideal speed at position
Strengths:
Has a great frame and shows the ability to play around 290 pounds. Displays a violent punch, has a mean streak and flashes the ability to shed blocks quickly. At his best playing inside and taking on blocks. Can be very difficult to move when he stays low. Has experience lining up at defensive tackle and is versatile enough to slide inside as a 3-4 end in the NFL. Wraps up upon contact and is a reliable open field tackler. Is a relentless pass rusher and flashes the ability to fight though double teams. Use hands to protect legs, stays balanced and can get over cut blocks. Drives legs once engaged, shows adequate lower body strength and can push tackles back into the pocket. Looks to knock the ball loose when gets to the quarterback and is a ball hawk. Tall, jumps well and blocked a kick during 2006 season.
Weaknesses:
He lacks the burst and athletic ability to apply any consistent pressure as a pass rusher. Needs to know his role and must maintain bulk in order to be successful as a 3-4 end in the NFL. Plays far too high at times and can get driven off the ball. Lacks great awareness and doesn't always get hands up when isn't going to get to the quarterback.
Overall:
In Langford's first three seasons at Hampton (2004-'06), he appeared in 36 games (27 starts) and recorded 164 total tackles (42.5 for losses) and 18.5 sacks. As a senior in 2007, he started all 11 games and finished the season with 72 tackles (13.5 for losses), six sacks, two forced fumbles and a blocked kick. He began his career at defensive tackle, moving to right defensive end in 2005 before switching to the left side in '06. Playing at a small school obviously raises concerns about Langford's ability to make the leap to the NFL. He needs to become a more fundamentally sound run defender and learn to play with more consistent leverage. However, Langford has the frame, bulk and natural strength to take on blocks as a two-gap end in a 3-4 alignment. That's why we think the small-school product will not last long on Day 2 of the 2008 draft.
Shawn Murphy
Selected by: Miami Dolphins
Round: 4Pick (Overall): 11(110)OG (6'3", 320, 5.4) UTAH STATE
Flags: (S: SPEED) Player lacks ideal speed at position
Strengths:
Is tall with good bulk for his frame. Displays quick feet. Gets set quickly in pass pro and shows the ability to mirror and slide versus quicker pass rushers. Has a quick first step and can consistently get in position as a run blocker. Displays good range and can hit the moving target on the second level.
Weaknesses:
Is too much of a finesse player. Is not physical or tough enough for our liking. Lacks explosive power and does not show the ability to jar defenders with his hand punch. Does not get enough of a push in the run game. Needs to improve his footwork and hand placement. Awareness in pass pro is inconsistent. Plays with a narrow base and struggles to anchor versus more powerful bull rushers.
Overall:
Murphy went on a religious mission in Brazil from 2003-04. He enrolled and played one season at Dixie State CC in 2005. He transferred to Utah State in 2006 and went on to start in all 24 games for the Aggies as a junior and senior. A high school defensive end, Murphy played at left tackle in '06 before being moved to left guard in '07. He is the son of former Atlanta Braves outfielder Dale Murphy. Murphy played tackle at Utah State but projects as a guard in the NFL. He is a position-and-wall-off type blocker with good size and agility but marginal strength and toughness. Murphy has late-round value as a developmental project for teams willing to sacrifice power for agility.
Jalen Parmele
Selected by: Miami Dolphins
Round: 6Pick (Overall): 10(176)RB (5'11", 224, 4.469) TOLEDO
Scouts Grade: 33
Strengths:
Displays good patience along with solid vision when running between the tackles. Shows sound lateral movement near the line of scrimmage, finds cutback lanes and does a nice job of getting vertical after cuts. Displays natural ability to turn shoulder pads and get skinny when running through small openings. Does a sound job of keeping his feet churning upon contact and will fall forward to end runs. Finishes runs along boundary turning upfield for extra yards instead of dipping out of bounds. Shows good balance and shakes off would-be arm tacklers. Stays alert, plays with a mean streak and can cut blitzing linebackers to the ground when asked to help out in pass protection. Snatches the ball out of the air and isn't going to drop many passes that should catch. Has experience returning kickoffs, has flashed big-play potential in that role and can contribute on special teams.
Weaknesses:
Lacks prototypical power for a back with his size and is going to have problems pushing the pile in short-yardage situations. Isn't quick enough to turn the corner with any consistency in the NFL and lacks the second gear to outrun defenders when gets into space. Takes too long to change directions and isn't going to make many defenders. Lacks suddenness and isn't elusive enough to make defenders miss in the open field. Puts the ball on the ground too much and needs to work on pressure points as a ball carrier. Does not run efficient routes and will have trouble separating from man coverage at the next level.
Overall:
In his first two seasons at Toledo (2004-'05), Parmele appeared in 20 games as a reserve. He ran for 477 yards and six touchdowns on 106 carries (4.5 average) and eight receptions for 65 yards. As a junior in 2006, Parmele became the Rockets' starter, gaining 1,131 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 207 carries (5.5 average) and adding 16 receptions for 128 yards (8.0 average) in 12 games. He topped that performance last season, averaging 125.9 rushing yards in 12 games (good for ninth in the country). He ran for a total of 1,511 yards and 14 touchdowns on 276 carries (5.5 average) as a senior, adding 17 receptions for 157 yards (9.2 average) and a touchdown. Parmele also had a career 25 kickoff returns for 628 yards (25.1 average) and a TD. Although he is big and runs with purpose, Parmele lacks the overall power, speed and athleticism to be a featured back at the next level. With a few years of development he has the potential to be a number three back and should be able to contribute on special teams. This is why Parmele projects as a late round pick or rookie free agent
Donald Thomas
Round: 6Pick (Overall): 29(195)OG (6'3", 303, 5.0) CONNECTICUT
Scouts Grade: 62
Flags: (C: CHARACTER) Problems on and off the field
Strengths:
Takes sound angles to blocks and gets into position quickly. Stays low to the ground, drives legs once in position and flashes the ability to root defenders off the ball. Does a nice job of climbing up to second level and explodes upon contact with linebackers. Moves adequately and is able to get out and pull around edge. Shuffles feet extremely well and can redirect in pass protection. While lacks ideal size, gets adequate knee bend in pass sets and can stand ground working against bull rushers. Possesses a quick punch and can jar defenders in pass protection. Does a nice job of recovering when rushers get into him by sinking hips and using his strength to gets back into position.
Weaknesses:
Does not possess elite initial quickness and could have problems preventing penetration working against one-gap defenders. Does not possess elite lower body strength and isn't going to get much movement in short-yardage situations. Struggles to adjust on the fly and can have problems reaching moving targets in space. Footwork is inconsistent and lunges at times. Hands slide outside the defender's frame too much and can struggle to sustain blocks as a result. Didn't crack the starting lineup until late in the 2006 season and is still somewhat raw. Charged with assault in the third degree and breach of peace in 2006, Connecticut suspended him for two games as a result and character is a concern. While durability isn't a substantial issue, it's worth noting that he tweaked his knee in the Hula Bowl.
Overall:
Thomas enrolled at UConn in 2003 but didn't play football. He joined the football team in 2004 and redshirted the season. He played in all 11 games in 2005, serving as the wedge-buster on kickoffs. In 2006, he appeared in 10 games and earned his first start, at left guard. As a senior in 2007, he started all 13 games at right guard. Thomas is a late-bloomer whose stock has steadily risen over the last year and for good reason. He's emerged as a tough drive blocker who plays bigger than his size would indicate and has the natural ability to develop into an effective pass blocker. However, Thomas isn't fundamentally sound, his lack of size is still reason for concern and questions linger about his 2006 arrest so he projects as a sixth round pick.
6 38(204) Lex Hilliard RB MONTANA
Hilliard lined up at running back at Montana and should be a productive short-yardage runner at the NFL level. However, he's probably going to fit better at fullback in the NFL; he doesn't have great speed or elusiveness. It will also take some time for him to develop as a blocker.
Kendall Langford
Selected by: Miami Dolphins
Round: 3 Pick (Overall): 3(66)
DE (6'5 ", 287, 4.95) HAMPTON
Scouts Grade: 69
Flags: (S: SPEED) Player lacks ideal speed at position
Strengths:
Has a great frame and shows the ability to play around 290 pounds. Displays a violent punch, has a mean streak and flashes the ability to shed blocks quickly. At his best playing inside and taking on blocks. Can be very difficult to move when he stays low. Has experience lining up at defensive tackle and is versatile enough to slide inside as a 3-4 end in the NFL. Wraps up upon contact and is a reliable open field tackler. Is a relentless pass rusher and flashes the ability to fight though double teams. Use hands to protect legs, stays balanced and can get over cut blocks. Drives legs once engaged, shows adequate lower body strength and can push tackles back into the pocket. Looks to knock the ball loose when gets to the quarterback and is a ball hawk. Tall, jumps well and blocked a kick during 2006 season.
Weaknesses:
He lacks the burst and athletic ability to apply any consistent pressure as a pass rusher. Needs to know his role and must maintain bulk in order to be successful as a 3-4 end in the NFL. Plays far too high at times and can get driven off the ball. Lacks great awareness and doesn't always get hands up when isn't going to get to the quarterback.
Overall:
In Langford's first three seasons at Hampton (2004-'06), he appeared in 36 games (27 starts) and recorded 164 total tackles (42.5 for losses) and 18.5 sacks. As a senior in 2007, he started all 11 games and finished the season with 72 tackles (13.5 for losses), six sacks, two forced fumbles and a blocked kick. He began his career at defensive tackle, moving to right defensive end in 2005 before switching to the left side in '06. Playing at a small school obviously raises concerns about Langford's ability to make the leap to the NFL. He needs to become a more fundamentally sound run defender and learn to play with more consistent leverage. However, Langford has the frame, bulk and natural strength to take on blocks as a two-gap end in a 3-4 alignment. That's why we think the small-school product will not last long on Day 2 of the 2008 draft.
Shawn Murphy
Selected by: Miami Dolphins
Round: 4Pick (Overall): 11(110)OG (6'3", 320, 5.4) UTAH STATE
Flags: (S: SPEED) Player lacks ideal speed at position
Strengths:
Is tall with good bulk for his frame. Displays quick feet. Gets set quickly in pass pro and shows the ability to mirror and slide versus quicker pass rushers. Has a quick first step and can consistently get in position as a run blocker. Displays good range and can hit the moving target on the second level.
Weaknesses:
Is too much of a finesse player. Is not physical or tough enough for our liking. Lacks explosive power and does not show the ability to jar defenders with his hand punch. Does not get enough of a push in the run game. Needs to improve his footwork and hand placement. Awareness in pass pro is inconsistent. Plays with a narrow base and struggles to anchor versus more powerful bull rushers.
Overall:
Murphy went on a religious mission in Brazil from 2003-04. He enrolled and played one season at Dixie State CC in 2005. He transferred to Utah State in 2006 and went on to start in all 24 games for the Aggies as a junior and senior. A high school defensive end, Murphy played at left tackle in '06 before being moved to left guard in '07. He is the son of former Atlanta Braves outfielder Dale Murphy. Murphy played tackle at Utah State but projects as a guard in the NFL. He is a position-and-wall-off type blocker with good size and agility but marginal strength and toughness. Murphy has late-round value as a developmental project for teams willing to sacrifice power for agility.
Jalen Parmele
Selected by: Miami Dolphins
Round: 6Pick (Overall): 10(176)RB (5'11", 224, 4.469) TOLEDO
Scouts Grade: 33
Strengths:
Displays good patience along with solid vision when running between the tackles. Shows sound lateral movement near the line of scrimmage, finds cutback lanes and does a nice job of getting vertical after cuts. Displays natural ability to turn shoulder pads and get skinny when running through small openings. Does a sound job of keeping his feet churning upon contact and will fall forward to end runs. Finishes runs along boundary turning upfield for extra yards instead of dipping out of bounds. Shows good balance and shakes off would-be arm tacklers. Stays alert, plays with a mean streak and can cut blitzing linebackers to the ground when asked to help out in pass protection. Snatches the ball out of the air and isn't going to drop many passes that should catch. Has experience returning kickoffs, has flashed big-play potential in that role and can contribute on special teams.
Weaknesses:
Lacks prototypical power for a back with his size and is going to have problems pushing the pile in short-yardage situations. Isn't quick enough to turn the corner with any consistency in the NFL and lacks the second gear to outrun defenders when gets into space. Takes too long to change directions and isn't going to make many defenders. Lacks suddenness and isn't elusive enough to make defenders miss in the open field. Puts the ball on the ground too much and needs to work on pressure points as a ball carrier. Does not run efficient routes and will have trouble separating from man coverage at the next level.
Overall:
In his first two seasons at Toledo (2004-'05), Parmele appeared in 20 games as a reserve. He ran for 477 yards and six touchdowns on 106 carries (4.5 average) and eight receptions for 65 yards. As a junior in 2006, Parmele became the Rockets' starter, gaining 1,131 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 207 carries (5.5 average) and adding 16 receptions for 128 yards (8.0 average) in 12 games. He topped that performance last season, averaging 125.9 rushing yards in 12 games (good for ninth in the country). He ran for a total of 1,511 yards and 14 touchdowns on 276 carries (5.5 average) as a senior, adding 17 receptions for 157 yards (9.2 average) and a touchdown. Parmele also had a career 25 kickoff returns for 628 yards (25.1 average) and a TD. Although he is big and runs with purpose, Parmele lacks the overall power, speed and athleticism to be a featured back at the next level. With a few years of development he has the potential to be a number three back and should be able to contribute on special teams. This is why Parmele projects as a late round pick or rookie free agent
Donald Thomas
Round: 6Pick (Overall): 29(195)OG (6'3", 303, 5.0) CONNECTICUT
Scouts Grade: 62
Flags: (C: CHARACTER) Problems on and off the field
Strengths:
Takes sound angles to blocks and gets into position quickly. Stays low to the ground, drives legs once in position and flashes the ability to root defenders off the ball. Does a nice job of climbing up to second level and explodes upon contact with linebackers. Moves adequately and is able to get out and pull around edge. Shuffles feet extremely well and can redirect in pass protection. While lacks ideal size, gets adequate knee bend in pass sets and can stand ground working against bull rushers. Possesses a quick punch and can jar defenders in pass protection. Does a nice job of recovering when rushers get into him by sinking hips and using his strength to gets back into position.
Weaknesses:
Does not possess elite initial quickness and could have problems preventing penetration working against one-gap defenders. Does not possess elite lower body strength and isn't going to get much movement in short-yardage situations. Struggles to adjust on the fly and can have problems reaching moving targets in space. Footwork is inconsistent and lunges at times. Hands slide outside the defender's frame too much and can struggle to sustain blocks as a result. Didn't crack the starting lineup until late in the 2006 season and is still somewhat raw. Charged with assault in the third degree and breach of peace in 2006, Connecticut suspended him for two games as a result and character is a concern. While durability isn't a substantial issue, it's worth noting that he tweaked his knee in the Hula Bowl.
Overall:
Thomas enrolled at UConn in 2003 but didn't play football. He joined the football team in 2004 and redshirted the season. He played in all 11 games in 2005, serving as the wedge-buster on kickoffs. In 2006, he appeared in 10 games and earned his first start, at left guard. As a senior in 2007, he started all 13 games at right guard. Thomas is a late-bloomer whose stock has steadily risen over the last year and for good reason. He's emerged as a tough drive blocker who plays bigger than his size would indicate and has the natural ability to develop into an effective pass blocker. However, Thomas isn't fundamentally sound, his lack of size is still reason for concern and questions linger about his 2006 arrest so he projects as a sixth round pick.
6 38(204) Lex Hilliard RB MONTANA
Hilliard lined up at running back at Montana and should be a productive short-yardage runner at the NFL level. However, he's probably going to fit better at fullback in the NFL; he doesn't have great speed or elusiveness. It will also take some time for him to develop as a blocker.
3 MOST IMPORTANT POSITIONS IN NFL TAKEN WITH 1ST 3 PICKS
The three most important positions in the NFL were addressed with the Dolphins first three picks on Saturday.
Offensive Tackle,
Defensive End
Quarterback,
All three are major needs for the team rebuilding off of a 1-15 campaign. Total overall now stands at 24 new players added via free agency, trades and the draft. The Dolphins will add another six plsyers today to bring the count to 30 new faces in the 2008 training camp.
In total, the Dolphins have added 5 players on day one of the draft counting the trade with the Dallas Cowboys. Here is Scouts Inc remarks on yesterdays draft picks.
Chad Henne, Quaterback-Michigan- 6'3" 239lbs
NFL Comparisons-Ben Rothlesburger, Phil Simms
Strengths:
A thickly built, strong and tough QB. He can be very effective when he has time to throw. Shows the ability to lead his receivers and also knows when to change up velocity. Shows outstanding touch, timing and accuracy on vertical throws. Throws a very catchable ball but also has good overall arm strength. Arm is not elite, but he certainly can make all the necessary throws. Shows good zip on deep out and can fit the ball into some tight windows on intermediate throws between the hashes. Does a good job of reading coverage while dropping back. Keeps the ball high and generally displays good footwork. Not a great athlete but he does get set quickly and has adequate straight-line speed. He is at his best when given time to set up, make reads and step into his throws. Does a great job of selling fakes and is very comfortable working the play-action game. Excellent experience as a four-year starter at highest level. One of the most intelligent prospects in his class. Very hard worker; a film rat. Understands defenses and has made sound decisions throughout his career. Displayed great toughness senior year. Has a warriors' mentality as he played through a popped out shoulder on multiple occasions during senior season.
Weaknesses:
Overall mobility and athleticism are poor. His production is severely hindered when you flush him out of the pocket and force him to make plays on the move. He will never be a running threat. Height is adequate but not ideal. Has some trouble finding passing windows at times. Still improving in terms of overall decision making. Has cut down on key errors but still too streaky in that department. Pressure brings out the worst in him. While he does have good footwork when set, he needs to avoid getting sloppy when on the move. He has a tendency to throw off his back foot when rolling out or when coming off the play-fake, which takes away from his accuracy and velocity. He still needs to learn when to throw the ball away or take the sack rather than throwing the ball up for grabs (see: 1st quarter INT vs. ND in 2006). Release could be more compact, as he tends to drop down and wind-up a bit on longer throws. Durability only became an issue as a senior in 2007.
Overall:
In four years at Michigan (2004-'07), Henne started every game in which he played (47). He set school career marks in completions (828), attempts (1,387), passing yards (9,715) and passing touchdowns (87). He has also rushed for three career touchdowns. Despite missing three games as a senior (leg and shoulder injuries), Henne passed for 1,938 yards and 17 touchdowns in just 10 games. In addition to good size and arm strength, Henne brings to the table rare experience as a four-year starting quarterback at Michigan. He's not the type of quarterback that can carry a team but he does an excellent job of managing games and distributing the ball to his playmakers. He was considered the most durable quarterback in the senior class prior to the 2007 season. However, knee and shoulder injuries have caused him to miss significant time. Henne is the type of quarterback that will shine in pre-draft workouts because he is such a gifted natural passer when he can set his feet and throw unhurried. However, his lack of mobility and erratic decision-making skills when under pressure are legitimate concerns in our opinion. Henne should come off the board in the second round of the upcoming draft. His intangibles, toughness and work ethic will allow him to overcome some physical limitations but his NFL career could be defined by how much he can improve his feet over the next few years.
Phillip Merling, DE, Clemson, 6'4" 275 lbs
Strengths:
Is a well built DE with adequate height and good bulk, arm length (33.2 ) and hand span (9.5 ). Has above-average initial quickness for size and can beat blockers to the point of attack. Moves well laterally and keeps head up when scraping down the line of scrimmage. Takes excellent pursuit angles, plays with a good motor and has above-average range. Generally does a good job of getting in position, plays with discipline versus the run and will execute his assignment. Thickly built with a strong lower body. Is able to take on blocks when he plays with leverage. Plays with a mean streak. Wraps up upon contact and is reliable open field tackler that can deliver the big hit. Uses hands to protect legs, shows good balance and can fight over cut blocks though is somewhat inconsistent in this area. Flashes the ability to turn the corner and is a relentless pass rusher. Athletic enough to redirect inside after starting outside and flashes an effective swim move. Stays alert, has long arms and gets hands up when isn't going to get to the quarterback. Has experience lining up at defensive tackle, has experience dropping into coverage and is versatile.
Weaknesses:
Has good size for a defensive end but stands up high too much and gets driven back on some of those occasions. Has some problems shedding bocks when he lets blockers lock onto his frame. Does not show powerful upper body strength (only 17 reps on bench press). Lacks elite closing speed for an end and is going to have a harder time turning the corner at the NFL level. Relies on quickness and athletic ability too much and isn't much of a bull rusher at this point. Turns shoulders and creates running lanes too much. Doesn't always rush outside in and lets quarterbacks break contain too much.
Overall:
Merling played 271 snaps during his true freshman season in 2005. He started all 13 games of the 2006 season, finishing with 46 total tackles, including ten tackles-for-loss. Merling also recorded three sacks, 20 quarterback hurries and one forced fumble that year. In 2007, he recorded 78 total tackles, including 17 tackles-for-loss and seven sacks. Merling does not possess the speed of a dominant edge rusher and he needs to improve his upper body power. However, Merling is a gifted athlete for his size and he projects as an impact every-down starter in the NFL. While he could develop into a solid 3-4 end, we think his best fit is at the power-end position in a traditional 4-3 scheme. Regardless, Merling projects as a mid-first round pick.
Offensive Tackle,
Defensive End
Quarterback,
All three are major needs for the team rebuilding off of a 1-15 campaign. Total overall now stands at 24 new players added via free agency, trades and the draft. The Dolphins will add another six plsyers today to bring the count to 30 new faces in the 2008 training camp.
In total, the Dolphins have added 5 players on day one of the draft counting the trade with the Dallas Cowboys. Here is Scouts Inc remarks on yesterdays draft picks.
Chad Henne, Quaterback-Michigan- 6'3" 239lbs
NFL Comparisons-Ben Rothlesburger, Phil Simms
Strengths:
A thickly built, strong and tough QB. He can be very effective when he has time to throw. Shows the ability to lead his receivers and also knows when to change up velocity. Shows outstanding touch, timing and accuracy on vertical throws. Throws a very catchable ball but also has good overall arm strength. Arm is not elite, but he certainly can make all the necessary throws. Shows good zip on deep out and can fit the ball into some tight windows on intermediate throws between the hashes. Does a good job of reading coverage while dropping back. Keeps the ball high and generally displays good footwork. Not a great athlete but he does get set quickly and has adequate straight-line speed. He is at his best when given time to set up, make reads and step into his throws. Does a great job of selling fakes and is very comfortable working the play-action game. Excellent experience as a four-year starter at highest level. One of the most intelligent prospects in his class. Very hard worker; a film rat. Understands defenses and has made sound decisions throughout his career. Displayed great toughness senior year. Has a warriors' mentality as he played through a popped out shoulder on multiple occasions during senior season.
Weaknesses:
Overall mobility and athleticism are poor. His production is severely hindered when you flush him out of the pocket and force him to make plays on the move. He will never be a running threat. Height is adequate but not ideal. Has some trouble finding passing windows at times. Still improving in terms of overall decision making. Has cut down on key errors but still too streaky in that department. Pressure brings out the worst in him. While he does have good footwork when set, he needs to avoid getting sloppy when on the move. He has a tendency to throw off his back foot when rolling out or when coming off the play-fake, which takes away from his accuracy and velocity. He still needs to learn when to throw the ball away or take the sack rather than throwing the ball up for grabs (see: 1st quarter INT vs. ND in 2006). Release could be more compact, as he tends to drop down and wind-up a bit on longer throws. Durability only became an issue as a senior in 2007.
Overall:
In four years at Michigan (2004-'07), Henne started every game in which he played (47). He set school career marks in completions (828), attempts (1,387), passing yards (9,715) and passing touchdowns (87). He has also rushed for three career touchdowns. Despite missing three games as a senior (leg and shoulder injuries), Henne passed for 1,938 yards and 17 touchdowns in just 10 games. In addition to good size and arm strength, Henne brings to the table rare experience as a four-year starting quarterback at Michigan. He's not the type of quarterback that can carry a team but he does an excellent job of managing games and distributing the ball to his playmakers. He was considered the most durable quarterback in the senior class prior to the 2007 season. However, knee and shoulder injuries have caused him to miss significant time. Henne is the type of quarterback that will shine in pre-draft workouts because he is such a gifted natural passer when he can set his feet and throw unhurried. However, his lack of mobility and erratic decision-making skills when under pressure are legitimate concerns in our opinion. Henne should come off the board in the second round of the upcoming draft. His intangibles, toughness and work ethic will allow him to overcome some physical limitations but his NFL career could be defined by how much he can improve his feet over the next few years.
Phillip Merling, DE, Clemson, 6'4" 275 lbs
Strengths:
Is a well built DE with adequate height and good bulk, arm length (33.2 ) and hand span (9.5 ). Has above-average initial quickness for size and can beat blockers to the point of attack. Moves well laterally and keeps head up when scraping down the line of scrimmage. Takes excellent pursuit angles, plays with a good motor and has above-average range. Generally does a good job of getting in position, plays with discipline versus the run and will execute his assignment. Thickly built with a strong lower body. Is able to take on blocks when he plays with leverage. Plays with a mean streak. Wraps up upon contact and is reliable open field tackler that can deliver the big hit. Uses hands to protect legs, shows good balance and can fight over cut blocks though is somewhat inconsistent in this area. Flashes the ability to turn the corner and is a relentless pass rusher. Athletic enough to redirect inside after starting outside and flashes an effective swim move. Stays alert, has long arms and gets hands up when isn't going to get to the quarterback. Has experience lining up at defensive tackle, has experience dropping into coverage and is versatile.
Weaknesses:
Has good size for a defensive end but stands up high too much and gets driven back on some of those occasions. Has some problems shedding bocks when he lets blockers lock onto his frame. Does not show powerful upper body strength (only 17 reps on bench press). Lacks elite closing speed for an end and is going to have a harder time turning the corner at the NFL level. Relies on quickness and athletic ability too much and isn't much of a bull rusher at this point. Turns shoulders and creates running lanes too much. Doesn't always rush outside in and lets quarterbacks break contain too much.
Overall:
Merling played 271 snaps during his true freshman season in 2005. He started all 13 games of the 2006 season, finishing with 46 total tackles, including ten tackles-for-loss. Merling also recorded three sacks, 20 quarterback hurries and one forced fumble that year. In 2007, he recorded 78 total tackles, including 17 tackles-for-loss and seven sacks. Merling does not possess the speed of a dominant edge rusher and he needs to improve his upper body power. However, Merling is a gifted athlete for his size and he projects as an impact every-down starter in the NFL. While he could develop into a solid 3-4 end, we think his best fit is at the power-end position in a traditional 4-3 scheme. Regardless, Merling projects as a mid-first round pick.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
MOCK DRAFT 2.0
The below is version 2.0 and the final version of what I called a Scientific Mock, which is nothing more than the average draft pick of the most popular NFL Draft Experts. Version 1.0 was posted on this website on 4/16/08 and utilized 20 mock drafts, the below uses a total of 26 mock drafts. The purpose of this exercise for me was to determine which names would appear from the fallout of Round One Average Mock that may slip to Miami in Round two.
Of the 26 mock drafts selected, the oldest one was calculated on April 23rd from the gurus at and the youngest ones (which make up the majority of the 26 mocks) are dated April 24th and 25th. The 26 mocks came from the usual places such as Kiper, McShay, and Mosley from ESPN, Kirwan and Carucci from NFL Network, Prisco and Judge from CBS Sportsline,and Don Banks and Peter King from Sports Illustrated. Other sources include USA Today, and other NFL websites dedicated to the NFL Draft only, two of which proved to be the most accurate mock drafters over the last two years. These two sources selected 30 out of 32 correct picks respectively over the last two years.
See my post on April 16th for further details on how I calculated the below mock.
PICK -TEAM-PLAYER- POS
1 Miami Dolphins-Jake Long-OT
2 St. Louis Rams-Chris Long-DE
3 Atlanta Falcons-Glenn Dorsey-DT
4 Oakland Raiders-Darren McFadden-RB
5 Kansas City Chiefs-Branden Albert-OG
6 New York Jets-Vernon Gholston-DE
7 New England Patriots-Keith Rivers-OLB
8 Baltimore Ravens-Matt Ryan-QB
9 Cincinnati Bengals-Sedrick Ellis-DT
10 New Orleans Saints-Leodis McKelvin-CB
11 Buffalo Bills-Rodgers-Cromartie-CB
12 Denver Broncos-Ryan Clady-OT
13 Carolina Panthers-Rash Mendenhall-RB
14 Chicago Bears-Jeff Otah-OT
15 Detroit Lions-Jonathan Stewart-RB
16 Arizona Cardinals-MikeJenkins-CB
17 Kansas City Chief-Derrick-Harvey-DE
18 Houston Texans-Chris Williams-OT
19 Philadelphia Eagles-Devin Thomas-WR
20 Tampa Bay Buccaneers-DeSean Jackson-WR
21 Washington Redskins-Phillip Merling-DE
22 Dallas Cowboys Felix-Jones-RB
23 Pittsburgh Steelers-Gosder Cherilus-OT
24 Tennessee Titans-Limas Sweed-WR
25 Seattle Seahawks-Dustin Keller-TE
26 Jacksonville Jaguars-Kentwan Balmer-DT
27 San Diego Chargers-Aqib Talib-CB
28 Dallas Cowboys-Malcolm Kelly-WR
29 San Francisco 49ers-Jerod Mayo-OLB
30 Green Bay Packers-Brandon Flowers-CB
31 New York Giants-Kenny Phillips-S
The problem with any mock is the assumption that the draft order will remain stagnant and there will be no draft movement within the order and we all know that will not be the case. I am thinking at least 3-5 trade movements will occur in the first round.
The New Orleans Saints are in love with both DTs Dorsey and Ellis, and in order for them to acquire either, they must make a move into the top seven. If they land Dorsey, it would require a move in the top four picks, and I do not think they have the ammunition to pull it off unless they throw in a first rounder in 2009.
The St Louis Rams pick of either Long or Doresy will be significant in how the first 10 picks evolve. New England also will influence the Saints as it is believed that the Patsies would either take Ellis or make a trade with the Saints to land Ellis. The Saints and Dolphins are also rumored to be interested in making trades for players. The Saints covet TE Shockley from the Giants and the Dolphins would like to trade J Taylor for a late round one pick or early 2nd rounder. Perhaps the trade this week between KC
PLAYER POS /HT/WT/SCHOOL/GRADE/POS RANK/OVR RANK
Dan Connor ILB 6'2" 231 PENN STATE, 91, 1, 23
Brian Brohm QB 6'2" 230 LOUISVILLE 90 , 2, 29
Chad Henne QB 6'2" 230 MICHIGAN 89, 3, 30
Joe Flacco QB 6'6" 236 DELAWARE 88 , 4, 33
Calais Campbell DE 6'7" 290 MIAMI (FLA.) 88, 5, 34
Curtis Lofton ILB 6'0" 246 OKLAHOMA 87, 2, 37
Mario Manningham WR 5'11" 181 MICHIGAN 87, 5, 38
Sam Baker OT 6'4" 309 USC 87, 6, 39
Pat Sims DT 6'2" 310 AUBURN 87, 4 , 40
James Hardy WR 6'5" 217 INDIANA 86, 6, 41
Fred Davis TE 6'3" 255 USC 86, 2 , 42
Antoine Cason CB 6'0" 191 ARIZONA 86, 6, 43
Lawrence Jackson DE 6'4" 271 USC 86, 6, 44
Early Doucet WR 6'0" 209 LSU 85, 7, 45
Tracy Porter CB 5'10" 188 INDIANA 85, 7, 46
Trevor Laws DT 6'0" 304 NOTRE DAME 85, 5, 47
Cliff Avril DE 6'2" 253 PURDUE 85, 7, 48
Jordy Nelson WR 6'2" 217 KANSAS STATE 84, 8, 49
Marcus Harrison DT 6'2" 317 ARKANSAS 84, 6, 50
Quentin Groves DE 6'3" 259 AUBURN 84, 8, 51
We all keep hearing how Parcells loves the bigger physical players. Below is a list sorted by player size and overall draft grade from Scouts, Inc of big players that could be targeted by Parcells in rounds 2 thru 7.
The below players do not appear on either of the two list above. All positions are sorted by weight with exception to wide receivers whom are sorted by height...
PLAYER POS/HT/WT/SCHOOL/GRADE/POS RANK/OVR RANK
Frank Okam DT 6'4" 347 TEXAS 59, 12, 143
Carl Nicks OT 6'4" 341 NEBRASKA 75, 9 , 79
Red Bryant DT 6'4" 318 TEXAS A&M 71, 10, 91
Anthony Collins OT 6'5" 317 KANSAS 79, 7 , 65
Chilo Rachal OG 6'5" 315 USC 84, 2 , 52
Duane Brown OT 6'4" 315 VIRGINIA TECH 78, 8, 70
Michael McGlynn OG 6'4" 311 PITTSBURGH 64, 5, 123
Kirk Barton OT 6'4" 310 OHIO STATE 59, 12 , 142
Eric Young OG 6'3" 310 TENNESSEE 60, 6, 138
Tony Hills OT 6'5" 309 TEXAS 68, 10 , 103
Oniel Cousins OG 6'3" 308 UTEP 69, 3, 97
Roy Schuening OG 6'3" 306 OREGON STATE 68, 4, 105
Dre Moore DT 6'4" 305 MARYLAND 78, 8, 69
John Greco OT 6'4" 305 TOLEDO 64, 11, 118
Letroy Guion DT 6'3" 303 FLORIDA STATE 72, 9, 90
Drew Radovich OG 6'4" 301 USC 59 , 7 , 141
Mike Pollak OC 6'3" 301 ARIZONA STATE 81, 1, 60
John Sullivan OC 6'3" 301 NOTRE DAME 66, 3, 113
DeMario Pressley DT 6'3" 301 NORTH CAROLINA ST 64, 11, 121
Andre Fluellen DT 6'1" 296 FLORIDA STATE 79, 7 , 64
Steven Justice OC 6'3" 293 WAKE FOREST 73, 2, 86
Kendall Langford DE 6'5" 287 HAMPTON 70, 11, 94
Jason Jones DE 6'5" 273 EASTERN MICHIGAN 69, 12. 95
Brad Cottam TE 6'7" 270 TENNESSEE 66, 6, 114
Wallace Gilberry DE 6'2" 268 ALABAMA 58, 15, 147
Johnny Dingle DE 6'1" 265 WEST VIRGINIA 62 , 14, 132
Jeremy Thompson DE 6'4" 264 WAKE FOREST 68, 13, 99
Chris Ellis DE 6'4" 263 VIRGINIA TECH 71, 10, 92
Martellus Bennett TE 6'6" 259 TEXAS A&M 79, 4, 62
Darrell Robertson DE 6'3" 255 GEORGIA TECH 73, 9, 88
Craig Stevens TE 6'3" 254 CALIFORNIA 61, 8 , 133
Bruce Davis OLB 6'2" 252 UCLA 74, 8, 82
John Carlson TE 6'5" 251 NOTRE DAME 82, 3, 58
WIDE RECEIVERS
Adarius Bowman WR 6'2" 223 OKLAHOMA STATE, 61, 21, 135
Paul Hubbard WR 6'2" 221 WISCONSIN 65, 17 , 115
Adrian Arrington WR 6'2" 203 MICHIGAN 62, 20, 130
Jerome Simpson WR 6'1" 199 COAST CAROLINA 77,11, 71
D.J. Hall WR 6'1" 193 ALABAMA 58, 24, 146
Josh Morgan WR 6'0" 219 VIRGINIA TECH 63, 19, 126
William Franklin WR 6'0" 214 MISSOURI 60, 22, 137
Early Doucet WR 6'0" 209 LSU 85, 7, 45
Andre Caldwell WR 6'0" 204 FLORIDA 83, 9, 53
Keenan Burton WR 6'0" 201 KENTUCKY 64 , 18, 119
Of the 26 mock drafts selected, the oldest one was calculated on April 23rd from the gurus at and the youngest ones (which make up the majority of the 26 mocks) are dated April 24th and 25th. The 26 mocks came from the usual places such as Kiper, McShay, and Mosley from ESPN, Kirwan and Carucci from NFL Network, Prisco and Judge from CBS Sportsline,and Don Banks and Peter King from Sports Illustrated. Other sources include USA Today, and other NFL websites dedicated to the NFL Draft only, two of which proved to be the most accurate mock drafters over the last two years. These two sources selected 30 out of 32 correct picks respectively over the last two years.
See my post on April 16th for further details on how I calculated the below mock.
PICK -TEAM-PLAYER- POS
1 Miami Dolphins-Jake Long-OT
2 St. Louis Rams-Chris Long-DE
3 Atlanta Falcons-Glenn Dorsey-DT
4 Oakland Raiders-Darren McFadden-RB
5 Kansas City Chiefs-Branden Albert-OG
6 New York Jets-Vernon Gholston-DE
7 New England Patriots-Keith Rivers-OLB
8 Baltimore Ravens-Matt Ryan-QB
9 Cincinnati Bengals-Sedrick Ellis-DT
10 New Orleans Saints-Leodis McKelvin-CB
11 Buffalo Bills-Rodgers-Cromartie-CB
12 Denver Broncos-Ryan Clady-OT
13 Carolina Panthers-Rash Mendenhall-RB
14 Chicago Bears-Jeff Otah-OT
15 Detroit Lions-Jonathan Stewart-RB
16 Arizona Cardinals-MikeJenkins-CB
17 Kansas City Chief-Derrick-Harvey-DE
18 Houston Texans-Chris Williams-OT
19 Philadelphia Eagles-Devin Thomas-WR
20 Tampa Bay Buccaneers-DeSean Jackson-WR
21 Washington Redskins-Phillip Merling-DE
22 Dallas Cowboys Felix-Jones-RB
23 Pittsburgh Steelers-Gosder Cherilus-OT
24 Tennessee Titans-Limas Sweed-WR
25 Seattle Seahawks-Dustin Keller-TE
26 Jacksonville Jaguars-Kentwan Balmer-DT
27 San Diego Chargers-Aqib Talib-CB
28 Dallas Cowboys-Malcolm Kelly-WR
29 San Francisco 49ers-Jerod Mayo-OLB
30 Green Bay Packers-Brandon Flowers-CB
31 New York Giants-Kenny Phillips-S
The problem with any mock is the assumption that the draft order will remain stagnant and there will be no draft movement within the order and we all know that will not be the case. I am thinking at least 3-5 trade movements will occur in the first round.
The New Orleans Saints are in love with both DTs Dorsey and Ellis, and in order for them to acquire either, they must make a move into the top seven. If they land Dorsey, it would require a move in the top four picks, and I do not think they have the ammunition to pull it off unless they throw in a first rounder in 2009.
The St Louis Rams pick of either Long or Doresy will be significant in how the first 10 picks evolve. New England also will influence the Saints as it is believed that the Patsies would either take Ellis or make a trade with the Saints to land Ellis. The Saints and Dolphins are also rumored to be interested in making trades for players. The Saints covet TE Shockley from the Giants and the Dolphins would like to trade J Taylor for a late round one pick or early 2nd rounder. Perhaps the trade this week between KC
PLAYER POS /HT/WT/SCHOOL/GRADE/POS RANK/OVR RANK
Dan Connor ILB 6'2" 231 PENN STATE, 91, 1, 23
Brian Brohm QB 6'2" 230 LOUISVILLE 90 , 2, 29
Chad Henne QB 6'2" 230 MICHIGAN 89, 3, 30
Joe Flacco QB 6'6" 236 DELAWARE 88 , 4, 33
Calais Campbell DE 6'7" 290 MIAMI (FLA.) 88, 5, 34
Curtis Lofton ILB 6'0" 246 OKLAHOMA 87, 2, 37
Mario Manningham WR 5'11" 181 MICHIGAN 87, 5, 38
Sam Baker OT 6'4" 309 USC 87, 6, 39
Pat Sims DT 6'2" 310 AUBURN 87, 4 , 40
James Hardy WR 6'5" 217 INDIANA 86, 6, 41
Fred Davis TE 6'3" 255 USC 86, 2 , 42
Antoine Cason CB 6'0" 191 ARIZONA 86, 6, 43
Lawrence Jackson DE 6'4" 271 USC 86, 6, 44
Early Doucet WR 6'0" 209 LSU 85, 7, 45
Tracy Porter CB 5'10" 188 INDIANA 85, 7, 46
Trevor Laws DT 6'0" 304 NOTRE DAME 85, 5, 47
Cliff Avril DE 6'2" 253 PURDUE 85, 7, 48
Jordy Nelson WR 6'2" 217 KANSAS STATE 84, 8, 49
Marcus Harrison DT 6'2" 317 ARKANSAS 84, 6, 50
Quentin Groves DE 6'3" 259 AUBURN 84, 8, 51
We all keep hearing how Parcells loves the bigger physical players. Below is a list sorted by player size and overall draft grade from Scouts, Inc of big players that could be targeted by Parcells in rounds 2 thru 7.
The below players do not appear on either of the two list above. All positions are sorted by weight with exception to wide receivers whom are sorted by height...
PLAYER POS/HT/WT/SCHOOL/GRADE/POS RANK/OVR RANK
Frank Okam DT 6'4" 347 TEXAS 59, 12, 143
Carl Nicks OT 6'4" 341 NEBRASKA 75, 9 , 79
Red Bryant DT 6'4" 318 TEXAS A&M 71, 10, 91
Anthony Collins OT 6'5" 317 KANSAS 79, 7 , 65
Chilo Rachal OG 6'5" 315 USC 84, 2 , 52
Duane Brown OT 6'4" 315 VIRGINIA TECH 78, 8, 70
Michael McGlynn OG 6'4" 311 PITTSBURGH 64, 5, 123
Kirk Barton OT 6'4" 310 OHIO STATE 59, 12 , 142
Eric Young OG 6'3" 310 TENNESSEE 60, 6, 138
Tony Hills OT 6'5" 309 TEXAS 68, 10 , 103
Oniel Cousins OG 6'3" 308 UTEP 69, 3, 97
Roy Schuening OG 6'3" 306 OREGON STATE 68, 4, 105
Dre Moore DT 6'4" 305 MARYLAND 78, 8, 69
John Greco OT 6'4" 305 TOLEDO 64, 11, 118
Letroy Guion DT 6'3" 303 FLORIDA STATE 72, 9, 90
Drew Radovich OG 6'4" 301 USC 59 , 7 , 141
Mike Pollak OC 6'3" 301 ARIZONA STATE 81, 1, 60
John Sullivan OC 6'3" 301 NOTRE DAME 66, 3, 113
DeMario Pressley DT 6'3" 301 NORTH CAROLINA ST 64, 11, 121
Andre Fluellen DT 6'1" 296 FLORIDA STATE 79, 7 , 64
Steven Justice OC 6'3" 293 WAKE FOREST 73, 2, 86
Kendall Langford DE 6'5" 287 HAMPTON 70, 11, 94
Jason Jones DE 6'5" 273 EASTERN MICHIGAN 69, 12. 95
Brad Cottam TE 6'7" 270 TENNESSEE 66, 6, 114
Wallace Gilberry DE 6'2" 268 ALABAMA 58, 15, 147
Johnny Dingle DE 6'1" 265 WEST VIRGINIA 62 , 14, 132
Jeremy Thompson DE 6'4" 264 WAKE FOREST 68, 13, 99
Chris Ellis DE 6'4" 263 VIRGINIA TECH 71, 10, 92
Martellus Bennett TE 6'6" 259 TEXAS A&M 79, 4, 62
Darrell Robertson DE 6'3" 255 GEORGIA TECH 73, 9, 88
Craig Stevens TE 6'3" 254 CALIFORNIA 61, 8 , 133
Bruce Davis OLB 6'2" 252 UCLA 74, 8, 82
John Carlson TE 6'5" 251 NOTRE DAME 82, 3, 58
WIDE RECEIVERS
Adarius Bowman WR 6'2" 223 OKLAHOMA STATE, 61, 21, 135
Paul Hubbard WR 6'2" 221 WISCONSIN 65, 17 , 115
Adrian Arrington WR 6'2" 203 MICHIGAN 62, 20, 130
Jerome Simpson WR 6'1" 199 COAST CAROLINA 77,11, 71
D.J. Hall WR 6'1" 193 ALABAMA 58, 24, 146
Josh Morgan WR 6'0" 219 VIRGINIA TECH 63, 19, 126
William Franklin WR 6'0" 214 MISSOURI 60, 22, 137
Early Doucet WR 6'0" 209 LSU 85, 7, 45
Andre Caldwell WR 6'0" 204 FLORIDA 83, 9, 53
Keenan Burton WR 6'0" 201 KENTUCKY 64 , 18, 119
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
JAKE LONG -OT-MICHIGAN SiGNS WITH DOLPHINS
The Miami Dolphins are no longer on the clock with the first overall pick as they have signed Offensive Tackle Jake Long from Michigan. The Dolphins next pick is overall pick #32 which will occur approximately between 8:00 and 8:30pm ET on Saturday, April 26th. The Dolphins final pick on day one will occur in Round 2 with the #57th pick and is estimated to occur between 10:45Pm and 11:15pm.
The contract is being reported fto be for five years, $57.75 million, with $30 million guaranteed. The guranteed amount is simialr to what last years overall pick #1 Jamarcus Russell with Oakland, although the overall value is less than Russells $61 million.
I just listened to the press conference introducing Jake Long, and Sparano and Ireland made it very clear stating multiple times that Jake Long will play LEFT TACKLE. The idea of him playing on the right side was never even mentioned, so this means that not only will the Dolphins Left Tackle postion will improve, but also we shall see greater stabilty on the right side as well with Vernon Carey moving to RT, a position where hs is better suited.
Jake LongOT (6'7", 313, 5.219) MICHIGANScouts Grade: 98Flags:
Strengths:
An experienced, technically sound OT prospect with great size-potential. Is versatile; has experience at left and right tackle and could play either/both in the NFL. Also has proven capable of performing at a high level in power-run scheme and new zone-blocking scheme. Possesses excellent height, adequate bulk and the frame to get bigger if necessary. He has a massive wingspan with long arms and big hands. A natural knee-bender; he gets set quickly in pass pro, plays with good body lean and rarely gets caught lunging. He shuffles his feet quickly and can get back inside to defend double move. Uses long arms and powerful punch to jar defenders and run them wide as pass rushers. Shows excellent awareness in pass pro; consistently gives inside help and does an great job of picking up stunts, twists and blitzes. He takes very good angles as a run blocker. Has adapted very well zone-blocking and shows the mobility to execute in a similar scheme in the NFL. He has good upper-and-lower body strength as a run blocker. Also works hard to sustain and shows a good mean streak. Great intangibles. A leader and hard worker on-and-off the field. Good student in the classroom and intelligence carries over to the field, where he picks up techniques, schemes and assignments quickly.
Weaknesses:
Lacks elite mobility for an elite OT prospect. Has enough quickness and balance to perform at a high level in the NFL, but he is not as nimble as former top OT prospects such as Orlando Pace (Rams), Jonathan Ogden (Ravens), D'Brickashaw Ferguson (Jets) and Joe Thomas (Browns). Had some trouble versus Ohio State DE Vernon Gholston's elite speed rushers. Durability is somewhat of a concern after he missed the first seven games of the 2005 season with an ankle/foot injury.
Overall:
Long was redshirted in 2003. In his first active season at Michigan (2004), he appeared in 12 games, starting the last 10 at right tackle, and was selected to the Freshman All-America team. As a sophomore in 2005, played five games (four starts) at right tackle. He moved to left tackle in 2006, and went on to start all 26 of the Wolverines' games over his final two seasons. He was a first team All-America selection and the Big Ten Lineman of the Year in each of his last two seasons. Long missed the first seven games of 2005 while recovering from spring shoulder surgery and suffering from foot and ankle injuries. Long has outstanding experience to go along with his massive frame, above-average quickness for his size, a powerful upper body (37 reps), long arms (35.6 inches) and big hands (11 inches). He is not as athletic as last year's top tackle prospect Joe Thomas (Browns), but Long has more than enough range to effectively protect the quarterback's blindside in the NFL and he's bigger, stronger and more physical than Thomas was coming out of school. One year later, Long grades out slightly lower than Thomas (No. 3 overall in 2007) but he could actually come off the board earlier in what projects to be a weaker class.
I just listened to the press conference introducing Jake Long, and Sparano and Ireland made it very clear stating multiple times that Jake Long will play LEFT TACKLE. The idea of him playing on the right side was never even mentioned, so this means that not only will the Dolphins Left Tackle postion will improve, but also we shall see greater stabilty on the right side as well with Vernon Carey moving to RT, a position where hs is better suited.
Jake LongOT (6'7", 313, 5.219) MICHIGANScouts Grade: 98Flags:
Strengths:
An experienced, technically sound OT prospect with great size-potential. Is versatile; has experience at left and right tackle and could play either/both in the NFL. Also has proven capable of performing at a high level in power-run scheme and new zone-blocking scheme. Possesses excellent height, adequate bulk and the frame to get bigger if necessary. He has a massive wingspan with long arms and big hands. A natural knee-bender; he gets set quickly in pass pro, plays with good body lean and rarely gets caught lunging. He shuffles his feet quickly and can get back inside to defend double move. Uses long arms and powerful punch to jar defenders and run them wide as pass rushers. Shows excellent awareness in pass pro; consistently gives inside help and does an great job of picking up stunts, twists and blitzes. He takes very good angles as a run blocker. Has adapted very well zone-blocking and shows the mobility to execute in a similar scheme in the NFL. He has good upper-and-lower body strength as a run blocker. Also works hard to sustain and shows a good mean streak. Great intangibles. A leader and hard worker on-and-off the field. Good student in the classroom and intelligence carries over to the field, where he picks up techniques, schemes and assignments quickly.
Weaknesses:
Lacks elite mobility for an elite OT prospect. Has enough quickness and balance to perform at a high level in the NFL, but he is not as nimble as former top OT prospects such as Orlando Pace (Rams), Jonathan Ogden (Ravens), D'Brickashaw Ferguson (Jets) and Joe Thomas (Browns). Had some trouble versus Ohio State DE Vernon Gholston's elite speed rushers. Durability is somewhat of a concern after he missed the first seven games of the 2005 season with an ankle/foot injury.
Overall:
Long was redshirted in 2003. In his first active season at Michigan (2004), he appeared in 12 games, starting the last 10 at right tackle, and was selected to the Freshman All-America team. As a sophomore in 2005, played five games (four starts) at right tackle. He moved to left tackle in 2006, and went on to start all 26 of the Wolverines' games over his final two seasons. He was a first team All-America selection and the Big Ten Lineman of the Year in each of his last two seasons. Long missed the first seven games of 2005 while recovering from spring shoulder surgery and suffering from foot and ankle injuries. Long has outstanding experience to go along with his massive frame, above-average quickness for his size, a powerful upper body (37 reps), long arms (35.6 inches) and big hands (11 inches). He is not as athletic as last year's top tackle prospect Joe Thomas (Browns), but Long has more than enough range to effectively protect the quarterback's blindside in the NFL and he's bigger, stronger and more physical than Thomas was coming out of school. One year later, Long grades out slightly lower than Thomas (No. 3 overall in 2007) but he could actually come off the board earlier in what projects to be a weaker class.
Jake Long appears To Be First Pick
According to Palm Beach Post, the Miami Dolphins have decided on selecting Jake Long OT from Michigan with their first overall pick and are close to finalizing the contract. I am excited about Miami filling this need on offensive line which should also help the development of the next starting QB and also bring some stability to the rushing game.
According to the article below, selecting OT Jake Long would be wiser than selecting a DE because it appears that there will be greater DE and DT depth in round two compared to offensive tackle depth. The offensive tackle position is very deep this year however, most mock drafts show 6-7 OTs being drafted in round one where as only 4-5 DE should be drafted in round one. See article below this article in the blog to see average mock draft by draft gurus.
The following is the Palm Beach Post article regarding the Jake Long selection...
The Dolphins don't have to make the No. 1 pick until 10 minutes after the NFL Draft begins Saturday, but it appears that they won't have to wait that long to get the player they want - Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long.
Negotiations between the Dolphins and Long's agent, Tom Condon, have reached the point that a contract could be announced any day, an NFL source told The Palm Beach Post on Monday.
The source said "there's a very good chance" Long will sign before the draft begins at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
The Dolphins declined to comment; Condon did not return a call seeking reaction.
If the Dolphins sign Long - a two-time All-America for the Wolverines - he would fill a major void for a franchise burdened by a shaky offensive line throughout its six-year playoff drought.
Miami has two starting spots open on the line, including one of the tackles. Ideally, Long would play on the left side, allowing Vernon Carey, the 19th overall pick in 2004, to move back to right tackle, where he played during his first three seasons with the Dolphins.
But Long, who is 6-feet-7 and 315 pounds, will have to prove he can handle the top speed rushers at the pro level.
"You never know how good a guy's feet are and how quick his feet really are until you see him block a great speed rusher in the NFL," said Hall of Fame offensive tackle Dan Dierdorf, a longtime TV analyst and an All-America at Michigan in 1970.
Long often dominated during 40 starts at Michigan, including 30 at left tackle. But when he did struggle, it was against speed.
Long allowed the lone sack of his senior season to the player considered the top pass rusher in the draft, Ohio State defensive end/linebacker Vernon Gholston. In the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory, Gholston finished with four tackles for a loss, including three sacks.
Gholston said he hopes performances like that have kept him on the Dolphins' radar.
"There's been a lot of speculation of deals being done, but at the end of the day the Dolphins will take the guy they want," Gholston told The Post on Monday. "I think I've shown them what I can do.
"I fit their system well. I have a lot of attributes as far as the speed and know I can be a player in the 3-4 defense. Hopefully I'm that decision."
Gholston wasn't the only speed rusher to excel against Long's Wolverines.
Florida defensive end Derrick Harvey, who is expected to be a top-20 pick this weekend, finished with two sacks during a 41-35 loss to Michigan in the Capital One Bowl. But Florida coaches moved Harvey up and down the line of scrimmage to avoid Long and capitalize on mismatches.
"I look at Jake against non-burning speed guys, he's a dominant tackle," said TV-radio analyst Randy Cross, a former NFL offensive lineman. "But when he saw that speed, he had a little trouble.
"That's a direct reflection of what you're going to see on a weekly basis in the NFL."
If Long doesn't thrive as a left tackle in the pros, he likely would be a great fit on the right side, where run-blocking is the priority.
"He has a perfect offensive-lineman mentality," said Jim Brandstatter, who played offensive tackle for the Wolverines from 1969 through '71 and has been the team's radio analyst for the past 28 seasons. "He has a mean streak. He plays to the whistle. He likes burying guys and takes pride in that."
Even offensive linemen who don't live up to their billing usually end up helping their teams.
Oakland selected Iowa tackle Robert Gallery with the No. 2 pick in 2004, but moved him to left guard last season. He excelled there a year after allowing 101/2 sacks in 10 games as a left tackle.
In 1989, Tony Mandarich - one of the biggest busts in NFL history - was drafted No.'2 overall, one spot ahead of Barry Sanders. Green Bay cut Mandarich after just three seasons. But he returned to football five seasons later and played guard for the Indianapolis Colts from 1996 through '98.
"He's no Tony Mandarich," Dierdorf said of Long. "I can't envision a scenario where he doesn't make it."
Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. also said that using the No. 1 pick to select Long - the top player in a deep pool of offensive tackles - would be "a good thing" and "a safe thing."
"You're getting a nice return on your investment," Kiper said. "There's not going to be a bust at this spot."
The Dolphins also could end up with a perennial Pro Bowler, because Long is a special athlete. He is well-proportioned and leaner than the average tackle. His 37 bench-press reps of 225 pounds at the Scouting Combine were matched only by Gholston.
At Lapeer East High School in Michigan, Long played basketball and baseball as well as football. He could hit 450-foot home runs and consistently run 11/2 miles in under 10 minutes in physical education class.
"No one can believe a kid his size could do that," said Brad Gerlach, who coached Long in high school.
But Gerlach said Long's mental approach distinguishes him, too. He was a two-year captain at Michigan and didn't commit a penalty as a senior.
Dierdorf, whose daughter played basketball for the Wolverines and will graduate next month, said he has heard a great deal about Long's dedication.
"Time and again over the years, I've been told how important the game is to this kid," Dierdorf said. "To me, I've seen too many players who have talent, but don't have a passion for the game. They had all the skills athletically, but just didn't get it.
"He gets it."
According to the article below, selecting OT Jake Long would be wiser than selecting a DE because it appears that there will be greater DE and DT depth in round two compared to offensive tackle depth. The offensive tackle position is very deep this year however, most mock drafts show 6-7 OTs being drafted in round one where as only 4-5 DE should be drafted in round one. See article below this article in the blog to see average mock draft by draft gurus.
The following is the Palm Beach Post article regarding the Jake Long selection...
The Dolphins don't have to make the No. 1 pick until 10 minutes after the NFL Draft begins Saturday, but it appears that they won't have to wait that long to get the player they want - Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long.
Negotiations between the Dolphins and Long's agent, Tom Condon, have reached the point that a contract could be announced any day, an NFL source told The Palm Beach Post on Monday.
The source said "there's a very good chance" Long will sign before the draft begins at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
The Dolphins declined to comment; Condon did not return a call seeking reaction.
If the Dolphins sign Long - a two-time All-America for the Wolverines - he would fill a major void for a franchise burdened by a shaky offensive line throughout its six-year playoff drought.
Miami has two starting spots open on the line, including one of the tackles. Ideally, Long would play on the left side, allowing Vernon Carey, the 19th overall pick in 2004, to move back to right tackle, where he played during his first three seasons with the Dolphins.
But Long, who is 6-feet-7 and 315 pounds, will have to prove he can handle the top speed rushers at the pro level.
"You never know how good a guy's feet are and how quick his feet really are until you see him block a great speed rusher in the NFL," said Hall of Fame offensive tackle Dan Dierdorf, a longtime TV analyst and an All-America at Michigan in 1970.
Long often dominated during 40 starts at Michigan, including 30 at left tackle. But when he did struggle, it was against speed.
Long allowed the lone sack of his senior season to the player considered the top pass rusher in the draft, Ohio State defensive end/linebacker Vernon Gholston. In the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory, Gholston finished with four tackles for a loss, including three sacks.
Gholston said he hopes performances like that have kept him on the Dolphins' radar.
"There's been a lot of speculation of deals being done, but at the end of the day the Dolphins will take the guy they want," Gholston told The Post on Monday. "I think I've shown them what I can do.
"I fit their system well. I have a lot of attributes as far as the speed and know I can be a player in the 3-4 defense. Hopefully I'm that decision."
Gholston wasn't the only speed rusher to excel against Long's Wolverines.
Florida defensive end Derrick Harvey, who is expected to be a top-20 pick this weekend, finished with two sacks during a 41-35 loss to Michigan in the Capital One Bowl. But Florida coaches moved Harvey up and down the line of scrimmage to avoid Long and capitalize on mismatches.
"I look at Jake against non-burning speed guys, he's a dominant tackle," said TV-radio analyst Randy Cross, a former NFL offensive lineman. "But when he saw that speed, he had a little trouble.
"That's a direct reflection of what you're going to see on a weekly basis in the NFL."
If Long doesn't thrive as a left tackle in the pros, he likely would be a great fit on the right side, where run-blocking is the priority.
"He has a perfect offensive-lineman mentality," said Jim Brandstatter, who played offensive tackle for the Wolverines from 1969 through '71 and has been the team's radio analyst for the past 28 seasons. "He has a mean streak. He plays to the whistle. He likes burying guys and takes pride in that."
Even offensive linemen who don't live up to their billing usually end up helping their teams.
Oakland selected Iowa tackle Robert Gallery with the No. 2 pick in 2004, but moved him to left guard last season. He excelled there a year after allowing 101/2 sacks in 10 games as a left tackle.
In 1989, Tony Mandarich - one of the biggest busts in NFL history - was drafted No.'2 overall, one spot ahead of Barry Sanders. Green Bay cut Mandarich after just three seasons. But he returned to football five seasons later and played guard for the Indianapolis Colts from 1996 through '98.
"He's no Tony Mandarich," Dierdorf said of Long. "I can't envision a scenario where he doesn't make it."
Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. also said that using the No. 1 pick to select Long - the top player in a deep pool of offensive tackles - would be "a good thing" and "a safe thing."
"You're getting a nice return on your investment," Kiper said. "There's not going to be a bust at this spot."
The Dolphins also could end up with a perennial Pro Bowler, because Long is a special athlete. He is well-proportioned and leaner than the average tackle. His 37 bench-press reps of 225 pounds at the Scouting Combine were matched only by Gholston.
At Lapeer East High School in Michigan, Long played basketball and baseball as well as football. He could hit 450-foot home runs and consistently run 11/2 miles in under 10 minutes in physical education class.
"No one can believe a kid his size could do that," said Brad Gerlach, who coached Long in high school.
But Gerlach said Long's mental approach distinguishes him, too. He was a two-year captain at Michigan and didn't commit a penalty as a senior.
Dierdorf, whose daughter played basketball for the Wolverines and will graduate next month, said he has heard a great deal about Long's dedication.
"Time and again over the years, I've been told how important the game is to this kid," Dierdorf said. "To me, I've seen too many players who have talent, but don't have a passion for the game. They had all the skills athletically, but just didn't get it.
"He gets it."
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Scientific Mock Draft Reveals Which First Round Talents May Slip to the Dolphins in Round Two
NOTE:April 22 1030am-I am updating
this article to reflect
all the revised mocks
by the experts responsible for the below averages.
Almost all of them have put out new mocks as recent as today with significant changes. Check back soon for revised MOCK.
Well maybe you can not call the below mock a true scientific approach, but I have not seen anything else like it which can answer my question as to what potential first round players may slip to Miami when they pick #32 overall in round two on April 26th.
The below mock draft is not your average mock draft you will find from your favorite NFL writer/analyst on the internet. Its an average mock draft. What I did is take the 20 most popular and current mock drafts from NFL analyst from various sources, and calculated within a database the most popular player selected by pick for the first round for each teams pick.
Of the 20 mock drafts selected, the oldest one was calculated on April 3rd from the gurus at USA Today, and the youngest ones (which make up the majority of the 20 mocks) are dated April 15th and April 16th. The 20 mocks came from the usual places such as Kiper, McShay, and Mosley from ESPN, Kirwan and Carucci from NFL Network, Prisco and Judge from CBS Sportsline,and Don Banks and Peter King from Sports Illustrated. Other sources include USA Today, and other NFL websites dedicated to the NFL Draft only, two of which proved to be the most accurate mock drafters over the last two years. These two sources selected 30 out of 32 correct picks respectively over the last two years.
Here are a couple of examples of how I calculated the below average expert mock draft. Of the Dolphins 20 mocks, there were 9 experts that selected Jake Long, and another 9 selecting Chris Long, 1 for Vernon Gholston, and the final one selecting Glenn Doresy. So the Dolphins pick was a tie, but because Jake Long is negotiating with the Dolphins of late, and as far as I know, Chris Long is currently not, I gave Dolphins Jake Long. As I worked down the list, as players were picked, the player with the second most votes was choosen instead of the player receiving the most votes if that player had already been taken anywhere in a preceeding pick.
An example of this scenerio involve the Patriots #7 pick and Arizona Cardinals #16 pick. Both teams had Leodis McKelvin as the most popular player being selected among the 20 mocks, each team selected him on 8 of the 20 mocks. But because New England picks before Arizona, New England was awarded McKelvin, and Arizona was given Rodgers-Cromartie because he was selected by Arizona the second most often in the 20 mocks. It should be noted that about 25 of the 31 first round picks were pretty straight forward with no ruling on my behalf required. Here is the full round one average mock.
1.Miami Dolphins,Jake Long, OT,Michigan,BIG10
2.St. Louis Rams,Chris Long, DE,Virginia,ACC
3.Atlanta Falcons,Glenn Dorsey, DT,LSU,SEC
4.Oakland Raiders,Darren McFadden, RB,Arkansas,SEC
5.Kansas City Chiefs,Matt Ryan, QB,Boston College,ACC
6.New York Jets,Vernon Gholston, DE,Ohio St.,BIG10
7.New England Patriots (from SF),Leodis McKelvin, CB,Troy,SUN
8.Baltimore Ravens,Ryan Clady, OT,Boise St.,WAC
9.Cincinnati Bengals,Sedrick Ellis, DT,USC,PAC10
10.New Orleans Saints,Keith Rivers, LB,USC,PAC10
11.Buffalo Bills,Mike Jenkins, CB,South Florida,BEAST
12.Denver Broncos,Chris Williams, OT,Vanderbilt,SEC
13.Carolina Panthers,Derrick Harvey, DE,Florida,SEC
14.Chicago Bears,Jeff Otah, OT,Pittsburgh,BEAST
15.Detroit Lions,Rashard Mendenhall, RB,Illinois,BIG10
16.Arizona Cardinals,Domini Rodgers-Cromartie, CB,Tenn St.SUN
17.Minnesota Vikings,Phillip Merling, DE,Clemson,ACC
18.Houston Texans,Jonathan Stewart, RB,Oregon,PAC10
19.Philadelphia Eagles,Kenny Phillips,S,Miami,ACC
20.Tampa Bay Buccaneers,Devin Thomas, WR,Michigan St.,BIG10
21.Washington Redskins,Calais Campbell,DE,Miami,ACC
22.Dallas Cowboys ,Felix Jones, RB,Arkansas,SEC
23.Pittsburgh Steelers,Branden Albert, OT,Virginia,ACC
24.Tennessee Titans,DeSean Jackson, WR,California,PAC10
25.Seattle Seahawks,Dustin Keller, TE,Purdue,BIG10
26.Jacksonville Jaguars,Kentwan Balmer, DT,North Carolina,ACC
27.San Diego Chargers,Brandon Flowers, CB,Virginia Tech,ACC
28.Dallas Cowboys,James Hardy,WR,Indiana,BIG10
29.San Francisco 49ers,Gosder Cherilus, OT,Boston College,ACC
30.Green Bay Packers,Antoine Cason,CB,Arizona,PAC10
31.New York Giants,Jerod Mayo, LB,Tennessee,SEC
Finally I get to the point that caused me to do this exercise in the first place; Identify which players would be available for the Dolphins with the first pick of round two. Who are the potential first round talents that are the most likely slip out of round one and be available for Miami in round two. Bottom line is no one will know till Miami is on the clock, but the following list entails the players who were selected in the 20 mocks with the least frequency. For example, OT Chris Williams from Vanderbilt was selected in 18 of the 20 mocks, whereas DE Calais Campbell from Univ of Miami was selected in only 9 of the 20 mock drafts I reviewed. So I concluded DE Calais Campbell has a much greater chance of falling to Miami in round two than Chris Williams.
OF course I am aware that I am taking a leap of faith that the 20 mocks chosen are good mocks put together by analyst who spent time an research on calculating their mocks and they can do a better job than the average joe schmo(me) who are not paid a salary to put together such mocks.
That said, below is a list of the players that appeared in the 20 expert mock drafts, but only appeared in half or less of the twenty. In other words, they only showed up in the 20 compiled mock drafts 10 times or less. So these players are considered borderline round one picks by many experts that could slip and be available for Miami in round two. I also added about five players that Scouts Inc considers to be a player in the top 40 of the entire draft class that did not appear in any of the 20 mocks.They are sorted by draft grades calculated by scouts inc from best player to worst player. The following data in order is provided...
NAME/POSITION/HEIGHT/WEIGHT/SCHOOL/SCOUT GRADE/POSITION RANK/OVERALLRANK
Malcolm Kelly, WR, 6'3", 225,Oklahoma, 93, 1, 16
Aqib Talib, CB, 6'0", 202, KANSAS, 91, 4, 21
Dan Connor, LB, 6'2", 231, PENN STATE, 91, 1, 23
Limas Sweed, WR, 6'3" 215, TEXAS, 91, 3, 24
Brian Brohm, QB,6'2",230,LOUISVILLE, 90, 2, 29
Chad Henne, QB,6'2",230,MICHIGAN, 89, 3, 30
Dustin Keller, TE, 6'2" 242, PURDUE, 89, 1, 32
Joe Flacco, QB,6'6",236,DELAWARE, 88, 4, 33
Calais Campbell, DE, 6'7" 290, MIAMI, 88, 5 ,34
Brandon Flowers, CB, 5'9" 189, VA TECH, 88, 5, 35
Curtis Lofton, ILB,6'0",246,OKLAHOMA, 87, 2, 37
Mario Manningham, WR,5'11",181,MICHIGAN, 87, 5, 38
Sam Baker, OT,6'4",309,USC, 87, 6, 39
Pat Sims, DT,6'2",310,AUBURN, 87, 4, 40
Fred Davis, TE,6'3",255,USC, 86, 2, 42
Lawrence Jackson, DE,6'4",271,USC, 86, 6, 44
Early Doucet, WR,6'0",209,LSU, 85, 7, 45
Tracy Porter, CB,5'10",188,INDIANA, 85, 7, 46
Trevor Laws, DT,6'0",304,NOTRE DAME, 85, 5, 47
Marcus Harrison, DT,6'2",317,ARKANSAS, 84, 6, 50
Quentin Groves, DE,6'3",259,AUBURN, 84, 8,51
Chilo Rachal, OG,6'5",315,USC, 84, 2, 52
Andre Caldwell, WR,6'0",204,FLORIDA, 83, 9, 53
In conclusion, it appears based on what could be available in round two that the Dolphins should have planety to talent to choose from to land a solid QB or defensive lineman if they decide to draft OT Jake Long with the first overall pick. If they draft DE Chris Long in round one, the Offensive Tackle depth appears a little thinner than defensive line depth so maybe drafting an OT in round one and electing to do DE or DT at the top of round two mkaes the most sense. Also QB prospects appears to be very strong at the top of round two as well.
One last note...below are the College football conference subtotals for the average mock draft.
If this pans out, it would be like the third or fourth year in a row the ACC has had the most picks in round one.
Conference
ACC-9
BIG10-6
SEC-6
PAC10-5
SUN-2
BEAST-2
WAC-1
TOTAL-31
this article to reflect
all the revised mocksby the experts responsible for the below averages.
Almost all of them have put out new mocks as recent as today with significant changes. Check back soon for revised MOCK.
Well maybe you can not call the below mock a true scientific approach, but I have not seen anything else like it which can answer my question as to what potential first round players may slip to Miami when they pick #32 overall in round two on April 26th.
The below mock draft is not your average mock draft you will find from your favorite NFL writer/analyst on the internet. Its an average mock draft. What I did is take the 20 most popular and current mock drafts from NFL analyst from various sources, and calculated within a database the most popular player selected by pick for the first round for each teams pick.
Of the 20 mock drafts selected, the oldest one was calculated on April 3rd from the gurus at USA Today, and the youngest ones (which make up the majority of the 20 mocks) are dated April 15th and April 16th. The 20 mocks came from the usual places such as Kiper, McShay, and Mosley from ESPN, Kirwan and Carucci from NFL Network, Prisco and Judge from CBS Sportsline,and Don Banks and Peter King from Sports Illustrated. Other sources include USA Today, and other NFL websites dedicated to the NFL Draft only, two of which proved to be the most accurate mock drafters over the last two years. These two sources selected 30 out of 32 correct picks respectively over the last two years.
Here are a couple of examples of how I calculated the below average expert mock draft. Of the Dolphins 20 mocks, there were 9 experts that selected Jake Long, and another 9 selecting Chris Long, 1 for Vernon Gholston, and the final one selecting Glenn Doresy. So the Dolphins pick was a tie, but because Jake Long is negotiating with the Dolphins of late, and as far as I know, Chris Long is currently not, I gave Dolphins Jake Long. As I worked down the list, as players were picked, the player with the second most votes was choosen instead of the player receiving the most votes if that player had already been taken anywhere in a preceeding pick.
An example of this scenerio involve the Patriots #7 pick and Arizona Cardinals #16 pick. Both teams had Leodis McKelvin as the most popular player being selected among the 20 mocks, each team selected him on 8 of the 20 mocks. But because New England picks before Arizona, New England was awarded McKelvin, and Arizona was given Rodgers-Cromartie because he was selected by Arizona the second most often in the 20 mocks. It should be noted that about 25 of the 31 first round picks were pretty straight forward with no ruling on my behalf required. Here is the full round one average mock.
1.Miami Dolphins,Jake Long, OT,Michigan,BIG10
2.St. Louis Rams,Chris Long, DE,Virginia,ACC
3.Atlanta Falcons,Glenn Dorsey, DT,LSU,SEC
4.Oakland Raiders,Darren McFadden, RB,Arkansas,SEC
5.Kansas City Chiefs,Matt Ryan, QB,Boston College,ACC
6.New York Jets,Vernon Gholston, DE,Ohio St.,BIG10
7.New England Patriots (from SF),Leodis McKelvin, CB,Troy,SUN
8.Baltimore Ravens,Ryan Clady, OT,Boise St.,WAC
9.Cincinnati Bengals,Sedrick Ellis, DT,USC,PAC10
10.New Orleans Saints,Keith Rivers, LB,USC,PAC10
11.Buffalo Bills,Mike Jenkins, CB,South Florida,BEAST
12.Denver Broncos,Chris Williams, OT,Vanderbilt,SEC
13.Carolina Panthers,Derrick Harvey, DE,Florida,SEC
14.Chicago Bears,Jeff Otah, OT,Pittsburgh,BEAST
15.Detroit Lions,Rashard Mendenhall, RB,Illinois,BIG10
16.Arizona Cardinals,Domini Rodgers-Cromartie, CB,Tenn St.SUN
17.Minnesota Vikings,Phillip Merling, DE,Clemson,ACC
18.Houston Texans,Jonathan Stewart, RB,Oregon,PAC10
19.Philadelphia Eagles,Kenny Phillips,S,Miami,ACC
20.Tampa Bay Buccaneers,Devin Thomas, WR,Michigan St.,BIG10
21.Washington Redskins,Calais Campbell,DE,Miami,ACC
22.Dallas Cowboys ,Felix Jones, RB,Arkansas,SEC
23.Pittsburgh Steelers,Branden Albert, OT,Virginia,ACC
24.Tennessee Titans,DeSean Jackson, WR,California,PAC10
25.Seattle Seahawks,Dustin Keller, TE,Purdue,BIG10
26.Jacksonville Jaguars,Kentwan Balmer, DT,North Carolina,ACC
27.San Diego Chargers,Brandon Flowers, CB,Virginia Tech,ACC
28.Dallas Cowboys,James Hardy,WR,Indiana,BIG10
29.San Francisco 49ers,Gosder Cherilus, OT,Boston College,ACC
30.Green Bay Packers,Antoine Cason,CB,Arizona,PAC10
31.New York Giants,Jerod Mayo, LB,Tennessee,SEC
Finally I get to the point that caused me to do this exercise in the first place; Identify which players would be available for the Dolphins with the first pick of round two. Who are the potential first round talents that are the most likely slip out of round one and be available for Miami in round two. Bottom line is no one will know till Miami is on the clock, but the following list entails the players who were selected in the 20 mocks with the least frequency. For example, OT Chris Williams from Vanderbilt was selected in 18 of the 20 mocks, whereas DE Calais Campbell from Univ of Miami was selected in only 9 of the 20 mock drafts I reviewed. So I concluded DE Calais Campbell has a much greater chance of falling to Miami in round two than Chris Williams.
OF course I am aware that I am taking a leap of faith that the 20 mocks chosen are good mocks put together by analyst who spent time an research on calculating their mocks and they can do a better job than the average joe schmo(me) who are not paid a salary to put together such mocks.
That said, below is a list of the players that appeared in the 20 expert mock drafts, but only appeared in half or less of the twenty. In other words, they only showed up in the 20 compiled mock drafts 10 times or less. So these players are considered borderline round one picks by many experts that could slip and be available for Miami in round two. I also added about five players that Scouts Inc considers to be a player in the top 40 of the entire draft class that did not appear in any of the 20 mocks.They are sorted by draft grades calculated by scouts inc from best player to worst player. The following data in order is provided...
NAME/POSITION/HEIGHT/WEIGHT/SCHOOL/SCOUT GRADE/POSITION RANK/OVERALLRANK
Malcolm Kelly, WR, 6'3", 225,Oklahoma, 93, 1, 16
Aqib Talib, CB, 6'0", 202, KANSAS, 91, 4, 21
Dan Connor, LB, 6'2", 231, PENN STATE, 91, 1, 23
Limas Sweed, WR, 6'3" 215, TEXAS, 91, 3, 24
Brian Brohm, QB,6'2",230,LOUISVILLE, 90, 2, 29
Chad Henne, QB,6'2",230,MICHIGAN, 89, 3, 30
Dustin Keller, TE, 6'2" 242, PURDUE, 89, 1, 32
Joe Flacco, QB,6'6",236,DELAWARE, 88, 4, 33
Calais Campbell, DE, 6'7" 290, MIAMI, 88, 5 ,34
Brandon Flowers, CB, 5'9" 189, VA TECH, 88, 5, 35
Curtis Lofton, ILB,6'0",246,OKLAHOMA, 87, 2, 37
Mario Manningham, WR,5'11",181,MICHIGAN, 87, 5, 38
Sam Baker, OT,6'4",309,USC, 87, 6, 39
Pat Sims, DT,6'2",310,AUBURN, 87, 4, 40
Fred Davis, TE,6'3",255,USC, 86, 2, 42
Lawrence Jackson, DE,6'4",271,USC, 86, 6, 44
Early Doucet, WR,6'0",209,LSU, 85, 7, 45
Tracy Porter, CB,5'10",188,INDIANA, 85, 7, 46
Trevor Laws, DT,6'0",304,NOTRE DAME, 85, 5, 47
Marcus Harrison, DT,6'2",317,ARKANSAS, 84, 6, 50
Quentin Groves, DE,6'3",259,AUBURN, 84, 8,51
Chilo Rachal, OG,6'5",315,USC, 84, 2, 52
Andre Caldwell, WR,6'0",204,FLORIDA, 83, 9, 53
In conclusion, it appears based on what could be available in round two that the Dolphins should have planety to talent to choose from to land a solid QB or defensive lineman if they decide to draft OT Jake Long with the first overall pick. If they draft DE Chris Long in round one, the Offensive Tackle depth appears a little thinner than defensive line depth so maybe drafting an OT in round one and electing to do DE or DT at the top of round two mkaes the most sense. Also QB prospects appears to be very strong at the top of round two as well.
One last note...below are the College football conference subtotals for the average mock draft.
If this pans out, it would be like the third or fourth year in a row the ACC has had the most picks in round one.
Conference
ACC-9
BIG10-6
SEC-6
PAC10-5
SUN-2
BEAST-2
WAC-1
TOTAL-31
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Dolphins 2008 Schedule Thoughts
As anticipated, the Miami Dolphins were awarded no primetime games in 2008, but a sliver of hope remains that if the Dolphins can get to around .500 on Nov 16th or after, and their opponent has playoff aspirations on the line, one of their seven final games may become a candidate to be moved to primetime due to schedule flexing rules. For some odd reason, other teams coming off of pathetic seasons in 2007 such as San Francisco ( 2games) the Jets, Baltimore, and Oakland were awarded primetime games.
Interesting note right off the bat shows the Dolphins will begin and end their regular season playing against the pathetic New York Jets. This will be the fifth year in the last seven where Miami ends their year on the road.A home game in week one and on the road in the week 17 finale. The bye week comes early this year in week four.
The Dolphins’ first-ever visit to Glendale’s University of Phoenix Stadium occurs on Sept 14th. In fact, it will be the first time they have faced the Cardinals in Arizona since October 20, 1996. That was a road game I had the good fortune of attending becuase I lived in Phoenix at the time and it was my first ever experience sitting in a game from a luxuary suite. Each of the past two meetings between these teams has taken place in South Florida.
Miam host San Diego, October 5. This will be the first matchup between these teams in South Florida since November 24, 2002, when the Dolphins emerged with a 30-3 victory. There have been two meetings since that time, one in Tempe, Ariz., and the most recent at Qualcomm Stadium (12/11/05). The Dolphins will be looking for their seventh straight win in this series, a streak which dates back to 1995. Lets hope its eight against the cocky Philip Rivers;a former QB from my alma mater NC State.
From October 19th through November 23rd, the Miami Dolphins will play five of six games at home. The bad news however is Miami will play 4 of their final 5 games on the road to end the year. The Dolphins will face back to back road games three times in 2008, with the final pair coming to end the season at Kansas City in week 16 and at the Jets in week 17.
Two of the Dolphins first three games will be against conference foes, week one against the Jets and week three at the Superbowl choking New England Patriots.
The Dolphins return to Houston for the third consecutive year this year on Oct 12th. The last two years these games in Houston have be decided by a field goal or less in the final minutes so I anticipate a respectable game against the Texans. The Dolphins lone victory last year came against the overhyped Baltimore Ravens and the Ravens will be looking for revenge when they return to the scene of the overtime loss the week following Houston on Oct 19th.
On December 14th the 49ers roll into town. This will be the first matchup between these clubs in South Florida since November 20, 1995, when the 49ers came away with a 44-20 victory. The two most recent meetings took place at Candlestick Park, including November 28, 2004, when the Dolphins recorded a 24-17 win.
The Dolphins and the Giants were the first teams to play a regular season game in London last year and this year Miami and The Bills travel to Toronto to play the leagues first regular season game in Canada on Dec 7th.
All eight of the Dolphins home games are slated to begin at 1pm ET, and there are only three road games that begin at 4pmEt on Sundays. So 13 of 16 games will begin at 1pm ET.
Being the idiot that I am, I predicted this team would win 8-9 games this year. My lesson was learned, and I will go into details game by game before the beginning of the year, but I am anticipating the 2008 Dolphins to win 5-6 games. Truthfully, I anticipate most of their games to be quite competitive. You have to assume the Patriots will sweep Miami, and although they are home games, I anticipate the Dolphins will lose to San Diego and Seattle. West coast teams traveling to the east coast usually play sluggish, so I am guessing the Dolphins will cover the spread at the very least on both occasions.
Games at Denver and especially Kansas City will prove challenging as they are both very unfriendly arenas for visiting teams. Outside of that, I think Miami has a shot to at least win 5-6 games. Parcells can work miracles you know.
2008 Primetime schedule for ESPN, NFLN, and NBC is posted to the Left hand side of this webpage.
WK DATE OPPONENT TIME (ET)
1 Sun, Sep 7 NY Jets 1:00 PM
2 Sun, Sep 14 at Arizona 4:15 PM
3 Sun, Sep 21 at New England 1:00 PM
5 Sun, Oct 5 San Diego 1:00 PM
6 Sun, Oct 12 at Houston 1:00 PM
7 Sun, Oct 19 Baltimore 1:00 PM
8 Sun, Oct 26 Buffalo 1:00 PM
9 Sun, Nov 2 at Denver 4:05 PM
10 Sun, Nov 9 Seattle 1:00 PM
11 Sun, Nov 16 Oakland 1:00 PM
12 Sun, Nov 23 New England 1:00 PM
13 Sun, Nov 30 at St. Louis 1:00 PM
14 Sun, Dec 7 at Buffalo 4:05 PM
15 Sun, Dec 14 San Francisco 1:00 PM
16 Sun, Dec 21 at Kansas City 1:00 PM
17 Sun, Dec 28 at NY Jets 1:00 PM
Interesting note right off the bat shows the Dolphins will begin and end their regular season playing against the pathetic New York Jets. This will be the fifth year in the last seven where Miami ends their year on the road.A home game in week one and on the road in the week 17 finale. The bye week comes early this year in week four.
The Dolphins’ first-ever visit to Glendale’s University of Phoenix Stadium occurs on Sept 14th. In fact, it will be the first time they have faced the Cardinals in Arizona since October 20, 1996. That was a road game I had the good fortune of attending becuase I lived in Phoenix at the time and it was my first ever experience sitting in a game from a luxuary suite. Each of the past two meetings between these teams has taken place in South Florida.
Miam host San Diego, October 5. This will be the first matchup between these teams in South Florida since November 24, 2002, when the Dolphins emerged with a 30-3 victory. There have been two meetings since that time, one in Tempe, Ariz., and the most recent at Qualcomm Stadium (12/11/05). The Dolphins will be looking for their seventh straight win in this series, a streak which dates back to 1995. Lets hope its eight against the cocky Philip Rivers;a former QB from my alma mater NC State.
From October 19th through November 23rd, the Miami Dolphins will play five of six games at home. The bad news however is Miami will play 4 of their final 5 games on the road to end the year. The Dolphins will face back to back road games three times in 2008, with the final pair coming to end the season at Kansas City in week 16 and at the Jets in week 17.
Two of the Dolphins first three games will be against conference foes, week one against the Jets and week three at the Superbowl choking New England Patriots.
The Dolphins return to Houston for the third consecutive year this year on Oct 12th. The last two years these games in Houston have be decided by a field goal or less in the final minutes so I anticipate a respectable game against the Texans. The Dolphins lone victory last year came against the overhyped Baltimore Ravens and the Ravens will be looking for revenge when they return to the scene of the overtime loss the week following Houston on Oct 19th.
On December 14th the 49ers roll into town. This will be the first matchup between these clubs in South Florida since November 20, 1995, when the 49ers came away with a 44-20 victory. The two most recent meetings took place at Candlestick Park, including November 28, 2004, when the Dolphins recorded a 24-17 win.
The Dolphins and the Giants were the first teams to play a regular season game in London last year and this year Miami and The Bills travel to Toronto to play the leagues first regular season game in Canada on Dec 7th.
All eight of the Dolphins home games are slated to begin at 1pm ET, and there are only three road games that begin at 4pmEt on Sundays. So 13 of 16 games will begin at 1pm ET.
Being the idiot that I am, I predicted this team would win 8-9 games this year. My lesson was learned, and I will go into details game by game before the beginning of the year, but I am anticipating the 2008 Dolphins to win 5-6 games. Truthfully, I anticipate most of their games to be quite competitive. You have to assume the Patriots will sweep Miami, and although they are home games, I anticipate the Dolphins will lose to San Diego and Seattle. West coast teams traveling to the east coast usually play sluggish, so I am guessing the Dolphins will cover the spread at the very least on both occasions.
Games at Denver and especially Kansas City will prove challenging as they are both very unfriendly arenas for visiting teams. Outside of that, I think Miami has a shot to at least win 5-6 games. Parcells can work miracles you know.
2008 Primetime schedule for ESPN, NFLN, and NBC is posted to the Left hand side of this webpage.
WK DATE OPPONENT TIME (ET)
1 Sun, Sep 7 NY Jets 1:00 PM
2 Sun, Sep 14 at Arizona 4:15 PM
3 Sun, Sep 21 at New England 1:00 PM
5 Sun, Oct 5 San Diego 1:00 PM
6 Sun, Oct 12 at Houston 1:00 PM
7 Sun, Oct 19 Baltimore 1:00 PM
8 Sun, Oct 26 Buffalo 1:00 PM
9 Sun, Nov 2 at Denver 4:05 PM
10 Sun, Nov 9 Seattle 1:00 PM
11 Sun, Nov 16 Oakland 1:00 PM
12 Sun, Nov 23 New England 1:00 PM
13 Sun, Nov 30 at St. Louis 1:00 PM
14 Sun, Dec 7 at Buffalo 4:05 PM
15 Sun, Dec 14 San Francisco 1:00 PM
16 Sun, Dec 21 at Kansas City 1:00 PM
17 Sun, Dec 28 at NY Jets 1:00 PM
2008 MONDAY NIGHT SCHEDULE
SOURCE IS ESPN
Sept. 8 (7 ET): Minnesota at Green Bay: We open with a great NFC North matchup. It will be the first look at Brett Favre's replacement, Aaron Rodgers, in prime-time. It wouldn't surprise me if Packers officials use the occasion to honor Favre. How many times will Tony Kornheiser mention Favre's name even though he's not playing? I'll set the over-under at 25.
Sept. 8 (10:15 ET): Denver at Oakland: Another storied rivalry game. It's good to get this one out of the way while both teams are still in the hunt. This is a great early test for second-year quarterback JaMarcus Russell. If the Raiders take Darren McFadden in the draft, that would certainly elevate this matchup.
Sept. 15 (8:30 ET): Philadelphia at Dallas: This will be a MNF farewell to Texas Stadium. Jerry Jones will open his new $1.1 billion stadium the following season. I'm sure my friends on the TV side are thrilled to have an early NFC East game. But you know they'd like to see the Cowboys on the schedule at least one more time.
Sept. 22 (8:30 ET): New York Jets at Chargers: If Darren McFadden slips to the Jets, we could see him go against LaDainian Tomlinson. The Chargers may be missing starting tight end Antonio Gates (toe surgery), but I still think they'll start stronger than last season. This is an excellent early measuring stick for all that free-agency money the Jets threw around in the offseason. Last year, I would've yawned when seeing this game on the schedule. Right now, I'm only giving a half-yawn.
Sept. 29 (8:30 ET): Baltimore at Pittsburgh: Apparently this is now a MNF staple. I watched the Ravens completely fold at Heinz Field on Monday night last season. Ben Roethlisberger had a huge game, and Steelers linebacker James Harrison introduced himself to the rest of the country. The former Kent State player has been a bit distracted with some off-the-field issues, but watching he and Ray Lewis on the same field will be pretty entertaining.
Oct. 6 (8:30 ET): Minnesota at New Orleans: The NFL is obviously serious about supporting post-Katrina New Orleans. This is the third consecutive season the Superdome has hosted at least one early-season MNF game. And this year, New Orleans will host two MNF games. I think Roger Goodell is serious about his commitment to the city.
Oct. 13 (8:30 ET): New York Giants at Cleveland: I know Cleveland shocked some folks with a 10-6 season, but it's still a startling to see the Browns land THREE MNF games. Pretty amazing stuff. Hosting the Super Bowl champs in a mid-October game will be huge for the franchise and the city. We'll know at this point whether the Browns are living up to all the offseason hype. Phil Savage might be Mayor by this point.
Oct. 20 (8:30 ET): Denver at New England: Our first and only look at the AFC champions on MNF. This one has potential blowout written all over it, but I'm certainly hoping that's not the case. The Patriots were involved in the best MNF game last season, and perhaps Jay Cutler and Brandon "Quarter Pounder" Marshall will make them work for this one.
Oct. 27 (8:30 ET): Indianapolis at Tennessee: Another strong divisional matchup. Last year, the Colts rolled over and played dead for the Titans in the final game of the season. That won't happen at this point in the season. Vince Young will hopefully have improved talent around him at the running back and receiver positions. I love the Young-Peyton Manning matchup. Put me down for this game, boss.
Nov. 3 (8:30 ET): Pittsburgh at Washington: I think the Steelers will have established themselves as the best defense in football at this point. I'm still not convinced, though, that Pittsburgh can find a suitable replacement for Alan Faneca at guard. The Steelers will have to address that issue in the draft. At this point, the Redskins will be desperate for a win. I've seen Jason Campbell play well on MNF and I think he'll do it again against the Steelers.
Nov. 10 (8:30 ET): San Francisco at Arizona: Another great division rivalry. OK, I tried. Well, at least we don't have to go all the way to Mexico City to watch them play. The Cardinals have a shot to challenge the Seahawks for NFC West supremacy. I think the 49ers will be an improved team, but they'll be out of the playoff race at this point.
Nov. 17 (8:30 ET): Cleveland at Buffalo: Commissioner Goodell is serious about supporting football in Western New York. The Cowboys beat the Bills in a thriller last October, and now the Browns are headed to town. After a long MNF drought, two consecutive games in Buffalo is a huge deal to the region.
Nov. 24 (8:30 ET): Green Bay at New Orleans: We return to the Superdome for an intriguing NFC matchup. The Saints will have a much-improved defense, but we still have to see if Reggie Bush can become a consistent threat on offense. By now, we'll have a good feel for how the post-Favre era is going. Heck, he may even be back
Dec. 1 (8:30 ET): Jacksonville at Houston: I like all the divisional matchups, but this one's coming a little late in the season. I have a hard time believing that an improving Texans team will still be alive in the brutal AFC South. I will say that Reliant Stadium is an excellent venue, and the city of Houston deserves the national spotlight. I just wish it was earlier in the season.
Dec. 8 (8:30 ET): Tampa Bay at Carolina: I'm hoping the Bucs and Panthers will be fighting for a division title, but my fear is that the Panthers will have bowed out of the playoff race at this point. Jake Delhomme is one of my favorites, but I'm afraid he will be long gone at this point. Don't plan any trips in December, Vinny.
Dec. 15 (8:30 ET): Cleveland at Philadelphia: Are you sure this schedule's correct? Cleveland keeps popping up all over the place. Glad to see MNF return to Lincoln Financial Field. It's just a great setting for a nationally televised game. I'll try not to think about the fact that I got stranded in South Philly after the Eagles-Redskins game last season.
Dec. 22 (8:30 ET): Green Bay at Chicago: Will it mean something? I certainly hope so. I'm afraid the Bears will still be seeking answers at quarterback. But at least they have a chance to draft an excellent running back. We'll know exactly what Aaron Rodgers is about at this point. And I think he's pretty good.
Sept. 8 (7 ET): Minnesota at Green Bay: We open with a great NFC North matchup. It will be the first look at Brett Favre's replacement, Aaron Rodgers, in prime-time. It wouldn't surprise me if Packers officials use the occasion to honor Favre. How many times will Tony Kornheiser mention Favre's name even though he's not playing? I'll set the over-under at 25.
Sept. 8 (10:15 ET): Denver at Oakland: Another storied rivalry game. It's good to get this one out of the way while both teams are still in the hunt. This is a great early test for second-year quarterback JaMarcus Russell. If the Raiders take Darren McFadden in the draft, that would certainly elevate this matchup.
Sept. 15 (8:30 ET): Philadelphia at Dallas: This will be a MNF farewell to Texas Stadium. Jerry Jones will open his new $1.1 billion stadium the following season. I'm sure my friends on the TV side are thrilled to have an early NFC East game. But you know they'd like to see the Cowboys on the schedule at least one more time.
Sept. 22 (8:30 ET): New York Jets at Chargers: If Darren McFadden slips to the Jets, we could see him go against LaDainian Tomlinson. The Chargers may be missing starting tight end Antonio Gates (toe surgery), but I still think they'll start stronger than last season. This is an excellent early measuring stick for all that free-agency money the Jets threw around in the offseason. Last year, I would've yawned when seeing this game on the schedule. Right now, I'm only giving a half-yawn.
Sept. 29 (8:30 ET): Baltimore at Pittsburgh: Apparently this is now a MNF staple. I watched the Ravens completely fold at Heinz Field on Monday night last season. Ben Roethlisberger had a huge game, and Steelers linebacker James Harrison introduced himself to the rest of the country. The former Kent State player has been a bit distracted with some off-the-field issues, but watching he and Ray Lewis on the same field will be pretty entertaining.
Oct. 6 (8:30 ET): Minnesota at New Orleans: The NFL is obviously serious about supporting post-Katrina New Orleans. This is the third consecutive season the Superdome has hosted at least one early-season MNF game. And this year, New Orleans will host two MNF games. I think Roger Goodell is serious about his commitment to the city.
Oct. 13 (8:30 ET): New York Giants at Cleveland: I know Cleveland shocked some folks with a 10-6 season, but it's still a startling to see the Browns land THREE MNF games. Pretty amazing stuff. Hosting the Super Bowl champs in a mid-October game will be huge for the franchise and the city. We'll know at this point whether the Browns are living up to all the offseason hype. Phil Savage might be Mayor by this point.
Oct. 20 (8:30 ET): Denver at New England: Our first and only look at the AFC champions on MNF. This one has potential blowout written all over it, but I'm certainly hoping that's not the case. The Patriots were involved in the best MNF game last season, and perhaps Jay Cutler and Brandon "Quarter Pounder" Marshall will make them work for this one.
Oct. 27 (8:30 ET): Indianapolis at Tennessee: Another strong divisional matchup. Last year, the Colts rolled over and played dead for the Titans in the final game of the season. That won't happen at this point in the season. Vince Young will hopefully have improved talent around him at the running back and receiver positions. I love the Young-Peyton Manning matchup. Put me down for this game, boss.
Nov. 3 (8:30 ET): Pittsburgh at Washington: I think the Steelers will have established themselves as the best defense in football at this point. I'm still not convinced, though, that Pittsburgh can find a suitable replacement for Alan Faneca at guard. The Steelers will have to address that issue in the draft. At this point, the Redskins will be desperate for a win. I've seen Jason Campbell play well on MNF and I think he'll do it again against the Steelers.
Nov. 10 (8:30 ET): San Francisco at Arizona: Another great division rivalry. OK, I tried. Well, at least we don't have to go all the way to Mexico City to watch them play. The Cardinals have a shot to challenge the Seahawks for NFC West supremacy. I think the 49ers will be an improved team, but they'll be out of the playoff race at this point.
Nov. 17 (8:30 ET): Cleveland at Buffalo: Commissioner Goodell is serious about supporting football in Western New York. The Cowboys beat the Bills in a thriller last October, and now the Browns are headed to town. After a long MNF drought, two consecutive games in Buffalo is a huge deal to the region.
Nov. 24 (8:30 ET): Green Bay at New Orleans: We return to the Superdome for an intriguing NFC matchup. The Saints will have a much-improved defense, but we still have to see if Reggie Bush can become a consistent threat on offense. By now, we'll have a good feel for how the post-Favre era is going. Heck, he may even be back
Dec. 1 (8:30 ET): Jacksonville at Houston: I like all the divisional matchups, but this one's coming a little late in the season. I have a hard time believing that an improving Texans team will still be alive in the brutal AFC South. I will say that Reliant Stadium is an excellent venue, and the city of Houston deserves the national spotlight. I just wish it was earlier in the season.
Dec. 8 (8:30 ET): Tampa Bay at Carolina: I'm hoping the Bucs and Panthers will be fighting for a division title, but my fear is that the Panthers will have bowed out of the playoff race at this point. Jake Delhomme is one of my favorites, but I'm afraid he will be long gone at this point. Don't plan any trips in December, Vinny.
Dec. 15 (8:30 ET): Cleveland at Philadelphia: Are you sure this schedule's correct? Cleveland keeps popping up all over the place. Glad to see MNF return to Lincoln Financial Field. It's just a great setting for a nationally televised game. I'll try not to think about the fact that I got stranded in South Philly after the Eagles-Redskins game last season.
Dec. 22 (8:30 ET): Green Bay at Chicago: Will it mean something? I certainly hope so. I'm afraid the Bears will still be seeking answers at quarterback. But at least they have a chance to draft an excellent running back. We'll know exactly what Aaron Rodgers is about at this point. And I think he's pretty good.
Monday, April 14, 2008
NFL REVEALS 2008 SCHEDULES ON TUESDAY APRIL 15TH
The NFL plans to announce its full 2008 schedule Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET. Two NFL shows will be dedicated to the annual event, one is a two hour special on ESPN at 2 p.m. ET, and another simultaneous will also air on NFL Network beginning at 2pm ET.
NFL Network also will rebroadcast its two hour special at 6pm, 930pm, and 1am same day, so if you are an unfortunate sucker without TIVO, watch the ESPN one first, then go back to NFL Network later that day.
The planned announcement, confirmed by the league in a news release Monday, will reveal dates, times and television schedules. Teams have known their opponents for months, thanks to the NFL's scheduling formula.
The league previously announced four nationally televised matchups for Week 1.
The Washington Redskins open the 2008 season when they visit the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants on Thursday, Sept. 4 (NBC, 7 p.m. ET). The Chicago Bears visit the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 7 (NBC, 8:15 p.m. ET) in a rematch of Super Bowl XLI.
ESPN's coverage begins with a "Monday Night Football" doubleheader Sept. 8. The Minnesota Vikings visit the Green Bay Packers in the first game at 7 p.m. ET. The Oakland Raiders then host the Denver Broncos in the second game at 10:15 p.m. ET.
Last year, the schedule was to be released on April 5, but it didn't come out until six days later. A similar timeline would put this year's release in the middle of next week.
Dolphins play at Houston for the 3rd consecutive year in 2008. The last two years, these games have been tightly contested contests with odd ending final scores. In 2006, Miami lost 15-17, and in 2007, they lost 19-22.
Dolphins host the Baltimore Ravens for the second consecutive year. The Ravens proved to be the Dolphins only victory last year. The game ended in overtime on a 64 yard touchdown reception by Camirrio from Lemon.
Dolphins play all 4 teams from both the AFC and NFC West. Luckily for Miami, they have avoided any long distance road trips to the far west coast considering the four teams that are the greatest distance from Miami are on the schedule. Miami plays home to Seattle, Oakland, San Diego and San Francisco.
The Dolphins thus have the luxury of traveling to the four closest teams from the 2 Western Divisions. They travel to Arizona, St Louis, Denver, and Kansas City. Still not easy places to play, but players prefer shorter flights, and these cities are significantly closer than the Western divisions other teams.
The schedule Gods did not smile on the New England Patriots 2008 campaign however. 2008 will be a bit trickier to go undefeated compared to the 2007 slate. The Patsies in fact may indeed do the most flying next year having to go coast to coast 4 separate occasions.
New England must travel to Oakland, Seattle, San Francisco, and San Diego. Throw in a road game at Indianapolis. Out of conference homes games are not cupcakes with Pittsburgh, Denver, Arizona, KC and St Louis.
Patriots may get to the Superbowl yet again next year, but they will not go undefeated. Considering they are recovering from the worst loss in the history of football (I simply cannot think of one single other scenario where a loss would feel worse can you?) they may be glad to not carry the burden of undefeated season all season like this year. Hopefully I will not have to watch Zach Thomas next year in a Patriot uniform.
Then again, this could be the kind of loss that which they never recover, the kind that rattles the confidence of Brady and coaches for years to come.
NFL Network also will rebroadcast its two hour special at 6pm, 930pm, and 1am same day, so if you are an unfortunate sucker without TIVO, watch the ESPN one first, then go back to NFL Network later that day.
The planned announcement, confirmed by the league in a news release Monday, will reveal dates, times and television schedules. Teams have known their opponents for months, thanks to the NFL's scheduling formula.
The league previously announced four nationally televised matchups for Week 1.
The Washington Redskins open the 2008 season when they visit the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants on Thursday, Sept. 4 (NBC, 7 p.m. ET). The Chicago Bears visit the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 7 (NBC, 8:15 p.m. ET) in a rematch of Super Bowl XLI.
ESPN's coverage begins with a "Monday Night Football" doubleheader Sept. 8. The Minnesota Vikings visit the Green Bay Packers in the first game at 7 p.m. ET. The Oakland Raiders then host the Denver Broncos in the second game at 10:15 p.m. ET.
Last year, the schedule was to be released on April 5, but it didn't come out until six days later. A similar timeline would put this year's release in the middle of next week.
Dolphins play at Houston for the 3rd consecutive year in 2008. The last two years, these games have been tightly contested contests with odd ending final scores. In 2006, Miami lost 15-17, and in 2007, they lost 19-22.
Dolphins host the Baltimore Ravens for the second consecutive year. The Ravens proved to be the Dolphins only victory last year. The game ended in overtime on a 64 yard touchdown reception by Camirrio from Lemon.
Dolphins play all 4 teams from both the AFC and NFC West. Luckily for Miami, they have avoided any long distance road trips to the far west coast considering the four teams that are the greatest distance from Miami are on the schedule. Miami plays home to Seattle, Oakland, San Diego and San Francisco.
The Dolphins thus have the luxury of traveling to the four closest teams from the 2 Western Divisions. They travel to Arizona, St Louis, Denver, and Kansas City. Still not easy places to play, but players prefer shorter flights, and these cities are significantly closer than the Western divisions other teams.
The schedule Gods did not smile on the New England Patriots 2008 campaign however. 2008 will be a bit trickier to go undefeated compared to the 2007 slate. The Patsies in fact may indeed do the most flying next year having to go coast to coast 4 separate occasions.
New England must travel to Oakland, Seattle, San Francisco, and San Diego. Throw in a road game at Indianapolis. Out of conference homes games are not cupcakes with Pittsburgh, Denver, Arizona, KC and St Louis.
Patriots may get to the Superbowl yet again next year, but they will not go undefeated. Considering they are recovering from the worst loss in the history of football (I simply cannot think of one single other scenario where a loss would feel worse can you?) they may be glad to not carry the burden of undefeated season all season like this year. Hopefully I will not have to watch Zach Thomas next year in a Patriot uniform.
Then again, this could be the kind of loss that which they never recover, the kind that rattles the confidence of Brady and coaches for years to come.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Fullback Reagan Mauia Arrested
Dolphins fullback Reagan Mauia was arrested in Weston early Friday morning on simple battery charges, stemming from an altercation that took place outside the Carolina Ale House.
According to the Broward County Sheriff's office, Mauia, the Dolphins sixth-round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, allegedly knocked one of the restaurant's patrons unconscious inside the parking lot before fleeing the scene.
The police report states Mauia approached a man and his girlfriend in the parking lot just before midnight.
Mauia asked the man, Michael Gianatassio, 27, "what the [expletive] he was looking at," the report states.
"Mauia became upset and said 'you should know' as he approached Gianatassio," said the police report. "All of a sudden, Mauia punched Gianatassio in the face with a closed fist."
The victim was knocked unconscious and fell to the ground, while Mauia drove away in a black Cadillac Escalade, according to police.
A witness used a cell phone to take a picture of the license plate and deputies tracked down Mauia at the address. Deputies arrived at the Ale House and found Gianatassio on the ground, bleeding from the mouth. He was taken to Broward General Hospital for treatment.
Once confronted, Mauia denied being at the sports bar, officials said. The same witness that took the picture of the license plate positively identified him as the attacker, and Mauia was arrested.
Mauia, 23, was bonded out for $1,000 at 10:31 a.m. and faces a first-degree misdemeanor. He could face up to a year in jail, and fined up to $1,000 if found guilty.
"We are aware of the situation regarding Reagan earlier today. We will withhold any further comment because we are in the process of gathering more information," Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said in a team statement.
Last season Mauia started nine games for the Dolphins. His primary role was as a lead blocker, but Mauia also caught two passes for 5 yards, and carried the ball four times, gaining another 5 yards.
This offseason the Dolphins have added former Kansas City Chiefs fullback Boomer Grigsby to compete with Mauia in training camp, and will likely add another fullback before camp opens in July to increase depth.
This is the third instance this offseason a Dolphins player has had a brush with the law.
In February, defensive end Matt Roth was arrested in Iowa for public intoxication. He has since paid a fine for the infraction.
Linebacker Channing Crowder's truck was found smashed into a tree and abandoned on the Florida Turnpike near Hollywood Boulevard back in January. Crowder was issued a citation for careless driving -a moving infraction - and leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage, which is a second-degree misdemeanor.
According to the Broward County Sheriff's office, Mauia, the Dolphins sixth-round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, allegedly knocked one of the restaurant's patrons unconscious inside the parking lot before fleeing the scene.
The police report states Mauia approached a man and his girlfriend in the parking lot just before midnight.
Mauia asked the man, Michael Gianatassio, 27, "what the [expletive] he was looking at," the report states.
"Mauia became upset and said 'you should know' as he approached Gianatassio," said the police report. "All of a sudden, Mauia punched Gianatassio in the face with a closed fist."
The victim was knocked unconscious and fell to the ground, while Mauia drove away in a black Cadillac Escalade, according to police.
A witness used a cell phone to take a picture of the license plate and deputies tracked down Mauia at the address. Deputies arrived at the Ale House and found Gianatassio on the ground, bleeding from the mouth. He was taken to Broward General Hospital for treatment.
Once confronted, Mauia denied being at the sports bar, officials said. The same witness that took the picture of the license plate positively identified him as the attacker, and Mauia was arrested.
Mauia, 23, was bonded out for $1,000 at 10:31 a.m. and faces a first-degree misdemeanor. He could face up to a year in jail, and fined up to $1,000 if found guilty.
"We are aware of the situation regarding Reagan earlier today. We will withhold any further comment because we are in the process of gathering more information," Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said in a team statement.
Last season Mauia started nine games for the Dolphins. His primary role was as a lead blocker, but Mauia also caught two passes for 5 yards, and carried the ball four times, gaining another 5 yards.
This offseason the Dolphins have added former Kansas City Chiefs fullback Boomer Grigsby to compete with Mauia in training camp, and will likely add another fullback before camp opens in July to increase depth.
This is the third instance this offseason a Dolphins player has had a brush with the law.
In February, defensive end Matt Roth was arrested in Iowa for public intoxication. He has since paid a fine for the infraction.
Linebacker Channing Crowder's truck was found smashed into a tree and abandoned on the Florida Turnpike near Hollywood Boulevard back in January. Crowder was issued a citation for careless driving -a moving infraction - and leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage, which is a second-degree misdemeanor.
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