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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.”
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• 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).
“[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).
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