Dolphins spreading smokescreens

With the draft today, the Miami Dolphins are doing whatever it can to disguise their plans for the first round.

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Welcome to draft day, or should I say deception day. Today teams will be creating smokescreens about their intentions for tonights draft by spreading rumors and lies. Miami is in full swing preparing for the draft as well as disguising their plans. The perfect opportunity and avenue to create these smokescreens have come from the Dolphins voluntary mini camp.

Nearly every draft rumor about Miami has involved a running back or cornerback. Miami has been linked to Ezekiel Elliot and Vernon Hargreaves in almost every mock draft. Everyone knows that Miami needs another starting corner and to replace the departure of Lamar Miller. Everyone except the Dolphins apparently.

News from the Dolphins mini camp is that they are totally fine at cornerback. They are excited about the players they have and their development. Tony Lippett has been the starting outside corner opposite of Byron Maxwell. I believe that Lippett will be a good player, but Miami is not fine at cornerback.

Lippett showed flashes last year of being an effective cornerback, but Miami doesn’t need flashes, they need consistency. Lippett will probably have developed and grown more into the cornerback role but that doesn’t change the need for Miami. Even if Lippett is great, Miami still has questions at nickel corner as well as depth.

Behind Lippett on the depth chart is Jamar Taylor who is not someone I am comfortable about. Last year Taylor played so poorly that he was a healthy scratch for games. He was healthy, but not available to play because the coaches didn’t trust him. That isn’t someone I feel comfortable as the next man up at corner.

Running back is the other area where Miami is creating smokescreens. Lamar Miller left in free agency and Miami has not replaced that hole yet. Adam Gase has spoken highly of Jay Ajayi so far in this mini camp, but Miami isn’t set at running back. Ajayi has a history of injury and hasn’t put one full healthy season together in the NFL.

Adam Gase is a big believer in running back by committee and my question is who does he feel good about behind Ajayi. If Ajayi will be splitting touches with another back, who will it be. The players on the roster are either outcasts of other teams or unproven backups.

Miami can say whatever they want about how solid they are at cornerback and running back but I don’t buy it and neither should you.

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