Draft Wrap-Up: Tuesday’s edition

The Trifecta + 1 went into the 2010 NFL draft with a purpose. Yes there are rumors that if CJ Spiller was there at #12 they would have picked and maybe they would have, but I for one am not so sure about that. The purpose of this draft was to upgrade the defense. Miami selected a total of eight players with seven of those lining up on the defensive side of the ball, with the lone offensive player being a massive road grater. You think Parcells’s had input on the players drafted?

As Brian already mentioned this draft was a “Senior Moment.” It can not be overlooked that seven of Miami’s eight picks were seniors and four of the eight spent the same week in Mobile that the Dolphins coaching staff did. It appears all of the players selected are high character blue collar worker type of guys. If you check out their bois one common thread you see on just about every one of them “team leader.” This is something that was sorely missed last year on the defense and while this young group of guys may not come in day one and take over, they will be leaders. In other words they are all Bill Parcells’s type of player.

I hate rating drafts days after because I don’t think you can truly give a good grade for two to three years. However, I know everyone likes to see grades so I will give a shot at what I see.

Round 1 – Jared Odrick, DL, Penn State; Like many at first when I heard his name I was thinking WTF? But as the night went on I started to warm up to the thought. Odrick was projected as a first round pick and I saw mocks of him going as high as #7 to Cleveland. Whether you believe Ireland or not that Starks will move inside Odrick will be a starter and at the DE position in a 3-4 he will be able to get pressure on the QB as well as be stout against the run. Odrick also seems to play with a bit of a chip on his shoulder; he will bring it every play. He was also one of if not the best hand fighter in the draft. Opposing linemen will have a hard time locking him up to keep him out of the play. Odrick will bring intensity and come at you on every play. Grade A 

Round 2 – Koa Misi, OLB, Utah; I know Misi wasn’t the sexy pick with a few other bigger named players like Kindle sitting there, but like Odrick Misi will bring an amazing intinsity on every play. The term non-stop motor is often over used, but I am not sure the term gives Misi enough credit to what he brings on every play. Misi was also a team captain for the Utes in 2009 and is and extremely high character guy. He is projected as an OLB, but wouldn’t be shocked to see him slide inside. Grade B   

Round 3 – John Jerry, OL, Mississippi; At 6’6”, 328 Jerry is a road grater pure and simple. He played guard and right tackle at Old Miss, but he is projected to play left guard for Miami. I personally love this pick. Jerry was rated the second highest guard in the draft and despite his size he is actually pretty light on his feet. He should be able to pull fro the LG spot and me a mammoth blocker out in front of one of the backs. The additions of Jerry and Incognito to the offensive line and Brandon Marshall outside will pull 8 and 9 out of the box. Ricky may be rethinking his retirement and Ronnie may take a pay cut to stay a run behind this group of linemen. Grade B+ 

Round 4 – AJ Edds, OLB, Iowa; Edds was arguably the best coverage linebacker in the draft and was one of Miami’s biggest needs. Edds will probably start out as a third down type of linebacker but I could see him winning a job inside or out eventually. Nolan’s defense is all about the linebackers and Edds will be heavily involved. Edds was one of my favorite picks for the Fins this year. Grade B+ 

Round 5 – Nolan Carroll, CB, Maryland; Carroll has battled some injuries during his college career and missed most of 2009 with a broken leg. Coming into the 2009 campaign Carroll was considered one of the top 5 corners in the country and couple “experts” have said he very easily could been a first round pick. Like Misi he was a team captain for the Terps in 2009 and is another high character guy. He will probably be a special teams guy and the dime corner, but could see him move into a starting corner and force Sean Smith to FS if things work out right. Grade B 

Round 5 – Reshad Jones, S, Georgia; Jones is a guy the Trifecta + 1 had their sites on. They took him out to dinner the night before his proday. Jones is a ballhawk that can play either safety position. If Miami does not sign a veteran to play FS I could see Jones winning the job outright. Grade A 

Round 7 – Chris McCoy, OLB, Middle Tennessee State; McCoy could ultimately be the steal of the draft. McCoy is a small school product that dominated at his level. He is a pure speed rusher that plays behind the line of scrimmage registering 20 tackles for loss and 7 sacks in 2009. Grade B 

Round 7 – Austin Spitler, ILB, Ohio State; Spitler will more than likely compete for a special teams job and depth at ILB. More than likely he will be headed for the practice squad his first year, but is another lunch pale type of guy that is going to bring it every day. Grade C 

Miami went into the draft with what most people felt as needs at NT, FS, OLB, OG, and TE. With the word from Ireland that Randy Starks is going to slide inside and Soliai will back him up, at least till Ferguson comes back it seems they did address the NT position. All others are just a matter of opinion. I am really excited about this draft and while many may not be sexy picks I can see at least 3 day one starters and 3 to 4 more that could be starters in 2011 while seeing considerable playing time this year. Overall Grade B +  

Yes the Trifecta + 1 went into this offseason knowing they needed a playmaker on offense and an overhaul with younger more athletic players on defense. Well by the looks of things it sure seems like mission accomplished, we’ll see how it all shakes out come September.