Now that the 2010 NFL Draft is officially in the books, it is time to second-guess my favorite team: The Miami Dolphins. Second-guessing your team's picks is the God-given right of all football fans, so get over it. That said, I must say that although I question some of The Big Tuna's picks, I don't presume to know more about football than he does, so in the end, I trust that he is taking this team in the right direction. In fact, my trust in Parcells was strengthened when he pulled the trigger on the Brandon Marshall trade. I was beginning to think that his philosophy on football was dated, and that he refused to respect the position of WR in an increasingly pass-heavy league. He surprised me by going after the big-time wideout; especially since there were questions about his character.Aside: I really think that Brandon Marshall's locker room antics are a thing of the past. He is among five best players at his position, and has had over 100 receptions each of the last 3 seasons, yet 42 other WRs made more money than he did last year, including his teammate Jabar Gaffney. The new coach traded away his Pro-Bowl QB in the off-season. I would be upset if I was him too. And although he asked to be traded, he never dogged it on the field. He has a new contract, and is on a team that respects him (ask any player how a team shows you respect, and they will tell you it's by paying them.) and gets to play with a strong-armed QB and a very good running game. I think we are going to see a happy, productive Brandon Marshall from here on out.
Back to the topic at hand, based on the Marshall trade, and the fact that Miami stockpiled 7 players on the defensive side of the ball, addressing needs at LB, S, and D-line, my initial reaction is that Miami earned a solid B on their draft. But, the reality is that whether I'm a bullshit blogger with a fan-base of three readers and a girlfriend, or I'm Mel Kiper Jr, my next-day draft grade means nothing. We won't really know anything until a year or two down the road. The only way you can really immediately judge a draft as successful or not is if the team addressed their positions of need.
Miami's Picks:
RD
1 (28th) Jared Odrick, DT Penn State
2 (40th) Kao Misi, DE Utah
3 (73rd) John Jerry, G Mississippi
4 (119th) AJ Edds, OLB Iowa
5 (145th) Nolan Carroll, CB Maryland
5 (163rd) Reshad Jones, S Georgia
7 (212nd) Chris McCoy, OLB Middle Tennessee
7 (252nd) Austin Spitler, ILB Ohio State
I hope every single one of these players pans out. That would be great. But let's be real, it is often times a crapshoot. I have heard good things about Odrick, but I am not completely sold that he can play in the middle of a 3-4 line. He seems a bit small. Misi is slated to play outside linebacker, but he hasn't shown himself to be even a moderately productive pass rusher. We went into this draft needing a dominant pass rusher, and got nothing that even resembles one. Parcells and co. must have a lot of faith in the development of Cameron Wake to have left all their egg in his basket. I am excited to see him in a more featured role next season. AJ Edds, by all counts, seems to be solid, but I don't trust players from Iowa. Spitler could end up being the better pick. We will see.
For the sake of future I-told-you-so's, here is a list of guys I wish Miami had drafted. We realistically could have had almost all of them. Remember this list, because I will refer to it when these guys make the Pro Bowl. Especially George Selvie.
14th- Earl Thomas, S Texas
43rd- Sergio Kindle, OLB Texas
57th- Terrence Cody, DT Alabama
113th- Aaron Hernandez, TE Florida
124th- Eric Norwood, OLB South Carolina
207th- Myron Rolle, S Florida State
226th- George Selvie, DE South Florida
Undrafted- Colin Peek TE AlabamaCheck out this video of Cameron Wake. What a freak.
