Miami Dolphins In Depth

Source: Ross is not pushing for anyone

Last week, Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland told the media he has pretty much made up his mind which player he wants to take in the first round of Thursday's NFL draft.

Well, if you believe this report in profootballtalk.com citing a league source, Ireland had better hope he picked Ryan Tannehill because otherwise he's going to be under a lot of pressure in the coming days. The report says "the man pushing hardest for Tannehill is owner Stephen Ross."

I have just had an e-mail exhcange with a very, very, very highly placed source within the Dolphins organization. In very colorful language the source tells me the profootballtalk.com report is not true.

I suppose it is now up to you to figure out what to believe.

The pft report suggests the reason Ross wants Tannehill is because "Ross needs to find a way for his team to stand out as it otherwise fades into the South Florida sports landscape.  Tannehill will make a difference in 2012.  If he fails, they’ll be no worse off in 2013 and beyond than they otherwise would have been."

Let me say this:

I can totally see Ross giving his opinion on players. He has done it in the past. My source, meanwhile, tells me Ross has not had any conversation with Jeff Ireland telling him which player to pick and that conversation will not happen, either.

Secondly, it's simply wrong to suggest the Dolphins drafting Tannehill will improve ticket sales in 2012. It will definitely not do so during the current period. It probably won't do so in training camp, either because everyone, including fans, know Tannehill is probably not going to start for Miami in 2012 even if he gets drafted -- at least not coming out of the gate. The kid is simply too raw to beat out veterans Matt Moore or David Garrard. So there's that.

Finally, pft says there's no guarantee that if Ross is pressing for Tannehill he'll get his way. Really? If Ross says draft Armando Salguero in the first round, Ireland will do that and try to make the case I have an under-rated arm. Trust me, whatever the owner wants, he gets.

In this instance, however, my source tells me the owner isn't telling the football people what he wants.

By the way, I may have not used enough verys earlier. Just saying.

Cox, Gilmore possibilities if Tannehill is not the pick

Jeff Ireland says he already knows which player he would pick Thursday evening with the Dolphins top draft pick. He is not, however, telling us the name of that player.

Most experts believe Ryan Tannehill is that player. I agree that is likely the choice.

But my column today gives you the name of one player the Dolphins are considering and could be the pick if Tannehill isn't the guy. That guy is Mississippi State defensive lineman Fletcher Cox.

Cox is a monster. He is a defensive tackle. He is a five-technique defensive end with pass-rush ability. And in nickel and dime situations he can be both an end or the interior rusher. I remind you pass-pressure is something the Dolphins must address.

The column tells you why Cox is a better pick than Quinton Coples. And as for those of you suggesting Dontari Poe, forget about it. Poe is a great workout guy, but didn't play near the competition and didn't produce all that much, either.

I also give you the name of a second-round possibility for Miami in the column. Think right tackle.

One name I wanted to add but didn't have the room as a first-round pick possibility is Stephon Gilmore, the cornerback from South Carolina. Gilmore has steadily risen up draft boards and is now considered a legitimate top 10 pick.