 |
| Pat White Is Now Gone |
The Miami Dolphins cut him after just one season of doing pretty much nothing. He was brought in to help with the Wildcat offense - among other things - and was unable to do so effectively.
But, just because the Dolphins made a mistake in drafting Pat White does not mean that they have been unsuccessful in drafts. In fact, they have been quite the opposite. Pat White is one of only a few mistake the Miami Dolphins have made in the NFL Draft in the past three years under the leadership of the "Trifecta".
Miami's top three draft picks from this years draft, for example, are all very strong candidates for starting jobs. First-round pick Jared Odrick is currently listed as the starter at defensive end, second-round pick Koa Misi is listed at the starting strong-side linebacker spot, and third-round pick John Jerry is listed as the starting right guard ahead of Cory Procter.
That sounds like a pretty good use of the Dolpins early-round picks, and with one of their late-round picks, Miami picked up CB Nolan Carroll. Carroll has been really impressive this preseason, and has exceeded all expectations that most fifth round picks would have.
As impressive as the 2010 NFL Draft was, it still couldn't match the draft in 2009. Here is a list of the starters with a small analysis of each:
Vontae Davis CB - 1st Round
Davis has turned into one of the premier CBs in the NFL. He is currently the number 1 CB on the Dolphins offense, and he matches up with the best receivers in the NFL.
Sean Smith CB - 2nd Round
Smith has also developed into a talented CB since he was drafted. As a rookie he started all 16 games last season. It figures that he will also be starting all 16 this year.
Brian Hartline WR - 4th Round
Hartline will be starting opposite of Brandon Marshall at the receiving spot. He has turned out to be a great pick for Miami. He lead the Dolphins receivers in receiving touchdowns and yards per reception.
Chris Clemons FS - 5th Round
This was a tremendous pick for the Dolphins, and although he didn't do much last season, his impact will be felt this season. The Dolphins main weakness coming into the offseason this year was the Free Safety position, but Clemons has since calmed those worries with an extremely good offseason. I would be willing to argue that he is among the top 3 Dolphins drafted in the last three years in terms of value.
The 2008 draft also provided the Dolphins with some key parts of our current team. We picked LT Jake Long with the first overall pick, and since then he has made the Pro Bowl every season in the league. We also acquired our current starting QB Chad Henne late in the second round. On defense Miami picked up Kendall Langford, who is listed as a starter at LE.
That seems like another good draft to me.
So, anyone who complains about the Dolphins drafting ability needs to do their research. Sure, Pat White was a big bust and a waste of a second round pick, but those things happen. The Dolphins currently have 10 starters from the last three draft classes. That is a pretty impressive number of starters for just three years.
I want to hear from you. How do you think the Dolphins have done in the past three NFL Drafts? Who do you think are the top three value picks (talent compared to round they were drafted in) of the draft, as well?
Subscribe to DolphinShout