Miami Dolphins Doing Their Homework On Little Known Prospect
Sep 22, 2012; College Station, TX, USA; Rice Owls quarterback Driphus Jackson (6) stiff arms Marshall Thundering Herd safety Dominick LeGrande (6) in the first quarter at Rice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
There’s no question that the Miami Dolphins may be looking to upgrade the safety position during the upcoming NFL Draft. No, the team will not be finding a day one starter. But the ‘Phins may be looking for their future stud.
Miami has been looking at star studded safeties such as Johnathan Cyprien of Florida International, Matt Elam of Florida and Kenny Vacarro of Texas as well as an under-the-radar player, Don Jones of Arkansas State.
The team apparently has also been doing their homework on a former Boston College safety, Dominick Le Grande.
Le Grande, who played his final season at Marshall University, held his pro day on March 13th and Miami, among many other teams, was represented.
Here are a look at Le Grande’s reported test results:
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 213
40 Yard-Dash: Unofficial Low: 4.29
Unofficial High: 4.33
Official Low: 4.47
Official High: 4.50
Bench (225): 16
Vertical: 36.5 inches
Broad: 10’0”
Shuttle: 4.42 – reported that he tweaked his hamstring after his second 40 run..
Le Grande is definitely an interesting prospect. At 6’2” (actually looks a lot BIGGER than that) 213 pounds, Le Grande is a big and I mean BIG safety. The guy is absolutely chiseled.
During his three-year tenure with Boston College, Le Grande saw time at safety and linebacker tallying 72 total tackles over three-years (47 solo, 25 assists) while also grabbing 3.5 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, 3 passes defensed and 1 forced fumble.
He was quite productive with the Thundering Herd during his senior season. Le Grande led the nation in tackles at the safety position with an astounding 132 total tackles (69 solo, 63 assists) – this was also 8th in the nation overall. He was also able to tally 3 tackles for loss, force one fumble, reel in 2 interceptions and knock down 7 passes.
Le Grande’s play style is reminiscent of a mix between Adrian Wilson and Bernard Pollard. Wilson and Pollard are big safeties who know how to attack ball carriers and also make an impact via the run game.
Le Grande struggles a bit tackling ball carriers in open space, but he is still quite raw. You would also like to see him more effective against the pass as many teams are looking for a ball-hawk type safety. Make no mistake though, the potential is definitely there.
It’s tough to put an exact grade on the big safety, but I certainly would not mind using a 6th (yes I am aware the Dolphins do not have one..) or a 7th round pick on the young man.