MassanuttenRef’s Phins Mock Draft — Rounds 2 and 3
By Gene Hauze
In a previous article, I began my mock for my beloved Miami Dolphins in the 2011 NFL Draft. I outlined what I think will happen in the first day of the NFL Draft regarding the Dolphins. It was highlighted by a trade with the Chicago Bears and the selection of Andy Dalton, QB out of TCU, with the 29th pick.
In this article, I will outline what I think will happen with the Dolphins in Day 2 of the 2011 NFL Draft. This will include picks in the second and third rounds. I have also included the Day 1 happenings as a summary.
So, here it is … MassanuttenRef’s Phins Mock Draft — Rounds 1 – 3.
ROUND 1 — Review
With the 15th Pick: TRADE — Chicago Bears (from Miami) select Gabe Carimi (OT – Wisconsin)
With the 29th Pick: Miami Dolphins (from Chicago) select Andy Dalton (QB – TCU)
ROUND 2
With the 62nd Pick: Miami Dolphins (from Chicago) select Stefen Wisniewski (C – Penn State)
I have reviewed the top centers prospects in a previous article. I believe that Stefen Wisniewski will be a great addition to boulster the Dolphins offensive line at center. The chart below reviews and compares Wisniewski with other top tier centers in the draft.
Stefen Wisniewski was a 2010 second team AP All-American at the right guard position. He started all games in 2010 at RG and all games in 2009 at center — demonstrating position flexibility. Stefen is the nephew of Raiders O-line coach and All-Pro guard Steve Wisniewski — who was a former Penn State All-American. Wisniewski has good size for either guard or center (6′ 3″ and 313 pounds), good upper body strength (30 reps in the bench press), good lower body strength (100″ broad jump) and good quickness — his 7.51 seconds in the three cone drill was quicker than all the guards that I looked at. What impresses me is the thought that Wisniewski played at Linebacker U — meaning that he practiced every day getting to the second level against good LBs and good LB coaching. I like the idea that he could play center for the Dolphins with Incognito at LG and Jerry at RG. Or, if Jerry does not pan out at RG, he could play RG with Incognito at center. This selection is hopeful that the Raiders do not take him earlier in the second round — but, the Raiders do have other needs to address.
ROUND 3
With the 79th Pick: Miami Dolphins select Daniel Thomas (RB – Kansas State)
I have reviewed the top running back prospects in a previous article. I believe that Daniel Thomas will be a good addition to boulster the Dolphins rushing offense. Recently, he has been dropping in draft stock largely because he did not run at the NFL Combine and only ran once at his Pro Day due to a hamstring injury. I believe he will be available in the middle of the third round with good overall value. The chart below reviews and compares Thomas with other top tier RBs in the draft.
Daniel Thomas was named to the 2nd Team All-Big 12 in 2010. He has good size at 6′ 0″ and 230 pounds having average arm length (32.25″) and hand size (9.0″). He has average upper body (bench press of 21 reps) and lower body (broad jump of 123″) strength. He has below average top end speed (40 time of 4.59 sec) and lateral quickness (3-cone drill of 7.06 sec), but is a one cut runner with good vision, strength, and leverage – he does not “Dance with the Stars” at the line of scrimmage. Thomas has an excellent two-year body of work at Kansas State after transfering from junior college – 26 career starts, 298 rushes & 27 receptions in 2010, and 545 career rushes. Please note 545 rushes were done in two years. He had good 2010 rushing (5.32 YPA) and receiving (6.33 YPA) production.
Please note … If Miami does not trade down in the first round to pick up a second rounder, I still think that Daniel Thomas will be a good pick for the Dolphins in this third round position.
With the 93rd Pick: Miami Dolphins (from Chicago) select John Moffitt (G — Wisconsin)
I have reviewed the top guard prospects in a previous article. I believe that John Moffitt will be a good addition to boulster the Dolphins offensive line. The chart below reviews and compares Moffitt with other top tier guards in the draft.
John Moffitt has the most experience of the six prospects playing the guard position in college. In fact, most of his starts were at LG with some starts earlier in his college career at center — this shows some position flexibility. The Dolphins desparately need a good pulling LG — Moffitt is the only top guard prospect with LG experience. Moffitt teamed with Gabe Carimi on the left side of the Wisconsin line to pave the way for two 1,000 rushers in 2010. Moffitt was selected to the first team AP All-American in 2010. Moffitt has good lower body strength (102″ in the broad jump) and above average quickness (7.79 sec in the 3 cone drill), but needs improvement in upper body strength (23 reps in the bench press). Moffitt played well at the Senior Bowl. During team drills, Moffitt’s strength and balance seemingly made him a tough draw for defensive tackles. Moffitt created holes at the first level and showed good agility in the open field. At times, the former Badger was blocking 15 yards downfield, including on a screen pass to Marshall tight end Lee Smith. To me, this sound exactly what Sparano is looking for.
Okay! This is my take on the second day of the NFL Draft for the Miami Dolphins. Tell me what you think!
By the way, I’m thinking that these three picks will be good building blocks for the Miami Dolphins. I also believe they will contribute in 2011. Think about this … a future starting offensive line consisting of Jake Long at LT, John Moffitt at RG, Stefen Wisniewski at C, John Jerry at RG, and Vernon Carey at RT with Daniel Thomas at RB.