DOLPHINS PICK THREAD

[hrubes20]

33 minutes ago, freak_of_nature said:

Durham Smythe to fill the Fasano role.

I get the pick. I even advocated for a double dipping of the TE pool a few weeks ago. But you can’t tell me that Smythe would have been gone before our 6th rounder. First big reach for me. 

Ballage was a fine pick though.

[Emerica]

Kallen Balage is a monster. Love the pick. Also glad they picked two TEs. Extremely pleased with this draft so far, which has been a common theme with this regime. Love it.

[Tetsujin]

An underwhelming 6th and 7th round

[Emerica]

Solid draft as far as I’m concerned. Picked up our FS to pair with Reshad. Double dipped with TE that complement each other. One who takes Thomas’ spot, the other Fasano’s. Baker was the leading tackler for Ohio State, sideline to sideline athlete. Don’t know much about the later guys but from what I read the CB can play nickel or outside. 

 

Now obviously they didn’t address the DT need but I have faith in the guys on the roster to step up, particularly Godchaux. With the addition of Quinn, I think Hayes kicks in inside on a more consistent basis. Phillips is a bit of the wildcard for me, don’t have much faith in him tbh.

[Lilseb93]

Copied from another thread...

It's a long post so read the last sentence for the main point.

S Minkah Fitzpatrick - A+. This guy would be a top 5 pick in a normal draft that doesn't have a ton of QBs. He has potential to be a perennial Pro Bowler and face of the defense for years. He has an amazing football IQ. Nick Saban said he's the best player he ever coached. Miami did not expect him to fall to 11.

TE Mike Gesicki - A. This guy has elite athleticism. We finally got a legit weapon in the middle of the field. He's a bad blocker, but we won't ask him to. It's about damn time we get a legit TE.

LB Jerome Baker - B. This guy is really fast and fills what we are looking for in a LB. A guy who can actually cover. He can also play special teams. He'll fit in the rotation. He reunites with McMillan. They wanted Leonard or Warner but they didn't fall to them so he was the next best player that's similar to them.

TE Durham Smythe - B-  or C+. It's a bit high for a pure blocking TE, but this guy is a legit blocker. Notre Dame didn't use him much outside blocking so IDK how good he will be outside that. But he perfectly compliments Gesicki so we can finally run 2 TE sets. Other fans don't like the pick, but I think he's the kind of guy who will contribute to the team for quite a while. He reminds me of Fasano.

RB Kalen Ballage - B+. This guy has a lot of potential. He won't have to do a ton at first behind Drake and Gore. He fits what Gase wants a RB. By the 4th round in the draft, it's worth going for the potential despite the concern he doesn't play as well as he should. 

CB Cornell Armstrong - C. He's a feisty slot CB with ball skills who will compete with McCain. He reminds me of a Brent Grimes (without a crazy wife). He might not be a starter or even make the team at first, but who knows? There were better players on the board at the time, but I also think you can never have enough CBs. He's a guy that will be easy to root for. We'll see.

LB Quentin Poling - C+. I like this pick late in the draft, but there were better guys on the board. He's another speedy cover LB. He was Ohio's leading tackler. He has holes in his game, but I think he will provide good depth and contribute on special teams right away. I like his attitude from what I've seen on Twitter. 

K Jason Sanders - I can't grade this one. By the 7th round it doesn't really matter all that much if the guys pan out or not, but this one is more risky because he could be our kicker this season. This guy was a stud his junior year (only missing 1 kick - 93%) and then had a rough senior year (only made 73% of this FGs). He has an amazing leg so he'll be great for kicking touchbacks and he seems to be good at onside kicks, but hopefully he overcomes whatever bothered him his senior year. Fortunately, Rizzi is one of the best ST coaches in the league so I trust what they see in him. I would have preferred Pinerio. 



This is an A draft for me from from day 1 to day 2. I love the first 3 picks. The Dolphins finally addressed their biggest need that have hurt them for years - plays in the middle of the field. They can't cover TEs, they are super slow in the middle of the field so quick passes murder them, and Tannehill has never had a legitimate athletic big TE to throw to on 3rd downs. The defense has talent but it hasn't shown as much because teams continuously exploit them in the middle of the field. Fitzpatrick next to Jones with having McMillan back and running a bunch of different packages with McDonald as a safety/LB hybrid, Fitz as a nickel CB, not having to rely on Alonso to cover (he sucks at it), and so on will make a TREMENDOUS difference. I'm really getting excited about this secondary and the LB core is starting to shape up. They got tremendously faster on defense. 

Day 3 is very iffy with me. Smythe is a bit of a reach and more of just a blocking TE, but he will contribute right away. Armstrong is probably just a camp body right now. Poling is just a back up and ST player right now. And Sanders could be awful. But if 5 players in this draft contribute, it's a successful draft. 

My two concerns are QB and DT. I'd rather have Fitz than a QB. If Miami sucks, I'd still rather have Fitz and get a QB next year. If Tanny comes back and they are good, then having Fitz is even more awesome. I didn't love the rest of the QBs in the draft so I don't have an issue with passing on these guys. But Tanny is 30 and coming off an injury so it is a concern. The coaching staff likes David Fales, but I don't feel comfortable with him as a backup. Osweiler isn't reliable either. I don't think a rookie QB, especially one drafted mid to late round would save the season anyways if Tanny got hurt.

Miami already has a bunch of young talented DTs, but they really need a veteran. I don't have an issue with passing on a DT because a veteran is needed more than another mid to late young guy. Until we get one, it's a concern. It doesn't matter how good and fast our 2nd and 3rd level are if we can't stop the run up the middle

The first 4 guys will contribute right away. Ballage and Poling will contribute in ways and could develop into future studs. Sanders could be our starting kicker. So it's an A, A-, or B+. Either way, I really love this draft. 

TLDR: Miami got faster and fixed their biggest weakness on defense: the middle of the field. They finally got legitimate TEs for their QB. They might have found their kicker and Ballage could be a great weapon with Drake. Poling could be a future starter or key rotational piece. They got a lot of guys who can contribute immediately. I really liked this draft despite the iffy day 3. 

[ericsvibe]

Overall I like this draft. A couple of things can also be learned about where the Dolphins are heading. One of the announcers made a comment about the Dolphins building a defense for the future of the NFL. He seemed to imply that with the new rules, especially the keep your eyes up at all times rule, speed is going to be more important that brute strength. Also with the QB's that are coming out of college, the spread offensive style is starting to win. Taking all that into consideration, Miami went for speed on defense, especially LB. The Dolphins finally got a move TE with elite size.

The biggest negative I see is that when Tannehill goes down, Osweiler will be the starter. Not to say that Brock doesn't have good qualities. He has excellent arm strength, and was very accurate in college. For some reason, he made a bunch of bone headed decisions when starting in the NFL. From the physical standpoint, he is elite. I hope that the coaching staff can help him get past some of these dumb mistakes he makes. 

Hopefully, Tannehill goes back to his 2016 play, with a better O-line, and we are successful. If Tannehill goes down, we are going to be trading everything next year to go up and get a QB.

[cddolphin]

Fins got three LBs in this draft: Jerome Baker (3rd round), Stephone Anthony (5th round) and Quentin Poling (7th)

Remember teams play 55-60% nickel these days, meaning it'll likely be McMillan and Kiko on the field in that package.

Baker seems like a pure WILL chase-and-run LB who can play man coverage.

 

All fast guys, biggest problem I see is their collective ability to get off blocks. Kiko isn't exactly good at that, and it was Baker's biggest knock in his pre-draft profile (that and zone coverage). If our DL can do it's job, it should allow our speedy LBs to do their jobs.

 

Quinn/Hayes - Godcheaux/Hayes - Phillips/Taylor - Wake/Harris doesn't have quite the same oomph as with Suh, and a lot is riding on Philips to continue how he improved last year.

[hrubes20]

17 hours ago, Lilseb93 said:

S Minkah Fitzpatrick - A+. This guy would be a top 5 pick in a normal draft that doesn't have a ton of QBs. He has potential to be a perennial Pro Bowler and face of the defense for years. He has an amazing football IQ. Nick Saban said he's the best player he ever coached. Miami did not expect him to fall to 11.

TE Mike Gesicki - A. This guy has elite athleticism. We finally got a legit weapon in the middle of the field. He's a bad blocker, but we won't ask him to. It's about damn time we get a legit TE.

LB Jerome Baker - B. This guy is really fast and fills what we are looking for in a LB. A guy who can actually cover. He can also play special teams. He'll fit in the rotation. He reunites with McMillan. They wanted Leonard or Warner but they didn't fall to them so he was the next best player that's similar to them.

TE Durham Smythe - B-  or C+. It's a bit high for a pure blocking TE, but this guy is a legit blocker. Notre Dame didn't use him much outside blocking so IDK how good he will be outside that. But he perfectly compliments Gesicki so we can finally run 2 TE sets. Other fans don't like the pick, but I think he's the kind of guy who will contribute to the team for quite a while. He reminds me of Fasano.

RB Kalen Ballage - B+. This guy has a lot of potential. He won't have to do a ton at first behind Drake and Gore. He fits what Gase wants a RB. By the 4th round in the draft, it's worth going for the potential despite the concern he doesn't play as well as he should. 

CB Cornell Armstrong - C. He's a feisty slot CB with ball skills who will compete with McCain. He reminds me of a Brent Grimes (without a crazy wife). He might not be a starter or even make the team at first, but who knows? There were better players on the board at the time, but I also think you can never have enough CBs. He's a guy that will be easy to root for. We'll see.

LB Quentin Poling - C+. I like this pick late in the draft, but there were better guys on the board. He's another speedy cover LB. He was Ohio's leading tackler. He has holes in his game, but I think he will provide good depth and contribute on special teams right away. I like his attitude from what I've seen on Twitter. 

K Jason Sanders - I can't grade this one. By the 7th round it doesn't really matter all that much if the guys pan out or not, but this one is more risky because he could be our kicker this season. This guy was a stud his junior year (only missing 1 kick - 93%) and then had a rough senior year (only made 73% of this FGs). He has an amazing leg so he'll be great for kicking touchbacks and he seems to be good at onside kicks, but hopefully he overcomes whatever bothered him his senior year. Fortunately, Rizzi is one of the best ST coaches in the league so I trust what they see in him. I would have preferred Pinerio. 

 

Fitzpatrick - Agree 100%.  Homerun of a pick there.  Elite talent that fell due to the QB run.  

Gesicki - I'd give it a B+, but as I mentioned when the pick was made, I get why Gase would want the elite athleticism and pass catching ability to add to the offense.  Goedert was there, and although he's not on the same level as an athlete and pure receiver, he can block.  I'll trust Gase on this one.

Baker - I just wonder how much weight/strength he can gain and now lose too much speed.  I think he's gonna get washed out in the run game.  Of course, he wasn't drafted for his prowess against the run.  I will agree with a B ranking.

Smythe - After doing more research on him, I'd give it a solid B grade.  Apparently he was listed as a 4-5th round prospect by most "experts", so it's not the overdraft I initially thought.  Go watch the ND/LSU game tape to watch this kid in action as a blocker.  Multiple times he had to block D-lineman 1 on 1 and did a dang good job.  I think it was nfl.com that game him a comp to Dion Sims, and that would be a great outcome.  I'd actually rank it higher, but there were several guys I would have rather seen taken with this pick, and a blocking TE could have been picked up later.

Ballage - B+ grade for me as well.  I've seen some comments on other boards about this being Daniel Thomas v. 2.0.  This isn't the case at all.  Ballage needs some work on the finer points, but he gets to essentially sit a year and learn from Frank Gore.  He can take over return duties from Drake, to save him for offense.

Armstrong - C+ - I don't like the position here.  Amstrong himself is a fine gamble in the 6th round, but we have enough project DBs.

Poling - B - I like that we took another LB.  Need some more of these guys for STs.

Sanders - B - I'd have given pretty much any kicker a B here.  It was clearly a need, and college kickers are an absolute crapshoot.  Aguayo was the best kicker I've ever seen in college football, and he was a disaster as a pro.  Take a guy the coaching staff loves and hope for the best.     

I'd give the draft overall an A-.  The lack of a QB anywhere, and the fact that I wish they would have taken a DT at some point, take it down from an A.  But this was a terrific draft in my eyes.  

[cddolphin]

On 4/29/2018 at 12:09 AM, Lilseb93 said:

TE Mike Gesicki - A. This guy has elite athleticism. We finally got a legit weapon in the middle of the field. He's a bad blocker, but we won't ask him to. It's about damn time we get a legit TE.

This guy's blocking film may be the worst I've ever seen 

He's getting laid out by 200lbs safeties.. he chipped a DE and got sent flying head over heels 

[Lilseb93]

3 hours ago, cddolphin said:

This guy's blocking film may be the worst I've ever seen 

He's getting laid out by 200lbs safeties.. he chipped a DE and got sent flying head over heels 

I'm fine with that when he's creating huge mismatches on offense and forcing teams to pick their poison. 

[cddolphin]

22 minutes ago, Lilseb93 said:

I'm fine with that when he's creating huge mismatches on offense and forcing teams to pick their poison. 

Yeah I mean if he's never going to block then so be it.. just hilarious to see tape that bad

[Swampbilly]

I give this draft an A-.  I really like what we did, but I would have taken Derwin James over Fitz.......a bit nit picky I know, but I have concerns over any Nick Saban coached Defensive player when it comes to the NFL transition.  I also prefer James' height when it comes to covering TE's.  I will concede that James makes a lot of plays within that box area near the LoS and we already have 2 Safeties more than capable of that.

I didn't like the Jason Sanders pick at all, but I understand they likely picked him for his Kickoff abilities.  Nevertheless I would have preferred Eddy Pineiro from Florida........better place kicker IMO and he's from in state which is something that should always be considered.

The other picks I loved other than a slight reach on Smythe,, but our need was huge so I get the reach.  4 speedy Defenders and 2 blazing fast Offensive players.  Very Nice!!!!

[cddolphin]

So either we fell into an alternate dimension, or all the posters who were banging the table for a QB haven't posted since the draft... nobody dislikes this draft?

 

1(11) S Minkah Fitzpatrick (A+)  Fills a position of need (someone to cover TEs), will be the joker of our defense likely playing at FS and nickel CB. For some reason people are knocking Saban DBs but remember Gase has a direct line to Saban, whom he coached under early in his career. I'm sure Gase got some inside info. My 4th favorite prospect of the draft and he fell to Miami at 11.

2 (42) TE Mike Gesicki (B-)  A pure move TE with some of the funniest blocking cut-ups I've ever seen, seriously look them up. Someone never taught this kid about leverage or something. I understand Gase will likely as him to run routes 90% of the time but you want your TE to be at least halfway serviceable as a blocker.. He seems to attack the ball and win 1-on-1s but doesn't move as fluid as his metrics would indicate.

3 (73) LB Jerome Baker (B) Pure weak-side chase-and-run LB who actually has some decent tape in man coverage against TEs, RBs, even slot WRs. At 6'1" and 225lbs (7lbs smaller than Roquan Smith), he's slight but not 'undersized' - many WILL LBs in the NFL play at his size. However, his athleticism comes at a cost: he's not very physcial and is weak at the point of attack.

4 (123) TE Durham Smythe (C+) Taken with the Landry pick, Smyth is the yin to Gesicki's yang; a blocking TE who rarely had a chance to run routes. Clear pick for need here, as AJ Derby, Gray, Duarte, and Esobar are all move-TEs.

4 (131) RB Kalen Ballage (B+) Miami takes a RB with the pick they got for Ajayi. As far as character goes, he seems like the anti-Ajayi: when he had an 8 TD game last season, he brought up his entire offensive line to the press conference to give them credit. He also said that he didn't care about the personal best, as long as the team got the win. A high character athlete who can catch balls out of the backfield, and will likely compete for the starting KR/PR job while also spelling Drake & Gore.

5 (147) LB Stephone Anthony (C-) Miami shipped out this pick to NO last year for former 1st rounder Stephone Anthony, who played about 20 defensive snaps per game (mostly on passing downs) over the last 6 games of the season. I wouldn't be shocked if Anthony ended up out-snapping Baker in 2018, as he is a three year veteran. Miami is very unlikely to excercise his 5th year option in 2019 unless he blows up through some bizarre circumstance. Hard to give this a decent grade when it was a bandaid fix last year due to injuries, and he's unlikely to make a big impact this year or be on the roster next.

6 (209) CB Cornell Armstrong (C) A 5'11" corner with experience on both the boundary and in the slot, Armstrong will have to fight for a roster spot on a team with many young defensive backs, especially corners. He'll likely be competing against Tracy Howard, Jordan Lucas, and Torry McTyer for 1-2 roster spots.

7 (227) LB Quentin Poling & C Daniel Kilgore (B+) Another LB drafted where speed, athleticism, and production was valued over physical prowess. Miami's LB room certainly has a type. Special teams will be the key to making the team here, but he'll be competing with the likes of Mike Hull and Chase Allen, not exactly world beaters. Grade gets a bump here because Miami dropped a mere 4 spots to number 227 and also acquired their new starting center.

7 (229) K Jason Sanders (D) Blech, just sign some UDFAs. I guess we have contractual control for four years, but the last K Miami drafted left a bad taste in my mouth.

 

Overall I give this draft a B. At least three rookies should see significant snaps right away. I'd go as high as B+ if they had drafted a QB to challenge Fales/Osweiler instead of the kicker.

[Tetsujin]

So McDonald, Jones, and Fitzpatrick are going to be on the field a lot together?

[hrubes20]

2 hours ago, cddolphin said:

So either we fell into an alternate dimension, or all the posters who were banging the table for a QB haven't posted since the draft... nobody dislikes this draft?

I wanted a QB somewhere, but to be fair, I want one every year.  Even if the Fins find another Marino, I think it makes a lot of sense to draft a QB late.  The fact that the Fins landed Fitzpatrick in the 1st while staying put at 11 was such a homerun, that the rest of the draft just had to "not suck" for me to like it.