Sports Buzz: Dolphins draft nuggets

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ESPN's Mel Kiper: Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee. “[Colleague Todd] McShay will give me grief for taking Lee this high, but I like his upside and think he fits in early on as an outside linebacker who can get into gaps as a blitzer, cover in space and be a disruptive force on the defensive side of the ball. There are going to be growing pains, but I'm betting on Lee.

“[There’s] a clear need at cornerback and [Baylor's Xavien Howard] is a fit in the second round [at No. 42]. He's not coming in to fix the cornerback situation overnight, but that doesn't happen even with the top corners in the draft, and the physical tools are there to develop.”

• ESPN's Todd McShay: Clemson defensive end Shaq Lawson. “Mario Williams and Cameron Wake are both getting up there in age, so the Dolphins need to find a way to infuse some youth along their D-line in this draft. The more I watch Lawson, the more I love his game. It wasn't a fluke that he led the nation with 25.5 tackles for loss; he plays with a combination of quickness, power, technique and relentlessness that is hard to stifle.”

• NBC and SI's Peter King: Ohio State cornerback Eli Apple. "The guy Miami would love is Ezekiel Elliott [as I have reported here], but moving up for him would be extremely hard if he’s coveted by Dallas. Still, Apple’s an opportunistic pick, a pro-ready cornerback on a defense desperate for one, after starting for two years on an Ohio State defense that prepares its players so well for the NFL. Remember one thing, though, about the Dolphins: Mike Tannenbaum always is ready to move on draft day, so I don’t think it’s impossible that he could find a way to move up for Elliott, if Dallas passes on him."

• NFL.com's Charley Casserly: Lawson. "They continue to build their defensive line in an effort to beat New England."

• GM Junior’s Russ Lande: “Probably [Clemson corner] Mackensie Alexander would be my first choice. Sure, you would like to see more picks [he had none in college], but I’ll trade the picks for pass breakups.”

• NFL Net’s Charles Davis: Elliott, if there. If not, “and Hargreaves is still there, Hargreaves would be my highest-rated corner. It’s Hargreaves, Eli Apple, William Jackson, Alexander in that order. Hargreaves has everything.”

• CBS’ Rob Rang: Ohio State LB Lee, an undersized former quarterback and former safety “with outstanding athleticism, including closing speed and explosiveness as a hitter. Miami’s linebackers struggled to make big plays a year ago. Lee remains a bit raw after leaving Ohio State as just a redshirt sophomore but his talent is obvious.”

• NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein: Clemson defensive end Kevin Dodd. “Cameron Wake will be a 35-year-old free agent next season, and Mario Williams appears to be a band-aid addition to the defensive front. In other words, defensive end could definitely be in play here despite the Dolphins' need at cornerback.”

...
• The Dolphins have spent quite a bit of time through this draft process with Mississippi defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche, a highly talented player with issues swirling around him, including a marijuana arrest after he fell out of a window last December in Atlanta. We're not sure if he's on Miami's draft board, or how high, but the Dolphins have certainly done their due diligence on a player who had seven tackles for loss and three sacks last season....

Among other defensive tackles, the Dolphins also have shown interest in Maryland's Quinton Jefferson; he had a private workout for Miami and met with defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.

• A few others names the Dolphins have shown interest in: Arizona guard/tackle Lene Maiava (late-round pick or UFA), BYU defensive end Bronson Kaufusi (Dolphins sent a coach to see him; potential second-day pick) and Ohio State tight end Nick Vannett (Dolphins sent a coach to see him; potential mid-round pick).

[cuchulainn Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close cuchulainn]

I'd love to get Lawson or NKemdiche in the 1st, then Howard, Fuller, or Burns in the 2nd.

[Kato Phinatics Veteran Find all posts View Profile Close Kato]

Not sure i get all the Nkemdiche love for the Phins. He is more a DT than a DE, and we dont need one of those in R1. More to the point there are several pretty good DEs that were very productive from major colleges and did pretty well at the combine......and i havent heard that they are knuckleheads either. I think i would rather move back and select Ogbah over Nkemdiche....

[cuchulainn Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close cuchulainn]

Not sure i get all the Nkemdiche love for the Phins. He is more a DT than a DE, and we dont need one of those in R1. More to the point there are several pretty good DEs that were very productive from major colleges and did pretty well at the combine......and i havent heard that they are knuckleheads either. I think i would rather move back and select Ogbah over Nkemdiche....

NKemdiche started as a DE, then moved to DT, but has still has the speed to line up anywhere on the DL. He was a 1 man wrecking crew against Bama and I salivate at the thought of him and Suh lining up on the line together. He plays the pass and the run and can absolutely crush the pocket. Putting him in the game with Suh means everyone's job got a little easier. Mitchell could be released or moved to FB at that point. He wasn't good at all last season.

His Dad is a cardiologist and his Mom a politician. He has a sense of entitlement as a Doctor's kid and as one of the most highly recruited prospects coming out of HS. He was spoiled in HS and at Ole Miss. That and the marijuana incident at the OM grad party in Atlanta is what has hurt him. He was never in any trouble at OM, nor has any other flags that I've read about other than that 1 incident and that he lacks discretion. Most kids do.

I get why he scares some folks, but this guy has the ability to be as special as Suh and far better than OV or Odrick ever were combined. Without the hotel incident, he'd be vying with Buckner and Bosa as top DLmen in the Top 7 picks.

YMMV.

[Kato Phinatics Veteran Find all posts View Profile Close Kato]

Ok Cuch. Thanks for that and i agree that we should cut these guys some slack with errors in judgement...even if they fall out of third floor windows.. My son is a gteat kid but i saw him do some pretty dumb things in his early 20s. Come to think of it, i did some incredibly stupid things myself. But dont forget about our 6'6", 330lb, back flipping, head scratching 2nd rounder from Oklahoma last year. He and Suh were gonna create a nasty force field on the DL, so that position is "taken". As for me, I think i might take Conklin to fix the other line over another DL, IF that is where they intend to play Nkemdiche, and not at DE. But then there is BPA....i am so conflicted. Dont know Cuch, i dont have many facts...but i do have half assed opinions. Bring on the draft already!!

[cuchulainn Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close cuchulainn]

Ok Cuch. Thanks for that and i agree that we should cut these guys some slack with errors in judgement...even if they fall out of third floor windows.. My son is a gteat kid but i saw him do some pretty dumb things in his early 20s. Come to think of it, i did some incredibly stupid things myself. But dont forget about our 6'6", 330lb, back flipping, head scratching 2nd rounder from Oklahoma last year. He and Suh were gonna create a nasty force field on the DL, so that position is "taken". As for me, I think i might take Conklin to fix the other line over another DL, IF that is where they intend to play Nkemdiche, and not at DE. But then there is BPA....i am so conflicted. Dont know Cuch, i dont have many facts...but i do have half assed opinions. Bring on the draft already!!

Lol... yeah, I did some stupid things myself. Especially if there were some girls around. lol...

Jordan Phillips flashed his talent, but was inconsistent. He still had a number of batted passes. DTs typically take a while. I can remember us wanting to dump Soilia, then suddenly he was a stud. I don't know if Phillips will develop into a great player or be a JAG, but it's key for us to build a solid DL. I'm fine with hedging our bets and building a great DL. Look at the Pats, they have drafted for the DL throughout their decades of dominance.

I'm still all in on Lawson, but wouldn't be upset if we took NKemdiche at all. We've spent the last two decades drafting for need instead of taking the BPA. IF NKemdiche is the PBA, then pull the trigger, regardless of Phillips, Suh, Fede, etc... same goes for your guy, Ragland and Conklin would be a nice pick as well. Whoever, we take, I'll hope for the best.

Yessss, bring it on. As a great lyricist once sang, ''Oh man, I think the clock is slow''. ;-)

[cuchulainn Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close cuchulainn]

Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter
For the first time in recent memory, NFL has notified all 32 teams that no player tested positive at February combine, per league sources.


It's been years. Good sign. Especially with the Hargreaves and NKemdiche rumors.

The bad news is that several guys were linked to sexual assaults or violence against women (Oakman), and DUI's (Prescott).

Elliott has raised a few flags with his off-field partying and the company he keeps.