The Dolphins' mock: Rounds 1 through 3

This Dolphins draft is as much about quantity as quality only in that the team has to find a way to stave off the Patriots with their legion of five picks in the first three round and the Bills, which have only three picks the first three rounds but are taking their turns at the top of those rounds.

The Dolphins have a first round pick (15th overall) and are not scheduled to pick again until the third round with the 79th overall selection. The Pats will have picked five times by then.

I gave this long consideration as I set out to do my Dolphins mock for the first three rounds.

Having thought about it, I decided the Dolphins must move heaven and Earth to get back that one of two second round picks they used in the trade for, ahem, Brandon Marshall. And that's why my mock includes a trade back for Miami.

I believe the Dolphins will have the opportunity to trade back and for my purposes today I am saying the trade back partner is New Orleans. The Saints, you see, are a team on the cusp of playing for another title. They are thisclose to getting back to Super Bowl caliber. And so they need quality, not quantity. They want to get higher in the draft to pick a more dynamic player, and likely a defender in this defender-rich draft.

So for our purposes I'm making a trade for Miami.

(Full disclosure: This is just done in fun and as speculation. This is not based on anything sources are saying has been discussed or will happen. Just want to let everyone know that because the Internet can be a freaky place.)

I envision the trade as follows: The Dolphins trade their first round pick (No. 15 overall) and their third round pick (No. 79 overall) to New Orleans. The Dolphins get the Saints' first round pick (No. 24 overall), their second-round pick (No. 56 overall) and one of their third round picks (No. 88 overall).

What does this accomplish. It gets the Saints nine spots higher in the first round ostensibly to pick a better player. It moves the Dolphins down to a place in the draft I believe the value for what they're looking for -- running back, offensive line, wide receiver -- is greater.

Yes, the Saints lose their second rounder. But they have two third-rounders anyway. Yes, the Dolphins have to drop back in their third round. That's the price of dropping in on the previously closed-to-them second round.

And so here we are, at No. 24 overall in the first round.

With the 24th overall selection in the 2011 NFL draft, the Miami Dolphins select: Mike Pouncey (Center) of the University of Florida. I hate the pick. And I love the pick. I hate it because Pouncey will never score touchdowns. But I love it because it is a value selection at No. 24 -- five spots lower than where his brother Markice went to Pittsburgh. I also love it because the Dolphins need a center to solidify their offensive line. The position has been unsettled since 2008. Joe Berger is nice but his best asset to the team is as a backup. Pouncey could be the starter for the next decade.

With the 56th overall selection in the 2011 NFL draft, the Miami Dolphins select: Daniel Thomas (Running back) Kansas State. Mark Ingram will be gone by this spot. So will Mikel Leshoure, whom I would think the Dolphins will consider in the first round but pass on because he's not a value at No. 15 nor No. 24 for that matter. So it's the next best guy on the board at Miami's greatest position of need. Ryan Williams is also a candidate here, but I just think Thomas is bigger, quicker and fumbles less. Don't hate.

With the 88th overall selection in the 2011 NFL draft, the Miami Dolphins select: Traiwan Jones (Running back) Eastern Washington. I'm more excited about this running back than the previous one, but this one is too risky to take in the second round. Jones is a bullet. He ran a 4.30 on the Miami scouts' stopwatches at his Pro Day two weeks ago. He is a home run waiting to happen and the Dolphins need some of those on offense and special teams. By the way, the Dolphins have doubled down on draft picks before, picking two cornerbacks in the 2009 draft. I hope Arkansas tight end D.J. Williams will be here when Miami picks but he probably won't be. I love that kid. He reminds me of Keith Jackson.

I know, I know, you're going to wonder why I didn't address the QB spot. Well, this doesn't mean I'm on board the Chad Henne bandwagon. If you read my columns, this blog and listen to my radio show, you know that already. But I wait to address it in free agency. I go get a veteran.

OK, that's a lot to chew on. And there is much work for you to do. It is your turn to give me your Dolphins mock for rounds 1 through 3. If you believe the Dolphins will trade, you have to use that scenario in your draft as I did.

We will do rounds 4-7 next week.

Go!

Comments

[greg z.]

DD, they had to limit henne's attempts to 40 for the season on passes 20+ yds. the reason is henne couldnt throw a touch pass or one that could clear the underneath backers and in front of the safety's. he throws a straight line ball that gets batted down at the line of scrimmage much of the time. he cant put it up and over or lead a receiver for that matter. henne got a vote of "no confidence", deservedly so, from the offensive coord. and coach. henne didnt complete those throws the last 3 years in camp either.

[dm1dolphan]

lol. everyone stay tuned for greg z's exclusive reports from the dolphins training camps this season.

[greg z.]

dm1, hope to see you at camp! you can judge for yourself in person without relying on reading about it.

[dm1dolphan]

i think DD gave a pretty good analysis of the situation. a quarterback needs to have confidence his o-line is going to sustain its blocks long enough for him to make the longer throws. long pass plays take LONGER to develop and the dolphins really had no deep threat receiver that could get downfield. DB's favorite thing to talk about is "8 in the box" but, at the same time, we had receivers who had trouble getting off the line of scrimmage. we also didn't have receivers who were capable of running by db's and getting open long. we had one guy in marshall who go up and get the ball but if you double him you take away the ability to throw it up for grabs and let him make a play on the ball. it all sound very simple to some of the guys that post on here but if it were so simple they would be coaching in the nfl.
aaron rodgers threw a lot of long balls last year and averaged a little over 8 ypc but he, arguably, had the best receiving corps in the league. he also had an o-line that was capable of blocking for the run and the pass. before you go burying henne take a good look at why other qb's who are successful and see what kind of supporting talent they have surrounding them. then make your evaluation based on facts instead of emotion.

[greg z.]

dm1, i do understand your point of view. i agree to a point. but did you knoe in camp they were concerned about henne's ball trajectory? he threw a flat ball,6' off the ground to target. they decided to make him throw the ball over the goalpost crossbar and into the receivers arms who were positioned well behind the goalpost. so it was way up and over to a receiver. he couldnt complete those drills successfully. his passes were batted down at the line on several occasions and he struggled completing any throw over 20 yds without a pass rush in practice. we all hope he suddenly improves and wins the qb job. we have alot invested! i do agree the coaching/playcalling didnt help him succeed however.

[swatlantadolfan]

I'd b happy with that,but I would like to see Deangelo Williams instead of the second back

[Will]

In free agency the dolphins are getting deangelo williams and wr sims walker. So neither of those 2 positions will be addressed early on in the draft. I think o-line, qb and te will be our first 3 picks in what ever order.

[HAWK1052]

Its not sexy, but a good mock draft, considering what is available in this draft.

If we hit on 2 out of the first three, we will be greatly improved over last year.

[ALoco]

let's face it 96 percent of the nfl experts DON'T KNOW ANY THING WHAT THEY R TALKING ABOUT ,THEY JUST FILL THE AIRWAVES AND USE INK TO JUSTFY IT ............................. COME DRAFT DAY DOLPHINS WILL DRAFR PEOPLE OFF THE RADER SCEERN LIKE THE RED HIR HEAD ANDY DALTON .

[DyingBreed]

dm1,

Guarantee you if Henne's the starter in 2011 you guys will still be talking about the oline's run and pass blocking sucks. Especially when the new rb's are no more effective than Ronnie and Ricky.

These coaches do nfl for a living. They eat, sleep, and breath it. Unlike amatuer posters here who think they have all of the answers,

These "PROFESSIONAL" coaches did not all of a sudden get stupid because Henne's our qb. Henne plain sucks as a consistent downfield passer. If he didnt they would have him throw downfield far more often. Duh......

Hey Einsteins, football 101.."YOU CANNOT HAVE CONSISTENT RUN SUCCESS WITHOUT DECENT DOWNFIELD PASSING SUCCESS!"

EVEN IF YOU HAVE 5 ALL PRO LINEMEN. GLAD YOU GUYS ARENT OUR COACHES BECAUSE YOU WOUILD NEVER FIGURE OUT HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM. HOPEFULLY THIS COACHING STAFF DOES. LOL..........

[ALoco]

I SEE OIL TAKING A DIVE TODAY ..... SHORT OIL WHILE IT'S UP A DOLLAR TO 113.

[DyingBreed]

In 2010, Henne was terrible at blitz pick up at the line. Dont know wth some of you were watching but at times I personally witnessed Henne walking right into sacks when the pressure wasnt really there. He created pressure and sacks by walking right into.

Sure there are times when evry oline has some issues. That's exactly why you dont need your qb walking into sacks to boot.

Even while commentating a game Steve Young said "HENNE GOES THRU HIS PROGRESSIONS FAR TOO QUICKLY".

This isnt me saying this, its a hof SB winning qb saying this. Still you guys say the wr's couldnt get open. Ever consider Steve(a 2 time SB winning hof qb) may have much better insight into this than you "Amatuers"?

[Cuban Menace]

have consumed vast quantities of alcohol today.

At the onset of this binge, I was at first sympathetic to those in my domain---perhaps even a bit melancholy about the cruel punishments I have doled out from time to time on the populace. Well, NOT ANYMORE!

As I have descended into full drunkenness, I am reminded that you peons are nothing more than ignorant, halwitted chimpanzees whose only purpose in life is to serve ME and provide moments of royal amusement to me and the gang of Royal Thugs who enforce my edicts.

Let the word be spread across the land to every man woman and child: My rule is absolute and those who dissent will be SEVERELY punished!

I HAVE SPOKEN!

Posted by: Empress of Pineapples | April 24, 2011 at 11:47 PM

I Love The Empress!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DyingBreed]

ALoco,

Watched financial news this weekend and it was reported oil prices may have peaked for now. So short oil in the short term isnt really surprising. The "summer blend" price hike is just around the blend. LOL...

[DyingBreed]

A few times Henne had wr's 5-7yds wide open he under or overthrew them by at least 5yds. That was with nearly zero pass pressure.

But Im sure some of you were in the bathroom taking a crap and missed seeing this. LOL............

[Cuban Menace]

Guys I hear the Oil companys sre releasing there QTR report, The say they'll posting record profit numbers,meanwhile gas goes over 4 dollars a gallon and America continues down a rocky path, The CEO fat cats get richer while the middle class continues to dissapear..., When will the madness end?????????

[ALoco]

CUBAN, SHORT OIL WHILE IT'S UP 10 TODAY ,WILL CLOSE DOWN .

[ALoco]

SORRY , I MEANT GOLD

[Cuban Menace]

Aloco, I'll check it out...........

[Miamisam]

If Miami does not draft a QB high they will lose half of their season ticket holders. The owner could not force Parcells to draft a player that excites the fan base but he sure can force Ireland to do so. The first round pick is a QB (not sure which one yet) that the owner forces Ireland to take. Ross needs to fill those seats and Pouncey does not fill seats, plus he is not his brother, he is Ozzie to Jose, Pouncey would be a wasted pick, did you not watch him snap the ball over the QB's head like 100 times last year at Florida?? At best he is a guard not a center.

[ALoco]

MIAMISAM.

AGREE POUNCY IS A HYPED PLAYER .... NEED A QB .......... RB.......TE........

[Cuban Menace]

I Agree sammy, If they pick a O-Lineman I might just go crazy,even if they did the fist pumper(A former O-line coach) Will screw it up anyway, Let's just say the up coming season will be a wash, I dont see "Fisty" making it past week 10, at which point the Mighty air-breathers might be 2 and 7.....Sorry I have no faith in a coach that lose's to the Browns,Lion's and Bill's in the final 5 weeks of the season... At home none the less........

[Cuban Menace]

AGREE POUNCY IS A HYPED PLAYER .... NEED A QB .......... RB.......TE........

Posted by: ALoco | April 25, 2011 at 09:47 AM

Aloco, I thought Henne was your boy???, Your "Flip-Flopping", What's up with that??

[Kerry]

One of the top rated players in this draft will fall lower than they're supposed to, to pick #15. That's who the Fins will likely take. Not a heart-warming example, but it will be similar to the Phillip Merling pick a few years ago. If nobody exciting falls to #15, Fins should trade down and pick up a 2nd round QB with the extra pick. If Parcells taught Ireland and CO anything, it's that taking the best available talent is almost always the way to go.

[ALoco]

CUBAN,

HENNE WILL TAKE US TO THE PROMISING LAND IN 2011 ,STILL NEED QB TO MAKE HIM BETTER .

[Chris]

I agree, the dolphins will trade down, but I see them trading out of the first round and stockpiling picks. I think they can end up with two 2nds, one 3rd, and two 4ths (and an additional 7th). Use the first 5 picks for QB, OG/C, RB, RB, and TE. Pick up a OG/C in the 5th round, then a fast receiver in the 6th, then use the 7th round picks for a LB, NT, and QB. Thats right two QB draft picks. Drop back into the first part of the 2nd round and take Mallett, then take a developmental guy in the 7th to be the 3rd QB, keep Henne, get rid of Thigpen. Pennington needs to retire and coach.

[Cuban Menace]

Aloco.... Really??, Already drinking I see, Good god man, It's only 10 am.....LOL

[ALoco]

AFTER MARSHALL STORY;;;;;;;

1- MARK INGRAM IS HISTORY
2-MALLET IS HISTORY
3-POUNCY IS HISTORY

........... QB THEN RB THEN TE OR WR

[ALoco]

CUBAN, WHAT'S SO STRANGE ABOUT HENNE DOING REAL WELL IN HIS SECOND YEAR AS THE DOLPHINS QB ???????

ANY GREAT QB NEEDS 3 YEARS TO COME TO BE VERY GOOD QB .

DB, HELP ME VS THE CUBAN .

KRIS, WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS RE MALLET AFTER WAS REVEALED HE WENT TO DOWN TOWN WITH SOUTHERN CHICKS IN THE (( SICK NIGHT )) ?

[Cuban Menace]

Aloco, He's starting his third year, and dont give me that garbage that QB needs "3 years" to show he's elite.., even when Troy Aikman was guideing the Cowboys to 1 and 15 you knew he was gonna be good, I can give you more examples but let's face it, Henne is not the answer.....

[Darryl Dunphy]

Dying Breed....I think successful downfield passing is a stat you should take a look at. Put aside all the top tier qbs(Manning, Brady, Rodgers, Brees)and you will be suprised at how low their percentage of completions are when throwing passes over 20 yards.

The real key is attempts. The threat of the long pass is much more effective then the thought of routinley completing them. It just doesn't happen as much as passes thrownin the zone of 1-10...or even 11-20.

I looked at a bunch of splits from Nfl quarterbacs to find this information. The quarterbacks I named above I actually did no research on because they do not face 8 man fronts as many times as younger qb's The defensive coordinators know these guys would eat their lunch. NOT by long pass threats. but by surgical precision in the short to medium pass range. That set up longer pass plays.

[kris]

Aloco....I haven't seen the story.....i'll look for it.....

[Chris]

Henne will have to step up and be the starter this year or else he will lose his job to a rookie. The lack of offseason workouts hurts Henne. He has to make a huge jump in his play, completion %, and reading defense this coming year, or else in the end Henne is a career backup in the NFL.

[Darryl Dunphy]

...Also the idea that you cannot run it against 8 man fronts is wrong. Take Brian Dabolls Clevland Browns...Their whole freekin offense was Peyton Hillis. A slow big lumbering back. The idea you need a down the feild thrower to beat defenses is a myth.

That team, or quarterbacks were constantly facing 8 man fronts. Probably more then any team in football. Yet they managed to run the ball fine. Their 3 quarterbacks combined threw it deep(I consider deep passes of 20 yards or more through the air) 43 times...That is 3 more then Henne did by 3 different Qb's.

Did they have a dynamic offense..Absolutley not. But they did have a running game. And it proves the theory you have to have a down the field thrower to run the ball with 8 man fronts Totaly false.

[kris]

Aloco...i see no new news posted.....its a he said-she said fromk both sides....

You got a link you want to direct me to...I will check it out....

[DyingBreed]

DD,

Pretty exactly what I mean about Henne. Just plain ugly 20+ yards. His actual completion percentage very decieving. Too many inside 10yds, far too many checkdown 4-5yd passes.

Henne's 3rd down conversion rate maybe 5% when facing 3rd and 7 or more. He seems to struggle mightily with anything beyond 12yds downfield.

[DyingBreed]

DD,

3rd and 10, DC's are still s*hitting their pants with Manning. Brady, Rodgers behind center. 3rd and 10 with Henne DC's are having wet dreams.

[Cuban Menace]

Breed, You can even throw in the kid in Tampa with that group, Not sure his name but even Tampa Bay Has a Good QB, Though I must admit, The fins need so many needs, QB,RB,Head coach,GM,Owner, where do you start????

[Darryl Dunphy]

Dying...Check this out...Brady threw the ball between 1-10 yards 284 times..

He threw it 20 yards or more...Get ready...36 times. Only 36 times. This is 2 times a game. I was shocked at this number. Looking at old game footage. The Pats were always facing 8 man fronts..always. It was surgical precision in which Brady carved up oopponets.

I know the Brady comparison is not fair because he is Elite..We cannot expect a Tom brady to walk through the doors. But I'm saying that there are more then 1 way to skin a cat.

[DyingBreed]

ALoco,

Post Marino era we have invested 4 2nd rd picks to finding his replacement(Feeley, Beck, Henne, White). Armando says its good to give a 2nd rd'er for Palmer, Some posters here says its good idea to give 2nd rd'er for Eagles qb.

Then some posters say trade back for a 2nd rd'er and use it for one of this years's 2nd rd qb's. Geesh, we've used 4 2nd rd picks trying to find Marino's replacement. When will we stop wasting 2nd rd picks on qb's.

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. See the "insane" pattern here? One day our idiots will wake up and realize we need to spend a 1st rd pick at qb whether it works out the first time or not.

What we've been doing absolutely has not worked out.(2nd rd picks on qb's, 4 and counting).

[Darryl Dunphy]

Dying...I completley agree. Remember the first jet Game. The whole idea was to take away the run and make Sanchez throw it to beat us. Well he did, and that strategy backfired.

Fast forward to Henne. I think defensive coordinators knew if they could get the Dolphins to bite. And allow Henne to throw it. Eventually he would make a mistake. Via interception,or poor decision. They knew if given enough rope. eventually Henne would hang himself. This was simple game planning by the opposition. We fell for it, and had him back there chucking it 30-40 times a game.

[Cuban Menace]

DD, The Pats beat teams in different ways every week it seems, One week it's with Brady, the next week it's with Specal teams(Miami in week 4) then they beat a team with there deffence, that's the diffinition of a great team, and the kicker is last year was to be a "rebuilding" year for them...incredible.Now they have 5 picks in the 1st 3 rounds, Ho does this happen????????

[DyingBreed]

DD,

Come on, get real! No DC in his right mind consistently gives Brady 8 in the run box. The key is "consistently". They mix it up with upper echelon qb's. Give them the same look to regularly and they eat your lunch.

Seems youre making sound as if Brady see * in the run box as regular as Henne. Plus the numerous 1-10yd passes were to Welker and Woodhead. 2 very quick guys who turn 4yd passes to 8-12yd gainers and first downs.

[Darryl Dunphy]

Cuban....They get guys that nobody wants that fit into their system,and make good players out of them. Think about Wes Welker, or that freekin oompa loompa Danny Woodhead. Or Deion Branch. Super Bowl MVP.Signs a big contract in Seattle. Is deemed a bust there. New England gets him back on the cheap. And he blows up again.

What I think it is, and what we lack are these 2 things. Leadeship, and a clear vision of our identitiy. This team has no idea what it is. If you were to ask a casual fan how would you describe the Miami Dolphins? They would find it hard to answer that question.Imagine how the players feel?

[ALoco]

HTTP;//NETWORK.YARDBAKER.COM/NFL/ARTICLEEXTERNAL/MALLET.SKIPPED-TEAM-MEETING

[ALoco]

ARTICLE-EXTERNAL

[DyingBreed]

Rex Ryan pretty much beat Brady by having corners jam at the line, multiple looks, lb's and dlinemen dropping into passing lanes, then blitzing when he thinks theyre dropping into coverage and vice versus.

The Pats are a timing oriented offense. All of the multiple looks, ddropping back not dropping back, and jamming primary recievers at the line. Threw Brady's timing off and forced him to hold the ball longer and made him just a little more indecisive. Allowing the pressure to get there.

[Cuban Menace]

If you were to ask a casual fan how would you describe the Miami Dolphins? They would find it hard to answer that question

DD, They'd say "Cellar Dwellers" for the past 7 years(Except for 1 year)...................., The Madness needs to stop...........

[ALoco]

I AGREE WITH DB POST@10;45 AND his take on DD @10;52 AM.

DD,
YOUR POSTS OF LATE ARE WAY OFF BALANCE .

[DyingBreed]

Ryan had zero fear of the Pats run game with Woodhead as the primary ball carrier beating him. Woodhead's a talented all purpose rb but he's not going to single handily beat you rushing the ball alone.

[Darryl Dunphy]

Dying...My second post of the day kind of excluded Brady. I just mentioned him because I hadn't checked his splits. When I did I was stunned at how The Pats threw the ball. Then I checked some Tivo stuff, and low and behold. Defenses were stacking the Box.

Go look at the Jet playoff game. The jets had pressure, They had Revis in the nickel corner spot, and guys stacked inside of the box. Maybe my definition is different then yours. But go look. They clogged the middle of the field, and took away all of those short routes that are essentially New Englands run plays. Perhaps this was the blueprint. The jets knew Ne. tendancies(I think) and figured out they rarely throw it down the field. By jamming the center of the field. They took away the bite of their offense.

[kris]

Aloco....nothing new from that link....

[Cuban Menace]

Aloco, Make DD a member of G.O.D...(Gang of defeat)...LOL

[DyingBreed]

DD,

The Pats arent such geniuses, they have Tom Brady to make it all go. Send Brady to Miami and Henne to the Pats, then offensively we would be much better and the Pats would struggle to even become a wildcard playoff team.

Hell, with Brady here Marshall easily has 1500yds recieving in 2010! LOL...........

[ALoco]

THE SOUTHERN CHICKS KRIS,AFTER MALLET MET WITH THE PANTHERS GUYS ,HE WENT ON TO BE INTOXICATED AND THEN HE WENT WITH SOUTHERN CHICKS TO DOWN TOWN .......

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS GUY SMILE,YOU GET SCARED .

[Cuban Menace]

Breed,I think it's also the coach there(Hoodie)like Bum Phillips once said about Don Shula "Give him yours and he'll beat his,give him his and he'll beat yours".........

[JB]

Henne is not a Starter. Chicago & Green Bay back ups are better than him. We'll be better off with Hasselbeck or Stanton. Draft Hankerson & Demarco Murray so we can Win.

[DyingBreed]

Cuban,

Shula also had 2 hof qb's during his tenure as Dolphins coach. Simply amazing how hof qb's make all hc's seem like geniuses. LOL.......

[Cuban Menace]

Breed, you sound like Don(God of all coaches)Shula was just lucky, LMAO ...

[Patrick]

Are you forgetting Johnny U? Shula had 3!