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NFL Draft Recap

Well, we’ve all had a day to fully digest the 2008 NFL Draft. Think about all the moves that were made, the trades, the selections, and now even the undrafted free agents the team has signed to take to camp. First, here is a recap of the action of draft weekend.

TRADES

Dolphins get: LB Akin Ayodele, TE Anthony Fasano
Cowboys get: 4th round pick

Dolphins get: 115th (traded to Bears)
Eagles get: RB Lorenzo Booker

Dolphins get: 66th (DE Kendall Langford) and 176th (RB Jalen Parmele)
Lions get: 64th

Dolphins get: 110th (OT Shawn Murphy)
Bears get: 115th and 208th picks

SELECTIONS

1st pick, #1 overall - Jake Long, OT, Michigan
2nd pick, #32 overall - Phillip Merling, DE, Clemson
3rd pick, #57 overall - Chad Henne, QB, Michigan
4th pick, #66 overall - Kendall Langford, DE, Hampton
5th pick, #110 overall - Shawn Murphy, OG, Utah State
6th pick, #176 overall - Jalen Parmele, RB, Toledo
7th pick, #195 overall - Donald Thomas, OG, UConn
8th pick, #204 overall - Lex Hillard, RB, Montana
9th pick, #245 overall - Lionel Doton, DT, Arizona

Sean’s Draft Grade - A
Why: The Dolphins bulked up, a focus of Bill Parcells. Some people have said this draft class has no flash and is all meat and potatoes. GOOD. This team is one step up from an expansion squad. We have to build from the ground up and we’re building LARGE. My best grade would be an A+. We didn’t address needs at CB or WR, but since they were avoided for the entire draft I think the Triforce has a plan.

UNDRAFTED FREE AGENTS

Once you get past…perhaps Round 5, definitely Round 6, it starts to become better for a player to not be drafted. In those late rounds, teams tend to just be grabbing guys and seeing if they catch on. A team like the Lions, loaded at receiver, might take a wideout with their 7th round pick because why not? Low risk, high reward. Undrafted, a player can pick their team as well as try to negotiate a little (they don’t have much power, but if a team needs a position, a player has some leverage). Miami added 9 players during the draft, and then 8 more UFA’s to get ready for minicamp.

WR Davone Bess, Hawaii
QB/WR Jayson Foster, Georgia Southern
OT Daren Heerspink, Portland State
OT Mike Byrne, Delaware
OT Dan Gore, Boise State
K Dan Carpenter, Montana
LB Kelly Poppinga, BYU

TE Matt Mulligan, from Maine, did a little better than most UFA’s. The Dolphins actually signed him to a 2 year contract. Doesn’t guarantee he’ll make the roster, but he’ll get some better compensation if he doesn’t.

Once again, bulking up the lines. A couple of wideouts that should get a shot at the roster. TE is very important to a Parcells offense. Don’t be surprised if a majority of those guys make the active roster.

So what comes next? The biggest need is corner, and more WR help is needed. Miami should address that during the June roster cuts. The focus of this weekend was building. Not reaching for flashy talent, making moves that will be widely praised. Getting what we need, bulking up, and putting together the foundation.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 29th, 2008 at 12:24 am and is filed under Miami Dolphins. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.