Phins Phocus : Draft Recap

When I was just a young lad, my parents taught me a very important lesson, which is “patience is a virtue”.

That saying is something that Dolphins fans should get very familiar with.  While I believe this year’s draft was a successful, it must be reflected on in two different ways. In terms of immediate benefit to the 2012 NFL season I wouldn’t bank on much.

The Dolphins are hoping that Tannehill will mature and grow into their franchise QB that but that could take time and mean spending this upcoming season with a clipboard in hand. The Dolphins 2^nd round draft pick was a 1^st round talent in offensive tackle from Standford John Martin.

Martin hopefully will provide stability to the offensive line and offer a contingency plan should any complications arise with the Jake Long contract negotiations.

The Dolphins however failed to find playmakers at the Wide receiver early on in the draft leaving the possibility of an anemic offense in 2012/2013. The TE Egnew is a raw player who has a nice skill set meshed with good size however is not seen at the moment as a complete player. I think comparisons on JerMichael Finely are a little bit premature and it will take work from this coaching staff to help develop Egnew into a solid starter. Egnew also lacks strong blocking skills which will need to be developed.

The Dolphins got a pass rusher in a Oliver in the 3^rd round however I do not believe Oliver is a 3 down rusher and will be primarily used as a role player in the Dolphins hybrid defense. He fits a need, but I wouldn’t expect him to make a huge impact in 2012. Mike Mayock however loved the pick and saw Oliver as a potential 2^nd round talent.

The 4^th round selection of Lamar Miller might be the most interesting one. The local Miami boy was seen as a second round talent and maybe even the second best back coming into the draft and slid all the way to the Dolphins in the 4^th. While I love the pick because of Miller’s ability to run the ball and due to the scary feeling I had when watching Daniel Thomas last year. Reggie Bush also does have prior injury history as well as will probably be used as a WR throughout the year this year. The Miller pick leaves the Dolphins with a lot of depth at the position and hopefully a strong running game which will help when Ryan Tannehill hits the field.

While this wasn’t necessarily a sexy draft, I believe in 2013/2014 the Dolphins could see serious benefits. This draft will come down to one thing: Ryan Tannehill. Any draft where you find a franchise QB is a pretty dam good one.

Another note is that I like the Dolphins bringing in undrafted free agent WR Jeff Fuller from Texas A&M , it can’t hurt for Tannehill to have the familiarity of one of his former wide receivers in camp.

I think it is a little premature to give draft grades and we don’t know what will be of these players however I will say that this draft was very encouraging to me as a fan because finally after 13 years I can say we might have found ourselves a QB.  The obvious only major concern from this draft being that the Dolphins might have the weakest wide receiving core in the NFL. But hey, maybe there is something the Dolphins brass knows about Roberto Wallace that we don’t.

That being said have patience Dolphins fans, 2012/2013 might be a difficult season but it’s a process, Rome wasn’t built over night and neither will the Miami Dolphins been.

For those wondering, Mel Kiper gives the #Dolphins draft an overall C grade: B on needs, D+ on value.

Here’s to Ryan and Lauren Tannehill and here’s to the future of Miami Dolphins football, Fins Up !