Beachside Brawlers

[MajorSupreme]

Dolphins 2008 Draft Strategy

Defensive Youth Across the Board
Jason Taylor is 34, and Joey Porter is 31, Zach Thomas is 35 and almost walked away from the game this offseason. The defense is strong but aging and getting broken down. While Paul Soliai and Travis Daniels have impressed in their short tenures, this defense will need some retooling if the Dolphins have any hopes of contending and not just being a cinderella team.
Interesting Draft Prospects:
LB Jerod Mayo, Tennesee
LB Curtis Lofton, Oklahoma
DE Quentin Groves, Auburn
CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Tennessee State
LB Dan Connor, Penn State
LB Wesley Woodyard, Kentucky
CB Patrick Lee, Auburn
DE Cliff Avril, Purdue

Build Along the Offensive Line
There can be improvements for this unit across the board. Vernon Carey, namely, as underwhelmed at left tackle. Using some early picks on the offensive line will only improve on the extremely efficient run game the Dolphins had last season with Ronnie Brown and hopefully give whoever plays QB this season some confidence.
Interesting Draft Prospects:
T Ryan Clady, Boise St
G Branden Albert, Virginia
T Jeff Otah, Pittsburgh
T Gosder Cherilus, Boston College
G Chilo Rachal, USC

Quarterback Isn't Exactly Solved
With Trent Green retiring, the Dolphins moved this offseason to acquire underwhelming 49ers QB Alex Smith (and maybe overpaid) to compete with last year's second-round pick John Beck out of BYU. But that move and Beck's presence should not preclude the team from looking at other young QBs. While the draft isn't exactly deep here, there are still plenty of developmental options that could be game-changers for Cam Cameron's offense. Analysts have been all over the place with their rankings, and while Matt Ryan seems to be a consensus top five pick, Miami might have a chance at a Brian Brohm or Joe Flacco late in the first round.
Interesting Draft Prospects:
QB Brian Brohm, Louisville
QB Joe Flacco, Delaware
QB Josh Johnson, San Diego
QB Chad Henne, Michigan
QB Andre Woodson, Kentucky
Miami Dolphins Media Team

[MajorSupreme]

CJ2K ending up in New England

We'll see, that would be ridiculous for that team coming off a super bowl.

[MajorSupreme]

2008 NFL Draft Round 1

[MajorSupreme]

Dolphins Snag Falling Ryan in Draft Steal

Dolphins Select QB Matt Ryan with 23rd Overall Pick
It seems like every draft; there is a player who falls further than anyone counted on. Aaron Rodgers is still sweating, waiting to hear his name called by the Green Bay Packers. Boston College star Matt Ryan's slide is fairly comparable, as he went from a top-three projection to landing with the Dolphins at pick number 23.

And like Rodgers, it wasn't necessarily his fault. Ryan had an average combine, but that would not necessarily tank his stock. He scored highly on the Wonderlic and had a solid pro day, and had good reviews from his interviews with interested teams. But unfortunately for Ryan, the Jets favored Flacco, the Eagles have faith in Kevin Kolb and Chad Pennington, and the Chiefs are a mismanagement factory. In come the Miami Dolphins.

Miami was not necessary in the quarterback market. They were picking in the 20s and had just sent picks over to the 49ers to take the underperforming Alex Smith. Quarterbacks were on their radar, but Randy Mueller and head coach Cam Cameron held to their faith in the current room with Smith and BYU's John Beck. But then Matt Ryan fell out of the top ten. The Bears rumoredly were interested in Ryan as a safety net with an older McNabb, but they passed over. When he fell out of the top ten, Mueller reportedly tried to move up a couple of times to select the sliding Ryan, all for naught. Patience won out, and the Phins walked away with a premier prospect at the quarterback position.

Ryan had a solid career at Boston College, throwing 31 touchdowns and 4.507 yards in his final season with the Eagles. He was a Heisman finalist in 2007 and the Manning Award recipient that season.

So now all eyes fall on the rest of the quarterbacks. John Beck had some nice flashes in his few appearances in Trent Green's relief but is still a raw prospect. At one point, the front office was pretty vocal about him being the quarterback of the future, which has since died down. Alex Smith has been a bust so far and failed to beat out Trent Dilfer all last season. He's got a second chance and has a lot of potential, but the Ryan selection has sped up his clock.
Miami Dolphins Media Team

[djp73]

Matty Ice!!!

[mvp]

huge steal! lots of good players left. the suspense is building

[MajorSupreme]

Dolphins 2008 Draft Class

Dolphins Wrap-up 2008 Draft
Round 1, Pick 23 - QB Matt Ryan, Boston College
This pick is the steal of the draft. Matt Ryan has the ceiling of being one of the best quarterbacks taken since the Rivers-Manning-Roethlisberger draft and a floor of being a decent starter for the next decade. His slide out of the top ten was circumstantial; he doesn't have any game-breaking flaws, and the ones he does have will be corrected with good coaching.
Round 2, Pick 55 - LB Curtis Lofton, Oklahoma
Lofton graded out as the second-best inside linebacker on most draft boards. Lofton is built like a tank. He is strong and thick and can plug running lanes between the tackles. Oklahoma benefitted from his incredible instincts and playmaking, and now the Dolphins can groom this young backer behind Zach Thomas in what is likely his last season in the NFL.
Round 2, Pick 56 - TE Kellen Davis, Michigan State
Last year Miami used Stephen Alexander as their primary tight end after picking him up off waivers following the preseason. He caught 33 passes for one touchdown and was essentially a non-factor down the stretch of the season. Davis was an average player at Michigan State but had an improved senior season in 2007, where he had 513 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Cam Cameron is hoping to add some production from the tight end position this year with this pick.
Round 4, Pick 119 - S Thomas DeCoud, California
DeCoud has the size and athleticism to be a big-time playmaker at the safety position. He has enough versatility to play corner, as well. His main problem is the lack of notable plays made during his career at Cal. Decoud may find some early play-time if he can beat out Cameron Worrell, but new defensive coordinator George Edwards will expect highlights from the talented California product.
Round 6, Pick 186 - WR DeSean Jackson, California
Mueller and Cameron dip back into Cal for speedy receiver DeSean Jackson in the sixth round. Jackson had high draft grades coming into April, but concerns about his character and size have seemingly tanked his stock. At 5'10, 169 pounds, Jackson lacks bulk for going over the middle and taking hits. And, he has been taken out of plays by physical corners. His height is also only average, and he may have trouble going up and getting the ball against corners because of his overall lack of size. But he is absolutely electric; with his 4.35 40-yard dash time and his elusiveness, he is always a threat for a big play. Jackson is also a special teams standout. Seeing how well Cameron's offense fit Ted Ginn in his first season, we could expect the same production from Jackson. This offense has speed written all over it now.
Round 7, Pick 215 - Chad Rhinehart, Northern Iowa
Rhinehart is a small school lineman with pro potential. Some analysts had a round 3 or 4 grade for him, and he'll be good depth on a line that definitely needs it.
Miami Dolphins Media Team

[mvp]

djax

all in on this

[djp73]

Y'all got KC speed

[MajorSupreme]

djax

all in on this

Y'all got KC speed

That was what I had in mind. I wasn't looking for receivers during the draft so I didn't see him still there, but now I got an old school version of Tyreek Hill-Mecole Hardman and that's gonna be absolute cheese.