Beware Of Draft Grades

The  Miami Dolphin’s draft selections have been getting mixed reviews from various draft experts who have been monitoring the process for months. Some experts, like ESPN’sMel Kiper Jr., gave the Dolphins a ‘C’ overall or worse on their 2012 draft picks. The Dolphins have also received some positive attention as well, Pete Prisco of CBSsports, gave the Dolphins a B+. It gets hard for fans to wade through the seemingly endless barrage of grades given by countless analysts in the media. Fans have to beware of the draft grades they listen to.

I am not a huge fan of every pick that the Dolphins made in this year’s draft, but the common theme for every pick (outside of the the #8 pick) seemed to be based overwhelmingly on value selections. For any “expert” to give the Dolphins a negative review on the selections they made during this draft, they must not have been paying attention.

Many reviewers do not elaborate in depth about why they give the grades they give, but I will elaborate on my reasoning.  To start with the universal critique of the selection of Ryan Tannehill. If one takes note, on all the negative things people have to say about Ryan Tannehill, no one really seems to have the same criticisms. Some say his arm is too week, others say he makes bad decisions, some say he throws too many picks. If one watches the film of Tannehill, it is readily apparent that the pros outweigh the cons. He throws well on the move, his feet, while sometimes slow, move smoothly, he is strong, often very accurate and has tremendous upside. A lot of his missed passes and interceptions were caused by simple drops by the receivers. Not to mention that the kid has only started 19 games at QB. The Dolphin’s Mike Sherman and Joe Philbin these same things, thats why they felt confident enough to take the risk on them.

The other common knock on the Dolphin’s draft choices is the apparent lack of a “#1 receiver” on Miami’s roster. While at first glance this seems to be a need, with the addition of two receivers on day 3 of the draft, as well as Joe Philbin’s repeated assertion that his offense does not necessarily require a #1 receiver, it is not as big a need as some claim it to be. It seems the Dolphins may actually have some depth at the position; Devon Bess, Brian Hartline, Anthony Fasano (TE), Roberto Wallace, Clyde Gates, Marlon Moore, Legedu Naanee, and so on, are all evidence there is a lot of potential in the Dolphin’s ranks at receiver. A post made yesterday details many of these options and more, more in depth.

Lastly, and this is strictly in reference to Kiper’s assertion that the Dolphin’s draft was a D+ in terms of value and that Jonathan Martin won’t contribute much in 2012, everyone’s opinion is different and no one knows a thing. It will take at least three seasons if not more to determine how good the draft for any team really was. In my opinion, the Dolphins did very well and a guard with the skills of Martin will contribute plenty (he cant be worse than Mark Colombo).