Like a shopper checking off items on a grocery list, Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland began the first two days of the NFL Draft with an obvious priority on making sure he filled a few of the organization s emptier cupboards.
A center? Got it. A running back? Check. A speedy wide receiver and another potentially versatile weapon on offense? On Saturday s final afternoon of this year s draft, Ireland threw a couple in the cart.
We weren t really going in order of need, Ireland said Saturday. But for some reason, our draft board met our needs, which is good for us.
During a three-day event that provided six additions to the Dolphins roster, Ireland added at least three players who should make an immediate impact: Center Mike Pouncey, running back Daniel Thomas and wide receiver Edmond Gates.
And while more than a few in South Florida will argue Ireland forgot to hit the quarterback section of this store, he was quick to menti! on Saturday that he didn t need to do all of his shopping at the same spot.
We ll have to look in free agency if we re going to do that, Ireland said. The board didn t fall right for us to pick a quarterback. I didn t feel like we were desperate for one, so we didn t adjust our board to try to go after one.
That s not to say Chad Henne won t have competition by training camp. He just won t have it in the form of a fresh-faced rookie. Henne will, however, have more than a few new weapons to help his cause.
Before using two seventh-round picks on defensive players, the Dolphins devoted their first four selections to athletes on offense. Gates and fullback/tight end Charles Clay were the latest additions.
Some of you guys still have us in this 3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust thing, but we ll see how it goes, coach Tony Sparano said. We feel really good about where we are.
Gates might be among the more intriguing additions.
After lacking a speedy! deep threat last season to complement wide receiver Brandon M! arshall s ability in the middle of the field, the Dolphins picked up Gates, who ran a 4.35 at the NFL Scouting Combine this year.
Gates said the time, although very solid, was actually the slowest he s clocked. His fastest?
4.21, Gates said Saturday. But that was on a track surface.
Whatever. With that type of top-end speed, Gates mere ability to blow the top off of a defensive backfield will provide the rest of the offense with some serious assistance.
A basketball standout throughout high school, Gates didn t even begin playing football until an attempt to play basketball in junior college failed. He finished his last season at Abilene Christian with at least 100 yards in seven games.
He s probably the first player I ve ever drafted that didn t play high school football, Ireland said. But he has a tremendous skill set to play the game of football.
When you look at a guy with that kind of speed, that kind of explosiveness, those hands an! d that kind of body control, I m going to project he s going to be a very good player.
The Dolphins also have some interesting projections for Clay, their sixth-round pick who should serve as an H-back in the NFL. With the ability to play fullback and tight end in addition to some good receiving hands Miami will explore multiple ways to get Clay involved in the offense.
One thing we wanted to get away from is the predictability, Sparano said.
Aside from the offensive additions, the Dolphins also picked up a couple of seventh-round defensive players nose tackle Frank Kearse and cornerback Jimmy Wilson who will need to battle through some heavy competition to make the roster.
Wilson joins the Dolphins with a back story unlike any other in this draft. In 2007, Wilson was charged with murdering his aunt s boyfriend. He was eventually acquitted of the crime but not before spending two years behind bars during a pair of trials that determined he w! as not guilty.
I think spending two years in jail can change a ma! n, but I wanted to know what he was before that, Ireland said.
Ireland s research of the situation revealed a person, in his opinion, worthy of his new place on the Dolphins. Now, Wilson must also prove that he s an athlete worthy of a roster spot on an NFL team.
The same can be said for all six of the players drafted this weekend. But at least when it comes to the four new players on offense, they are entering an organization where their skills can certainly help.
Regardless of whether they are first-rounders or seventh-rounders, these players have to develop and go through this process to see if they have the right makeup, Ireland said. We feel like they have a great chance to project to pro players.
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