As the 2009 NFL draft approaches quickly after the famed Super Bowl Sunday, we must begin to focus on the word that is going around the internet regarding draft picks. The Miami Dolphins are coming off an unexpectedly successful season and are looking to build on that success through solid draft choices (Parcells Style!). In order to get an idea of what the mock draft world is saying about "who the Dolphins will pick" we've listed a few sites and their prospective choices. Here they are:Scott Wright's Draft Countdown - Clay Matthews, OLB, USC
Walter Football - Duke Robinson, G, Oklahoma
NFL Draft Dog - Larry English, OLB, Northern Illinois
Football's Future - Alphonso Smith, CB, Wake Forest
New NFL Draft - Brian Cushing, OLB, USC
NFL Draft Site - Alphonso Smith, CB, Wake Forest
FF Toolbox - Louis Delmas, S, Western Michigan
Draft King - Percy Harvin, WR, Florida
Fox Sports - B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College
Yahoo! Sports - Michael Johnson, DE, Georgia Tech
The only similarities seen in these various mock drafts are in Alphonso Smith, the cornerback out of Wake Forest. Other than that, it seems that the pick can go in any direction. Let's note a few outstanding predictions in this list.
Percy Harvin?!? I highly doubt that 20 some teams will pass up on the all-star from the University of Florida and allow him to take a drive down to sunny South Beach. That's a pretty bold prediction by Draft King, and a very dumb one as well. If that happens I will officially write a blog post praising Draft King for their expertise, as for now it's a fantasy.
I like the Linebackers that were predicted by Scott Wright, NFL Draft Dog, and New NFL Draft. All of them seem like solid LBs and would fit well next to Joey Porter and Channing Crowder. Specifically, I like Brian Cushing out of USC, because of his smash mouth style of play that is typical of USC defensive players. The only issue I have with these picks is that the LB position is not a number one priority for the Dolphins. Thus, I'd prefer to select a LB in the 2nd or 3rd rounds of the draft - I'm sure Parcells can find some diamonds in the rough.
Alphonso Smith and Louis Delmas would be nice additions to the Dolphins secondary, because that's an area that needs some improvement. No disrespect to our current secondary unit, but we need a playmaker back there. If we draft any of these two guys, I hope they can be that next Sam Madison or Patrick Surtain. Here are some of their statistics and reports according to NFL Draft Scout.com - Alphonso Smith & Louis Delmas.
Percy Harvin?!? I highly doubt that 20 some teams will pass up on the all-star from the University of Florida and allow him to take a drive down to sunny South Beach. That's a pretty bold prediction by Draft King, and a very dumb one as well. If that happens I will officially write a blog post praising Draft King for their expertise, as for now it's a fantasy.
I like the Linebackers that were predicted by Scott Wright, NFL Draft Dog, and New NFL Draft. All of them seem like solid LBs and would fit well next to Joey Porter and Channing Crowder. Specifically, I like Brian Cushing out of USC, because of his smash mouth style of play that is typical of USC defensive players. The only issue I have with these picks is that the LB position is not a number one priority for the Dolphins. Thus, I'd prefer to select a LB in the 2nd or 3rd rounds of the draft - I'm sure Parcells can find some diamonds in the rough.
Alphonso Smith and Louis Delmas would be nice additions to the Dolphins secondary, because that's an area that needs some improvement. No disrespect to our current secondary unit, but we need a playmaker back there. If we draft any of these two guys, I hope they can be that next Sam Madison or Patrick Surtain. Here are some of their statistics and reports according to NFL Draft Scout.com - Alphonso Smith & Louis Delmas.
The biggest issue I see with most of these mock drafts is the lack of regard for priority when it comes to the Miami Dolphins' obvious needs. I think we can all agree that the Fins need to add a number one receiver to their roster. It's not to say that Ted Ginn Jr. isn't good enough, it's just that he hasn't proven to be a "No. 1" and Davone Bess & Greg Camarillo are probably solid number threes. Where's the Chris Chambers caliber receiver on the team? That's why I would prefer a draft picks in the likes of Darrius Heyward-Bey, Louis Murphy, or Juaquin Iglesias. You can find a list of the "Top WR Prospects" here. Maybe you can decide which WR would fit best in a new Miami Dolphins jersey.
Basically, I believe that the mock drafts thus far have not taken into account many of the essentials that the Miami Dolphins are looking to address in the draft. I understand that it isn't easy to predict where over 30 college players will end up, but sometimes you should put priority over availability. We all know that once your mock draft goes wrong, the rest of the predictions are virtually busted. We'll keep following this as the 2009 NFL Draft nears and new developments arise. I have faith Bill Parcells and the new Miami Dolphins front office will make due with what they have and make the best possible decisions.
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