2019 Draft Prospect Watch

[Dolphinmeister]

 First round should be best talent available / guaranteed opening day starter.

 Round 2-  Best O-lineman available.

Round 3 - Best lineman either side of the ball

Round 4 on- QB and best talent available.

Over that last few years I am becoming more convinced that in most cases best talent on the board is better then best position needed when it comes to the draft. Try to make all draft picks count and use older free agents (not old ) to fill the gaps.

Miami should start drafting a mid to late round QB every year until they hit on one that can replace Tannehill when the time comes.

 

[Swampbilly]

17 hours ago, hrubes20 said:

Based on what?  Certainly not what he's said about Tannehill to the press, in pretty much every chance he has had.  There really is no evidence showing that Gase wasn't "all in" on Tannehill as his QB.  And there's been zero evidence that the Fins were looking QB in the 1st round, even if most of us thought they should have been.  

I don’t mean to come across as a smart @ss and I mean this sincerely but I’m basing that statement on the fact that Gase has 2 eyes and he obviously knows football and what he needs from his Offensive positions.  Additionally it was widely rumored by the media before the 2018 draft that we had interest in Mayfield.

Of course Gase hasn’t blasted Tannehill to the press.  That would just be foolish and unprofessional.  Tannehill is the best QB on our roster and a mid level QB league wide.  Even if we do draft a QB upgrade we still wouldn’t want to present Tannehill in a negative light.......he would still be an asset and possibly a starter for another full season.

I know this makes me sound like a Tannehill basher, and in fact I was disappointed in Tannehill when we drafted him but he grew on me especially in 2016.  Tannehill can take us to the playoffs and he proved that in 2016, but he just isn’t the type of dynamic playmaker that can consistently overcome OLine mistakes.  Tannehill has immense difficulty overcoming DLine pressure and it shows in his horrible pocket awareness.

Every year there are QBs drafted that are better QBs than Tannehill.  It is of the upmost importance that we upgrade at the single most important position on the field.

Edited October 18, 2018 by Swampbilly

[Swampbilly]

14 hours ago, Dolphinmeister said:

 First round should be best talent available / guaranteed opening day starter.

 Round 2-  Best O-lineman available.

Round 3 - Best lineman either side of the ball

Round 4 on- QB and best talent available.

Over that last few years I am becoming more convinced that in most cases best talent on the board is better then best position needed when it comes to the draft. Try to make all draft picks count and use older free agents (not old ) to fill the gaps.

Miami should start drafting a mid to late round QB every year until they hit on one that can replace Tannehill when the time comes.

 

I would be OK with that strategy and best talent available in round 1 while addressing needs in rounds 2 and 3 is pretty much what we did last draft and IMO it’s working well so far.  In fact I think it’s the most likely path we end up following in the 2019 draft.  Nevertheless it doesn’t excite me like IDENTIFYING the right QB and being aggressive to make him a Dolphin.

Waiting until round 4 or beyond every year and hoping there’s a QB available that has the ceiling to floor ratio to be coached into an upgrade is just wasting a mid round pick until you get lucky and have that QB fall to you in round 1.  I would rather spend 1 pick to move up and get the QB we have IDENTIFIED than to waste 10 years of mid round picks on hopes and dreams.

2019 is the year that Gase needs to IDENTIFY his QB of the future, Grier needs to hustle and move to make it happen, and Ross needs to sign off and hold them accountable.  

[hrubes20]

2 hours ago, Swampbilly said:

I don’t mean to come across as a smart @ss and I mean this sincerely but I’m basing that statement on the fact that Gase has 2 eyes and he obviously knows football and what he needs from his Offensive positions.  Additionally it was widely rumored by the media before the 2018 draft that we had interest in Mayfield.

Of course Gase hasn’t blasted Tannehill to the press.  That would just be foolish and unprofessional.  Tannehill is the best QB on our roster and a mid level QB league wide.  Even if we do draft a QB upgrade we still wouldn’t want to present Tannehill in a negative light.......he would still be an asset and possibly a starter for another full season.

I know this makes me sound like a Tannehill basher, and in fact I was disappointed in Tannehill when we drafted him but he grew on me especially in 2016.  Tannehill can take us to the playoffs and he proved that in 2016, but he just isn’t the type of dynamic playmaker that can consistently overcome OLine mistakes.  Tannehill has immense difficulty overcoming DLine pressure and it shows in his horrible pocket awareness.

Every year there are QBs drafted that are better QBs than Tannehill.  It is of the upmost importance that we upgrade at the single most important position on the field.

I share your opinion of Tannehill, but my point was that we literally have nothing to show us that Gase agreed with us, and plenty of evidence to show that he didn't.  Interest in Baker Mayfield does not equal the team wanting to take one of the other QBs if they were there for the Fins.  I tend to believe it was Baker or bust at the QB position for the Fins.  Once he was gone, they took the highest player on their board.  

[Tetsujin]

There's so much smoke being blown before the draft. All this publicized interest in Mayfield, with all the time spent with him, could've all been for show.

[ericsvibe]

It doesn't really matter at this point anyway, we have Tannehill, and the Browns have Mayfield. I can tell you one thing for certain, 5 years from now, Rosen and Mayfield will still be playing football, and Tannehill will be in medical school. We can't wait forever.

[Dolphinmeister]

How do you guys feel the experts are getting at evaluating QB prospects for the NFL the last 5- 10 years verses maybe the 10 years before that. It seems to me there are fewer high round QB bust the last 5 to 8 years then in that span before then. It could be more NFL ready out of college or better evaluation of the intangibles that are needed to be successful in the NFL what are you all thoughts? 

[Swampbilly]

3 hours ago, Dolphinmeister said:

How do you guys feel the experts are getting at evaluating QB prospects for the NFL the last 5- 10 years verses maybe the 10 years before that. It seems to me there are fewer high round QB bust the last 5 to 8 years then in that span before then. It could be more NFL ready out of college or better evaluation of the intangibles that are needed to be successful in the NFL what are you all thoughts? 

I see the NFL changing towards the collegiate game and that’s allowed NCAA QBs to have a more successful transition to the NFL.  The League wide changes over the last decade or so has allowed all the league QBs to post higher statistics than at any other time in league history.  Additionally, the rookie wage scale has taken the financial burden off of teams that draft QBs in the top 10, so we are seeing teams more willing to take a chance on a QB in the top 10.  I don’t think NCAA QBs are more ready, nor do I see NFL scouts being better at evaluating the position........it’s simply that the NFL has made rule changes to protect players which has consequently opened up the passing game and made the QB position much more productive than previous years.

[Swampbilly]

9 hours ago, hrubes20 said:

I share your opinion of Tannehill, but my point was that we literally have nothing to show us that Gase agreed with us, and plenty of evidence to show that he didn't.  Interest in Baker Mayfield does not equal the team wanting to take one of the other QBs if they were there for the Fins.  I tend to believe it was Baker or bust at the QB position for the Fins.  Once he was gone, they took the highest player on their board.  

Apparently at least one other team believed the Dolphins would have drafted a QB, and the Cardinals desperately moved up to make sure they got the last of the top four prospects at the position.  We didn’t just do our diligence on Mayfield last year but looked in depth at all four of the prospects at the position.  Fitzpatrick was a nice consolation prize, but it still seems apparent to me we did indeed feel our chances of a QB falling to us was at least 50/50.  I don’t believe it was Baker or bust, but that because of Bakers less than desirable measurable we simply felt that he would be the QB to slide out of the top 10.  Of course I don’t have hard evidence of this, but it just adds up to me.  

[hrubes20]

12 hours ago, Swampbilly said:

I see the NFL changing towards the collegiate game and that’s allowed NCAA QBs to have a more successful transition to the NFL.  The League wide changes over the last decade or so has allowed all the league QBs to post higher statistics than at any other time in league history.  Additionally, the rookie wage scale has taken the financial burden off of teams that draft QBs in the top 10, so we are seeing teams more willing to take a chance on a QB in the top 10.  I don’t think NCAA QBs are more ready, nor do I see NFL scouts being better at evaluating the position........it’s simply that the NFL has made rule changes to protect players which has consequently opened up the passing game and made the QB position much more productive than previous years.

Spot on, IMO.  QBs from spread offenses in college can now come to a spread offense in the pros and have a much smaller learning curve.  Maholmes is the perfect example.  That guy wouldn't be anything close to what he is now if he had come to the NFL 10 years ago.

12 hours ago, Swampbilly said:

Apparently at least one other team believed the Dolphins would have drafted a QB, and the Cardinals desperately moved up to make sure they got the last of the top four prospects at the position.  We didn’t just do our diligence on Mayfield last year but looked in depth at all four of the prospects at the position.  Fitzpatrick was a nice consolation prize, but it still seems apparent to me we did indeed feel our chances of a QB falling to us was at least 50/50.  I don’t believe it was Baker or bust, but that because of Bakers less than desirable measurable we simply felt that he would be the QB to slide out of the top 10.  Of course I don’t have hard evidence of this, but it just adds up to me.  

They looked in depth at basically every 1st round prospect.  That was standard due diligence.  But neither of us has any evidence for our positions, so it would be an exercise in futility to keep talking about it.  

[Dolphinmeister]

I am really torn now with the Houston loss, I never pull for Miami to lose but 8 and 8 and missing the playoffs is the worst case scenario for a season to me. I would just as well see 5 and 11 and a better draft pick next year. If Gase needs a perfectly healthy team with all the first day starters starting to win games in the NFL then it is not ever going to get any better then this.

[Swampbilly]

After watching last nights game at Houston I am more certain than ever that we have to start gambling to land a star QB.  With a star QB we can overcome game mistakes and personnel holes, but without that star QB we can have pro bowl players at every position and still struggle to win. 

IMO Gase has to Identify his QB for 2019 and Tannenbaum and Grier must figure out how to make that QB a Dolphin.  If not then they all May be searching for a new job before 2020.

Edited October 26, 2018 by Swampbilly

[Tetsujin]

1 hour ago, Swampbilly said:

After watching last nights game at Houston I am more certain than ever that we have to start gambling to land a star QB.  With a star QB we can overcome game mistakes and personnel holes, but without that star QB we can have pro bowl players at every position and still struggle to win. 

IMO Gase has to Identify his QB for 2019 and Tannenbaum and Grier must figure out how to make that QB a Dolphin.  If not then they all May be searching for a new job before 2020.

You're assuming a star QB is present in this next draft.

[Dolphinmeister]

I am not a draft guru but my understanding is that there are no real 5 star QB's on the board for next year maybe you all can enlighten me if there is. I also do not see any real top free agents to go after so other then a trade for say a Derek Carr or Bridgewater what are the better options over Tannehill at this point assuming he gets healthy and stays that way.

[Tetsujin]

Dwayne Haskins seems to be the only high-end talent that is eligible. He's a RS Soph though with 1 year of starting experience. I could still see him go Top 5 though due to his ungodly potential. Perhaps might have to sit for a year, though.