Dolphins sign undrafted players

According to the Miami Herald, the Dolphins signed West Virginia RB Kay-Jay Harris, Miami QB Brock Berlin, Marshall WR Josh Davis, and LSU LB Lionel Turner.

Undrafted free agents rarely make the team. I would say that Kay-Jay Harris has the best chance, although I'm not very familiar with Davis or Turner.

Draft thoughts

Now that I've had a couple of days to digest the draft, I think the Dolphins had a solid but unspectacular draft. By no means do I expect the team to be title contenders because of who they picked, but I can see Brown becoming the starting RB, and Roth and Crowder getting significant playing time. Daniels will most likely be a backup CB or nickel back.

My biggest beef is why didn't the Dolphins trade down? Ronnie Brown is a good back, but there are no assurances that he's any better than Cedric Benson or the "Cadillac". The draft is as much crapshoot as science, so why not help your odds by getting more picks? If the Dolphins had traded with Cleveland or Tampa Bay, two teams rumored to be interested in moving up, they would have still gotten one of the top RBs in the first round, plus one or more additional high round picks.

Final draft tally

Here are the six players the Dolphins drafted. Note that the Dolphins did not have a sixth round pick this year.

1st - RB Ronnie Browm, Auburn
2nd - DE Matt Roth, Iowa
3rd - LB Channing Crowder, Florida
4th - CB Travis Daniels, LSU
5th - OT Anthony AlAbi, TCU
7th - DT Kevin Vickerson, Michigan State

Of the second day picks, I hope Daniels turns out to be a steal. Since he played for Saban at LSU, Saban should know him better than any coach in the NFL, so if the Dolphins selected him, it'd better be for good reason!

Ronnie Brown is #2

There were no trades. No Alex Smith. No Braylon Edwards. The Dolphins selected RB Ronnie Brown with the #2 pick in the draft. Brown was the predicted selection in most mock drafts leading up to the last two weeks, before rumors and innuendos intensified regarding trading the pick or using it on Alex Smith (which wouldn't have happened anyway since the 49ers picked him first) or Braylon Edwards.

In the second round, the Dolphins got Iowa DE Matt Roth, and in the third round, Florida LB Channing Crowder. All in all, the Dolphins did about average so far. Roth and Crowder seemed to be products of Saban's "draft the best player available" philosophy. Both have been projected to go as high as the first round by some prognosticators, but neither fills a pressing need. I hope the Dolphins focus more on offense tomorrow.

Dolphins trade Surtain

The Dolphins traded Patrick Surtain to the Chiefs for a second round pick. The teams will also swap fifth round picks in tomorrow's draft.

Surtain, one of the best cornerbacks in the game, is clearly worth more than a second round pick, but this was a salary cap move. With Surtain gone, the Dolphins cleared over $8 million of cap space to sign draft picks and free agents. The Chiefs had been offering a fourth round pick for a while but finally agreed to the Dolphins' demand for a second round pick.

Dolphins to draft QB at #2?

Coach Saban has indicated that if the Dolphins keep the #2 pick in the draft, and the 49ers select Aaron Rodgers with the #1, then Miami will select Utah QB Alex Smith #2. Saban said before that he would pick the best available athlete regardless of need, and apparently he believes Smith to be a better athlete than any of the RBs available.

There is also a possibility that the Dolphins will trade their first round pick with Tampa Bay, who also likes Smith. Tampa has the fifth pick in the draft.

2005 Schedule

The Dolphins' 2005 season schedule has been released. For the first time since 1970, the Dolphins will not be on prime time TV. All games are scheduled for the afternoon. Obviously, network executives do not believe the Dolphins are worth showing this year.

This is a bummer for Dolphins fans like myself who don't live in Miami. There's no guarantee that I'll see any Dolphins games on TV this year. :-(

The Draft - Part 2

The draft is two weeks away, and the mock drafts I've seen are still predicting the Dolphins will pick RB Ronnie Brown.

Coach Saban has been quoted as saying (1) the Dolphins will trade their #2 overall pick in the draft if the offer is acceptable, and (2) he believes in drafting the best available player with the #2 pick rather than draft for need. It's difficult to say who the Dolphins believe are the best players in this year's draft, but there is still a high likelihood they will pick Brown if they keep the pick.

The Draft

The NFL draft will take place in a few weeks, with the Dolphins holding the #2 pick in the draft (behind the 49ers). Most draft experts I've read predict that the Dolphins will draft Auburn RB Ronnie Brown. Running back is certainly one of the Dolphins' biggest needs, but last season exposed the fact that the team has several holes to fill, including the offensive line, where last season's first round pick, Vernon Carey, has proven to be a bust so far.

If I were coach Saban, I would trade the #2 pick away in return for additional picks. This year's draft isn't very top-heavy, and good players will be available later in the first round. However, because there are no superstars at the top of the draft, trading the pick may be difficult.