Free agency and the NFL Draft will tell Miami Dolphins all they need to know about Anthony Weaver

Anthony Weaver is about to put his fingerprints on the Miami Dolphins defense and through free agency and the draft, fans will get an idea of who he is.

Jim Harbaugh raved about Weaver during his press conference at the NFL Combine. He called him a future NFL head coach prior to him joining the Dolphins as their new defensive coordinator. Players have spoken highly of him as well. Now, Dolphins fans will get a glimpse of what kind of coaching mentality he will bring to the organization.

The Dolphins have a lot of holes on both sides of the ball but you could argue the defense has more. Linebacker, defensive end, defensive tackle, cornerback, and safety...wait, that is every positional group on the defense! Yes, every position has a hole in it. Don't believe me? Read this.

It will be interesting to see which players the Dolphins target but it will be far more interesting to see the types of players they target, both in the draft and in free agency.

The Dolphins need to be physically dominating on the field. They need power, not finesse. They need players who can hit but can tackle more consistently. If we look at the Baltimore Ravens in your face style of defense, will Miami start to take on that characteristic or will they continue with finding pieces that don't necessarily fit the bigger picture?

Watching Jaelan Phillips is a lot of fun but Phillips, while a special talent, isn't a bulldozing edge rusher. He relies on speed and technique. It works but he lacks the powerful first punch that sends a tackle backwards off that hit. Miami could use a physical powerhouse to complement Phillips' speed.

At linebacker, the agility and speed of Andrew Van Ginkel is hard to miss but the Dolphins don't have an interior linebacker that can plug a hole at the line and destroy a running back. The Dolphins defense doesn't match the physical power of teams like the 49ers, Chiefs, Bills, or Ravens. They are still good, don't get me wrong.

Will Weaver attempt to change this? We should get an idea of the players that he brings into the system. If Miami signs physically dominant players or players that play more physical football, we will see this transition. If they sign players who are fast to the ball but lack the physical one-on-one power, we will see Miami maintain the style they currently have.

The problem facing Weaver, Chris Grier, and Mike McDaniel is that you can't overhaul it in one season. Miami will have to be smart and if they are going to transition they will need to do with complimenting talent.

Regardless, there should be some pretty good signs of the defensive direction that Weaver is going when free agency begins and again when the draft arrives in late April. And no matter what direction it might be, the road to get there will be interesting. I'm hoping they get more physically dominating.