Mock Drafts - and Dolphins Fans are Idiots

 I keep seeing mock drafts with Miami taking an Edge Rusher with their second pick in the First Round. There seems to be some sort of consensus among, especially national, commentators that because Miami traded away Shaq Lawson they have a void at the position. And cut Kyle Van Noy. I’m not convinced.

Chris Grier et al wouldn’t have let two pass rushers walk - indeed, wouldn’t have sent two pass rushers walking - if he weren’t hearing from Brian Flores and his defensive coaching staff that last year’s depth was ready to start and be impactful. Andrew Van Ginkel jumps immediately to my mind. He was a force in the first eight weeks of the 2020 season. Coming into his third season, with (the addition of) Benardrick McKinney in the middle…. I expect him to break out next year.

This could and probably should be, if I were a professional, a listicle, something to the effect of the 7 players I expect to have breakout seasons in 2021. It’s not. It’s more like my way of working through my unease with Miami taking a defender in the first round.

I’ve seen Gregory Rousseau and Jaelan Phillips, specifically, linked to Miami. Phillips, especially seems like a major reach to me. People who know more than I do call him a physical freak; evidently he has every ability you want from your Edge - except the most important one: Avail-ability. He has serious injury concerns. Before transferring to Miami, he played for UCLA, where he was “forced to retire” because of repeat concussions. The 420 snaps he played in three years at UCLA average to 140 snaps a season.

Coaches say that on offense you expect about 40 snaps. That means he played the equivalent of fewer than 4 NFL games - assuming he would be an every-down starter. And he has concussion problems? And he “missed” his medical checks with NFL teams because of a positive COVID test?

There are plenty of players who make the transition from college to the NFL with injury concerns looming over their college career and manage to stay healthy as a pro. I would never root against a young man in this situation. As someone who’s sustained some pretty brutal concussions in a football uniform, I’m slow to think he should play in the League at all - and most definitely wouldn’t draft him myself.

I wouldn’t want his brain on my conscience.

Gregory Rousseau is almost the opposite case. He has the physical tools, but from everything I’ve read and seen, his sack production came exclusively from the inside - yeah, an edge rusher who wins against guards and centers but can’t beat tackles. That isn’t an edge rusher. And I certainly would never spend a first round pick on an edge rusher who can’t beat college tackles. You know, tackles who aren’t going to be playing in the League.

My point with writing this piece today, I think - I don’t always sit down with something to say; usually I have a feeling I need to work out in my own mind, and you get to enjoy the ride - is that writers and talkers who are tasked by their Editors and Producers to write or talk about mock drafts have to give someone to Miami. There are a few - Peter Schrager comes to mind - who are connected to Miami; but I get the sense - have gotten the sense for years, now - that most of these people have neither connections in the Dolphins’ organization, nor interest in the team.

For good reason.

The Browns are interesting because they’re bad. The Patriots are interesting because they’re great. The Packers are interesting because they’re an enigma. I feel like I could go down the list of the 31 teams that aren’t the Miami Dolphins and give you a reason they’re interesting.

The Dolphins, on the other hand, are the definition of sports mediocrity.

I saw a stat that was floating around between Adam Gase’s firing and Flores’s hire: between then and Marino’s retirement, the team had gone exactly .500. 

I wrote earlier on this site about my thoughts regarding owners and team success. Pat McAffee asked whether the Packers are where they are vis-à-vis Aaron Rodgers and their staid Free Agency presence was the consequence of not having a traditional owner. This isn’t the place to dive in on the ownership dynamics of the Green Bay Packers - because I don’t really know exactly what’s going on over there, but I am pretty sure I have exactly zero interest in understanding it. But I thought it was a good question, and relevant to what I’ve been thinking.

About my favorite team, about team building and roster development.

This is where I circle my wagons.

I think it’s pretty obvious that national media-types mock Miami to have unsexy players because there’s more revenue for their employers in giving the sexy picks to the “interesting” teams. 

After the quarterbacks - Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Mac Jones, et al - the consensus top player in this draft class is Kyle Pitts. All the talk surrounding him now is that Jerry Jones of the Cowboys is “infatuated” with him. (Oh, yeah, I’m using all kinds of quotes, today; flex these I’ve Been Reading muscles.) And yet mocks have Miami taking Rashawn Slater? (Here’s looking at you, Schrags)

The Dolphins are boring. Dolphins fans, especially, are annoying and uninformed about the sport of football. (Sorry, guys, it’s true. Miami fans are annually considered sports’ worst fans.) And, for good reason, sports analysts can’t predict what Miami is going to do. And, as I’ve already said, I don’t think they give a single flying fuck one way or another. Lol!

Colin Cowherd in his most recent mock draft exercise had Miami trading out of 6. Because he’s more interested in the Broncos. Dude doesn’t even know Mike Gesicki’s name. It took him three mock drafts to remember any receiver’s name besides Will Fuller. He literally said “Will Fuller and… their other receivers,” before struggling to name drop DeVante Parker. 

(Actually, if you want proof of the fickle, ignorant nature of Dolphins fans, look no further than Cowherd’s own Joy, she of the Justin Herbert is better than Tua Tagovailoa forever camp)

I don’t think winning fixes these things, by the way. Don Shula is (still and maybe forever) the winningest coach in NFL history. Is he ever the first name dropped for best coach of all time? Is he in the top-5? I can think right now of five coaches not named Bill Belichick that pundits prefer to Shula: Bill Walsh, Vince Lombardi, Bill Parcells, Jimmy Johnson, Tom Landry. Not winning short of the Super Bowl.

And even then, Dolphins fans will shit on Tua.

I’ve thought since Flores and Grier were married atop the Dolphins organization that the plan would be to build the team defense-first. After Year 2, I would say that (as much as any roster is ever a finished product) the defense is built. The offense is where the glaring holes are. And Seattle is proof to me that you can’t throw resources - draft picks, salary cap dollars - at the offensive line and get results.

College linemen don’t really block anyone. Offenses are so fast-paced, receivers are so wide open, and basically only Navy runs the ball anymore; linemen aren’t asked to block. The only way to build an offensive line in today’s NFL is to have coaches in place to develop it.

This is getting wordy. (If you’ve made it this far, thank you very much; I can’t express my appreciation) 

Chris Grier drafted (almost) an (entire) offensive line last year. The Dolphins are still in the top-5 youngest teams in the League. They still have a lot of needs - Blue Chip players in particular. (I wrote about that!) What they don’t need is to spend their 18th overall pick on an injury-prone underdeveloped prospect.

If they draft someone other than a runner at 18, I’ll change my tune eventually. I’ll be upset for a few hours, but eventually I’ll convince myself that Grier knows better than I do. And if he doesn’t, I’ll pat myself on the back in five years when the next GM is (likely still) struggling to put a roster together that interests the national media and keeps fans quiet and paying for their season tickets.

Until then, please, Miami, please - draft people who can move the chains and score points.

Draft Kyle Pitts.

Draft the best available running back.

Call it a Thursday well spent.

Give me someone to root for.

Please?