Draft evaluation

[J Lunis]

OK, we've had a few days to evaluate Miami's picks and make a less
emotional review of the players they took and 'should have' taken.
Here is your chance. Play GM WITHOUT the benefit of hindsight. Who
would you have taken with which pick? Which draft pick was a 'mistake'
and which 'miss' will Miami regret come December? None of this
coulda, woulda, shoulda crap after the results are in. No 'picked Ryan
Leaf' and 'coulda had Peyton Manning' as if ANY GM (Ireland) should have
known who was going to make All-Pro. REAL GMs don't have that luxury.

For me, I like the 1st 2 picks. I don't know enough about the remainder
to have an opinion. (Although I do wonder why so many UDFA WRs were
signed.)

What is it? Who was the 'wrong' pick and who SHOULD have been taken?

[Deadmeat]

I've got no idea who they should have taken. But I like Jordan, Jamar
Taylor, Will Davis, and the TE Sims. This is just based on what I've
read after the draft.

[euph...@mindspring.com]

On Wednesday, May 1, 2013 8:16:01 AM UTC-5, J Lunis wrote:
> OK, we've had a few days to evaluate Miami's picks and make a less emotional review of the players they took and 'should have' taken. Here is your chance. Play GM WITHOUT the benefit of hindsight. Who would you have taken with which pick? Which draft pick was a 'mistake' and which 'miss' will Miami regret come December? None of this coulda, woulda, shoulda crap after the results are in. No 'picked Ryan Leaf' and 'coulda had Peyton Manning' as if ANY GM (Ireland) should have known who was going to make All-Pro. REAL GMs don't have that luxury. For me, I like the 1st 2 picks. I don't know enough about the remainder to have an opinion. (Although I do wonder why so many UDFA WRs were signed.) What is it? Who was the 'wrong' pick and who SHOULD have been taken?

Since you ask, I would have done what most people expected the Dolphins were going to do when they moved up... I would have selected Lane Johnson.

In many ways, Ireland's pick was the better (player available) but it was not a position that I saw as being as dire as the need at LT and I knew nothing about Dion.

If you're asking would I have traded up, the answer is "yes" had the same deal with the Raiders been agreeable. I find that to be the aspect of this that would have been most objectionable to the critics were someone to have suggested that the Raiders would agree to such a deal. If I had written: "The Dolphins must trade up to the #3 spot while spending only their #12 and #42 in the bargain," I suspect that people would have concluded that I was deluded. I would have agreed.

There are multiple other players that I could have said were on my list at #12 - and I did just that... I really liked what had been written about Vaccaro and a couple of other CB/DB types. That's where my money would have gone... if not the OL. DE? Not on my radar. I knew there was a reason why I'm not working as a GM in the NFL.

I do not know at what point I would have "discovered" Dion. Probably not before going through a lot of other possible choices. I estimate at least a dozen other names would have made sense to me before his name would light up on any list I compiled.

[J Lunis]

I must admit, I expected Johnson's name to be called and was surprised
by Jordan - basically, because I knew little about him other than he was
highly rated. That said, the more I read, the more I like the pick.
While Miami's secondary looked, and was rated, second-rate, I lost track
of how many times the opposing QB had 4-6 seconds to pick out a
receiver. Cutting that to 2-3 will make any secondary a lot better.

As you know, I wanted Eifert at #12. Now, that debate is theoretical.
Miami had the #3 pick. For purposes of this post, no other options
exist. Given that, I have you down as Johnson over Jordan.

[euphemism]

Well, I can only say that I read the tea leaves all wrong - I do not
know, any more than anyone does, whether Lane or Dion will be "jokes" by
the time three years have passed or if they will both be Pro Bowl
players. Color me convinced by the experts that the three top LT
candidates were all in the "likely to succeed" category.

My actual leanings in the draft in the 1st round would almost always be
a preference for an elite skill position offensive player. None in this
class were deemed worthy of the sort of love. I again rely on the
opinion of others.

[Deadmeat]

I'm glad they didn't take Johnson. You don't need a number one draft
pick to have a tackle that can get the job done. Obviously they haven't
found one yet, but it can be done.

Pass rusher was also a need, and they got the highest rated one, so I'm
happy with that.

[Stoobz]

"J Lunis" <lunis.@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:klr4cd$52b$1...@dont-email.me...

I am fond of the Gillislee and Caleb Sturgis picks, although taking a kicker
with a 5th is tough. Supposedly the CBs can play and I like what I've seen
of the TE.

Dion Jordan - I guess we will have to wait. I am happy it wasn't Lane
Johnson at least.

[J Lunis]

A number of writers have him as top 1,2, or 3 kicker, which explains a
little of why Miami drafted him. Since Ireland said he picks
horizontally, maybe no other name was on his 5 list.