Dolphins Picks will be Hit or Miss Based on Their Development
The Miami Dolphins wrapped up the third day of the draft by selecting players at positions of need that were graded at the top of THEIR draft board.
The Dolphins traded up in the fifth round to get OG Isaac Asiata, and then finished the day by adding DT Davon Godchaux, DT Vincent Taylor, and WR Isaiah Ford.
The trade-up for Asiata was because they had a third to fourth-round grade on him and needed to add to their stable of Guards. It’s a good–and much needed–move. So instead of sitting back and waiting, the Dolphins made a deal with their buddies from Philadelphia. Asiata is going to get every opportunity to compete for one of the starting Guard positions in camp.
He’s a true mauler in the run game and does an excellent job pulling, but his main weakness comes in sloppy technique in pass protection and an over-aggressive nature in a run block that allows defenders to take advantage. Asiata has work to do to earn a starting role, but the belief is Jermon Bushrod and Ted Larsen are starting Guards, so the pressure on Asiata to start right away is minimal. The other positive thing about this pick is that Asiata has played multiple positions along the O-line throughout his career at Utah. Miami loves its linemen to have flexibility.
Miami had need and character as major rationals for these picks
With their other 5th round pick, Miami decided to finally address the Defensive Tackle position by selecting LSU DT Godchaux. Godchaux was a productive player for a good defense. Last year he totaled 62 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and 8.5 tackles for a loss last season. He has some speed for a big man of 6’3”, 310 pounds, and is explosive at the point of attack. The main knock on him is that he needs to be more consistent and better against the run.
Then in the 6th round, the Dolphins doubled down on DT–which I thought was a nice move–and selected Oklahoma State DT Taylor. Most NFL football analysts and best pay per head reviews believe Taylor could be a sleeper pick and had him graded as a 4th to 6th round pick, so Miami got some value drafting him late in the 6th round. He’s the same size as Godchaux, 6’3”, 310 pounds, but might be even a touch stronger and faster–although Taylor cut high, which leads him to lose leverage. Last year, he was a junior that totaled 51 tackles, 7 sacks, 13 tackles for a loss, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 pass broken up.
These picks have development as major obstacles to their success
I really like these two DT picks, because, at the moment, we only have Suh, Phillips, and Warmsley as DT’s. And besides Suh, the other two guys are huge question marks. Many believe this is a make or break year for Phillips. If he can find a way to play more consistent then he should be fine and be able to be a quality player beside Suh. However, if he can’t, his days in Miami are probably numbered. Miami has said they believe in Phillips, but they just drafted two DT’s, so this much-needed competition for the DT position appears a warning. This should be a great motivational tool for Phillips.
Lastly, the Dolphins used their 7th round pick on slot wide receiver Ford from Virginia Tech. He was projected to be a 3rd to 4th round pick; however, he dropped because he ran much slower than expected at the combine. He ran a 4.61 40 yard dash, which is on the slow side for 195 pounds. Considering that Landry ran his 40 even slower, I don’t think this should be the make or break for any player. He was super productive during his three years at VT, amassing 210 receptions, 2,967 yards, and 24 touchdowns.
Only time will tell if these picks were good ones
Ford is going to have a tough time even making the roster since Miami is pretty deep at the receiver position. But it’s a good value pick, despite Miami being at a stacked position. On a side note, I wonder, is Miami getting a little worried that they may have a problem agreeing to contract terms with Landry? Is this a bit of insurance? I hope not, because Landry is irreplaceable, and Miami seriously needs to lock him down for the foreseeable future. Landry is the heart and soul of this team, and on pace to become a Hall of Fame player.
All in all, Miami had a productive third day in the draft, filling out the rest of their needs. These players are not going to be asked to start on day one, but I think there is definitely upside for Asiata and that one of the Defensive Tackles to get some snaps this season. Asiata potentially could end up the starter this season, or even more likely in 2018. What are the rest of the Miami Dolphins News fans’ thoughts about our Day three draft picks?
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You had to love the way the draft was falling for Miami, how offensive players were being picked early and often in round one.Looked as though they had a plan, and that plan seemed to fall into place. We are a better team now than we were last week at this time.
I liked the draft, I liked the picks, I like the players. I really liked how we got Asiata in the fifth round, he will compete and very well could start at one of the 2 OG spots. He reminds me of Icognito, he is mean, physical, and can move mountains. Not quite the pulling guard that Icognito is, but could improve in that area. I liked the McMillan pick, instant starter over Misi. Liked how they doubled up on the “D” tackle position, Godchaux could be a steal (according to him, gotta like his confidence). Taylor is another mountain of a man. We need just one of these two to D-Tackles to be able to play in a rotational role along side Suh as well as spell Suh occasionally. If they both make it,,,, NICE! Harris was pegged as the third best pass rusher in the draft by many, and to have fall to Miami at 22, another nice job. Tankersley has mixed reviews, either way he is the proto type player Miami covets. He’s long, fast, and excels in press coverage, and he is ALPHA. I’ve heard him being described as a possible steal of the draft and heard him being the reach of the draft. Coach’em up boys. I can not and have not heard/read anything negative about WR Ford other than his 40 time. Outside of his time everyone speaks highly of him. Maybe another “juice’ OJ McDuffie?
Dunner, I like what Miami has done, if what they have done is what I ( and they ) think has been done. If Gase is elite — and that’s what it will take to win a ring and beat the Pats — he will be able to coach up what most think is avg talent and coach up this young talent to fill in for, and ultimately replace, the avg. talent. A good indicator will be the growth of Carroo, Drake, and Grant. If we say wow… these guys are shinning then we know Gase ( and Tannebaum / Grier) has an eye for talent and can coach up. I think we have witnessed this already, but these rooks growth in year 2 will be a stronger indicator to what to expect from this years crop. I expect Asiata and McMillan to really push to start, and Harris to play a critical role in pass rush. I expect one of these DT’s to take the 3rd DT. If none of this happens, I’ll be a little concerned. If all of it happens then this will turn out to be an excellent draft.
From the outside looking in, this seems as a mediocre draft. Following the team as we do, we see the reason(s) behind most picks. I think they were targeting Harris all along, because they ran to the podium once they were on the clock. I was hoping for Foster, but I like McMillan (no red flags, team captain, healthy), so value seemed to be exercised. 2 things stuck out from last years staff (Gase): accountability, and progression: This staff had put the whole team on notice from the beginning that ACCOUNTABILITY or out, that simple! When your players understand that their jobs, their playing time, even roster spot can be influenced from their actions, or lack thereof, then you have a team on the same page. Right from the beginning, Tunsil didn’t start in pre season, J-Train was a healthy inactive in week 1, bad practice habits cost D.Thomas and B.Turner their jobs (not to mention poor play on Sundays), Maxwell being benched, M.Williams being benched forever, Carro a healthy inactive the final 2 weeks plus playoffs. Players take notice, a atmosphere was created, and the team leaders all bought in. Not to mention, “do your part, practice as a true professional” and you’ll get rewarded mentality, all works for today’s player. PROGRESSION: The only player that really did not progress (or at least seemed not to) was Carroo. I believe Carroo will come in hungrier than he has been in years (at least better). Tunsil, Howard, Drake, Grant, Pitts all progressed in ’16 and I see the same happening for this years draft class. Maxwell listened and took a big step towards production, J-Train was a player that no one seen coming, Kiko had a great bounce back year.
The staff is here, the atmosphere is set, they have no problem moving on from players, any players. No one gets special treatment, no one. Should be a great camp. I think we got 2 immediate starters in McMillan and Asiata, Harris will have a say in the rotation and do not sleep on Tankersley (Maxwell better not).
Against the better teams our secondary has been picked apart. Some are confused when the term shut down corner is used. Deon Sanders was the only Shut Down Corner I have witnessed.
Our Secondary weakness if not fixed will be exposed again. Our Line Backers must be the best tacklers on the team. We must have a pro Active secondary.
The Definition of a Shut down Corner in the NFL: Thou Shalt Not Throw At Deion INSIDE THE NFL But What If You Try? The Nfl’s Best Wide Receivers Discuss Their Game Plans For Beating Deion Sanders. October 31, 1998|By Rick Gosselin, The Dallas Morning News DALLAS – The Washington Redskins threw a token pass in the direction of Deion Sanders earlier this month. The Carolina Panthers threw three and regretted the third. Two passes any Sunday constitute a busy afternoon for Sanders in today’s NFL. Such is life as the game’s best cornerback. Offenses practice avoiding Sanders because disastrous things can happen when he gets his hands on the football.
My problem with Vance last year was we were supposed to play press zone and got big CB’s who were best at pressing… and then we played 5 to 10 yards off the ball and never pressed. Even when we had two quality safeties over the top… Miami played off. Zone press depends heavy on LB’s covering, so maybe that’s it. Whatever. If we just challenge some routes, this secondary will be much better without a huge influx of talent. I’m fine with the Cb’s we have, just try and do something other than playing off against smaller more agile WR’s. We don’t need a shutdown CB, in zone we just need guys playing their zone and challenging routes and catches and making tackles. Hopefully the new DC has an ounce of creativity.
The problem was more of a dilemma really. Fins needed to first stop the run and couldn’t play man coverage so they committed the LBers more (which was of no use) so Vance had to keep CBs off knowing there would be no help underneath.
Also the Fins CBs were poor tacklers and also once injuries decimated the S position it was curtains for the D.
The combination of poor man coverage CBs playing off zone who cant tackle was lethal. When playing off the scheme demands sure tackling after the catch, something Fins DBs could not do.
So we had a D with LBers that couldnt stop the run and CBs that couldnt play man nor tackle.
Freak, I’m with you on everything you said up to this point: Vance’s strength is relate-ability, management, charisma, and to a lesser degree development. Vance isn’t very good at creatively setting up a scheme or deploying players to suit their strengths. As an example, Maxwell is far better in press, but he never was allowed to play it. Vance could have pay it even on occasion and rotated the zones to create an extra look to game-plan against and to put his player into the best situation to win. But, instead he ran soft shell and played off 95% (or more) of the time. He isn’t a chess player either and rarely (that was a nice zone blitz that got a pick and almost got another)puts his piece a step ahead of his opponent. He relies on lining up and beating you or you making a mistake. You’re correct that he had a weaker hand of depth and that the LB’s were a serious liability–especially given LB’s are so crucial in zone–, but early on it was at least avg. level defense in talent… before Jones went down. A better DC would have created opportunities with the gameplan and play calls, despite player issues. Late in the season I agree more to your point, but given it was the worst defense in team history, what he was doing wasn’t working. Now he was a rookie DC that was in reality being groomed for HC. Put a top 10 DC in last year and the D wouldn’t have been the worst ever… not good, but not the worst ever. Least that’s my take. I’m interested in seeing this new DC’s scheme adjustment.
I believed if the Dolphins Coaching staff can developed better tackling, minimize the penalties, Can transformed the offense into a predominately running team since that’s the strength of the offensive line.
There must be a serious one two punch with our running backs and that second R/B will be De’Veon Smith from Michigan I’m serious. The rest of our R/B are very good situational R/B’s.
Keep the Patriots and the stronger teams offense on the Bench. We have the team now.
Watched some clips of the kid… very physical, but always seemed to have large holes. Does he have the patience and ability to read NFL keys? I can’t say. I hope he can, but that’s the difference from college and NFL. Holes shrink from 3-5 feet to a a foot or less. It will be interesting.
Here’s a list of undrafted free agents the Miami Dolphins are looking at bringing to camp? Larry Hope really looks good also the LB from Temple. The Running back De’Veon Smith I believe with Ajayi would make a great 1+ 2 successful punch. Just my opinion.
OT Eric Smith, Virginia, 6-5, 300 (via University of Virginia) RB De’Veon Smith, Michigan, 5-11, 228 (via 24/7 Sports) https://youtu.be/g3ia-WLGJKo WR Malcolm Lewis, Miami, 6-0, 187 WR Drew Morgan, Arkansas, 6-0, 193 (via his Twitter account) WR Francis Owusu, Stanford, 6-3, 209 WR Damore’ea Stringfellow, Ole Miss, 6-2, 218 (via his Twitter account) DE Cameron Malveaux, Houston, 6-6, 251 (via Houston Chronicle) DE Joby Saint Fleur, Northwestern State Oklahoma, 6-5, 245 pounds LB Praise Martin-Oguike, Temple, 6-1, 255 (via his Twitter account) https://youtu.be/qjR7bjdwzhw
These players were on my list for undrafted 2017 Chris Borrayo, OG School: California | Conference: PAC12 Greg Pyke, OG School: Georgia | Conference: SEC
You had to love the way the draft was falling for Miami, how offensive players were being picked early and often in round one.Looked as though they had a plan, and that plan seemed to fall into place. We are a better team now than we were last week at this time.
I liked the draft, I liked the picks, I like the players.
I really liked how we got Asiata in the fifth round, he will compete and very well could start at one of the 2 OG spots. He reminds me of Icognito, he is mean, physical, and can move mountains. Not quite the pulling guard that Icognito is, but could improve in that area.
I liked the McMillan pick, instant starter over Misi.
Liked how they doubled up on the “D” tackle position, Godchaux could be a steal (according to him, gotta like his confidence). Taylor is another mountain of a man. We need just one of these two to D-Tackles to be able to play in a rotational role along side Suh as well as spell Suh occasionally. If they both make it,,,, NICE!
Harris was pegged as the third best pass rusher in the draft by many, and to have fall to Miami at 22, another nice job.
Tankersley has mixed reviews, either way he is the proto type player Miami covets. He’s long, fast, and excels in press coverage, and he is ALPHA. I’ve heard him being described as a possible steal of the draft and heard him being the reach of the draft. Coach’em up boys.
I can not and have not heard/read anything negative about WR Ford other than his 40 time. Outside of his time everyone speaks highly of him. Maybe another “juice’ OJ McDuffie?
Dunner, I like what Miami has done, if what they have done is what I ( and they ) think has been done. If Gase is elite — and that’s what it will take to win a ring and beat the Pats — he will be able to coach up what most think is avg talent and coach up this young talent to fill in for, and ultimately replace, the avg. talent. A good indicator will be the growth of Carroo, Drake, and Grant. If we say wow… these guys are shinning then we know Gase ( and Tannebaum / Grier) has an eye for talent and can coach up. I think we have witnessed this already, but these rooks growth in year 2 will be a stronger indicator to what to expect from this years crop. I expect Asiata and McMillan to really push to start, and Harris to play a critical role in pass rush. I expect one of these DT’s to take the 3rd DT. If none of this happens, I’ll be a little concerned. If all of it happens then this will turn out to be an excellent draft.
From the outside looking in, this seems as a mediocre draft. Following the team as we do, we see the reason(s) behind most picks. I think they were targeting Harris all along, because they ran to the podium once they were on the clock. I was hoping for Foster, but I like McMillan (no red flags, team captain, healthy), so value seemed to be exercised.
2 things stuck out from last years staff (Gase): accountability, and progression:
This staff had put the whole team on notice from the beginning that ACCOUNTABILITY or out, that simple! When your players understand that their jobs, their playing time, even roster spot can be influenced from their actions, or lack thereof, then you have a team on the same page. Right from the beginning, Tunsil didn’t start in pre season, J-Train was a healthy inactive in week 1, bad practice habits cost D.Thomas and B.Turner their jobs (not to mention poor play on Sundays), Maxwell being benched, M.Williams being benched forever, Carro a healthy inactive the final 2 weeks plus playoffs. Players take notice, a atmosphere was created, and the team leaders all bought in. Not to mention, “do your part, practice as a true professional” and you’ll get rewarded mentality, all works for today’s player.
PROGRESSION: The only player that really did not progress (or at least seemed not to) was Carroo. I believe Carroo will come in hungrier than he has been in years (at least better). Tunsil, Howard, Drake, Grant, Pitts all progressed in ’16 and I see the same happening for this years draft class. Maxwell listened and took a big step towards production, J-Train was a player that no one seen coming, Kiko had a great bounce back year.
The staff is here, the atmosphere is set, they have no problem moving on from players, any players. No one gets special treatment, no one. Should be a great camp. I think we got 2 immediate starters in McMillan and Asiata, Harris will have a say in the rotation and do not sleep on Tankersley (Maxwell better not).
“2 things stuck out from last years staff (Gase): accountability, and progression:” really good quote… I’m stealing it!!!
The rest was excellent as well. Thanks great food for thought.
Have at it Admin, any time!!! Fins Up ^^^^^
ooh, and thanks for bringing up the original “juice” OJ McDuffie… I loved that guy.
Against the better teams our secondary has been picked apart. Some are confused when the term shut down corner is used. Deon Sanders was the only Shut Down Corner I have witnessed.
Our Secondary weakness if not fixed will be exposed again. Our Line Backers must be the best tacklers on the team. We must have a pro Active secondary.
The Definition of a Shut down Corner in the NFL:
Thou Shalt Not Throw At Deion
INSIDE THE NFL
But What If You Try? The Nfl’s Best Wide Receivers Discuss Their Game Plans For Beating Deion Sanders.
October 31, 1998|By Rick Gosselin, The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS – The Washington Redskins threw a token pass in the direction of Deion Sanders earlier this month. The Carolina Panthers threw three and regretted the third. Two passes any Sunday constitute a busy afternoon for Sanders in today’s NFL.
Such is life as the game’s best cornerback. Offenses practice avoiding Sanders because disastrous things can happen when he gets his hands on the football.
Read more about the Shut Down Corner
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1998-10-31/sports/9810310225_1_deion-sanders-thou-shalt-interception
My problem with Vance last year was we were supposed to play press zone and got big CB’s who were best at pressing… and then we played 5 to 10 yards off the ball and never pressed. Even when we had two quality safeties over the top… Miami played off. Zone press depends heavy on LB’s covering, so maybe that’s it. Whatever. If we just challenge some routes, this secondary will be much better without a huge influx of talent. I’m fine with the Cb’s we have, just try and do something other than playing off against smaller more agile WR’s. We don’t need a shutdown CB, in zone we just need guys playing their zone and challenging routes and catches and making tackles. Hopefully the new DC has an ounce of creativity.
The problem was more of a dilemma really. Fins needed to first stop the run and couldn’t play man coverage so they committed the LBers more (which was of no use) so Vance had to keep CBs off knowing there would be no help underneath.
Also the Fins CBs were poor tacklers and also once injuries decimated the S position it was curtains for the D.
The combination of poor man coverage CBs playing off zone who cant tackle was lethal. When playing off the scheme demands sure tackling after the catch, something Fins DBs could not do.
So we had a D with LBers that couldnt stop the run and CBs that couldnt play man nor tackle.
Vance was totally handcuffed.
Freak, I’m with you on everything you said up to this point: Vance’s strength is relate-ability, management, charisma, and to a lesser degree development. Vance isn’t very good at creatively setting up a scheme or deploying players to suit their strengths. As an example, Maxwell is far better in press, but he never was allowed to play it. Vance could have pay it even on occasion and rotated the zones to create an extra look to game-plan against and to put his player into the best situation to win. But, instead he ran soft shell and played off 95% (or more) of the time. He isn’t a chess player either and rarely (that was a nice zone blitz that got a pick and almost got another)puts his piece a step ahead of his opponent. He relies on lining up and beating you or you making a mistake. You’re correct that he had a weaker hand of depth and that the LB’s were a serious liability–especially given LB’s are so crucial in zone–, but early on it was at least avg. level defense in talent… before Jones went down. A better DC would have created opportunities with the gameplan and play calls, despite player issues. Late in the season I agree more to your point, but given it was the worst defense in team history, what he was doing wasn’t working. Now he was a rookie DC that was in reality being groomed for HC. Put a top 10 DC in last year and the D wouldn’t have been the worst ever… not good, but not the worst ever. Least that’s my take. I’m interested in seeing this new DC’s scheme adjustment.
I believed if the Dolphins Coaching staff can developed better tackling, minimize the penalties, Can transformed the offense into a predominately running team since that’s the strength of the offensive line.
There must be a serious one two punch with our running backs and that second R/B will be De’Veon Smith from Michigan I’m serious. The rest of our R/B are very good situational R/B’s.
Keep the Patriots and the stronger teams offense on the Bench. We have the team now.
Everything you said is key to winning football. We do those three things and we take a step forward.
Dont know the kids game, but a lot of people say he is talented and wonder why he went undrafted.
Watched some clips of the kid… very physical, but always seemed to have large holes. Does he have the patience and ability to read NFL keys? I can’t say. I hope he can, but that’s the difference from college and NFL. Holes shrink from 3-5 feet to a a foot or less. It will be interesting.
Here’s a list of undrafted free agents the Miami Dolphins are looking at bringing to camp? Larry Hope really looks good also the LB from Temple. The Running back De’Veon Smith I believe with Ajayi would make a great 1+ 2 successful punch. Just my opinion.
OT Eric Smith, Virginia, 6-5, 300 (via University of Virginia)
RB De’Veon Smith, Michigan, 5-11, 228 (via 24/7 Sports) https://youtu.be/g3ia-WLGJKo
WR Malcolm Lewis, Miami, 6-0, 187
WR Drew Morgan, Arkansas, 6-0, 193 (via his Twitter account)
WR Francis Owusu, Stanford, 6-3, 209
WR Damore’ea Stringfellow, Ole Miss, 6-2, 218 (via his Twitter account)
DE Cameron Malveaux, Houston, 6-6, 251 (via Houston Chronicle)
DE Joby Saint Fleur, Northwestern State Oklahoma, 6-5, 245 pounds
LB Praise Martin-Oguike, Temple, 6-1, 255 (via his Twitter account) https://youtu.be/qjR7bjdwzhw
LB Chase Allen, Southern Illinois, 6-4, 241 https://youtu.be/7ZYxtERpO90
CB Torry McTyer, UNLV, 6-0, 195 https://youtu.be/klguzZ1ElXk
CB Larry Hope, Akron, 6-0, 183 https://youtu.be/GLGC-SVrKUA https://youtu.be/GLGC-SVrKUA
CB Maurice Smith, Georgia, 6-0, 195 (via his Twitter)
I’m surprised there wasn’t any OL in this group… do you think anyone else but Smith has a chance to make some noise?
These players were on my list for undrafted 2017
Chris Borrayo, OG
School: California | Conference: PAC12
Greg Pyke, OG
School: Georgia | Conference: SEC
Freddie Burden (Georgia Tech C) vs Pitt 2015
https://youtu.be/HRVhVI8TejA
Most underrated Penn State player? Center Brian Gaia tells us
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75EekvK2p7w
Palmer White Left Tackle
https://youtu.be/aJ91sc6Wpuc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75EekvK2p7w
Lucas Crowley, C
School: North Carolina | Conference: ACC
Kyle Kalis, OG
School: Michigan | Conference: BIG10
https://youtu.be/I7GT-a8w69k
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This site contains the undrafted OG and O/T
https://www.draftsite.com/nfl/draft-history/2017/undrafted/
Larry Hope really looks good also the LB from Temple.
hmmm… I’ll check him out… hope he is as good as you say. 🙂