All the so-called experts as well as fans -- me included -- have for several months told you what the Dolphins' needs are without, you know, actually hearing it from the Dolphins. Those are among the closely guarded secrets of Team Big Tuna.

Well, the needs you heard about are still accurate. They're just incomplete.

The Dolphins can definitely use an OLB, a NT, WR, FS out of this draft.

But did you know LG should be on the list, too?

And perhaps even in the first round.

Surprised?

Don't be because the Dolphins have been, and continue to do much legwork on Idaho guard Michael Iupati, a 6-5, 331-pound behemoth that truly impressed on tape and continued to impress the Dolphins during the Senior Bowl week and in the game.

The Dolphins were so impressed they brought Iupati to town on March 15 and 16 for a visit. The Dolphins were the first team Iupati visited so they were obviously the first to recognize his potential worth. But they haven't been the last.



Read more: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/dolphins ... z0jDv1aDuk

we still have 3 starting caliber guards.

Clearly this regime does not agree with this statement one bit.

Plus, if you look at Parcells history, he generally sticks by the motto, "made not paid", in regards to interior O-lineman, (as you should). This would be a worse pick than Spiller, IMO.

"And with the first selection the 2008 NFL draft, the Miami Dolphins select ........."

Showing interest in Iupati
Thu, 25 Mar 2010 11:22:49 -0700

Armando Salguero, of the Miami Herald, reports the Miami Dolphins are showing interest in University of Idaho OG Mike Iupati. The Dolphins were impressed with Iupati while watching game film as well as his performance at the 2010 Senior Bowl. They met with Iupati earlier this month.

Mike Iupati | OG
Scouts Inc. Grade: 93
2009 NCAA FOOTBALL STATS
No Information Available at this Time
Height: 6'5⅛"
Weight: 331 lbs

Overall Rank: 16
Position Rank: 1

College: IDAHO

Player | NCAA School | Position | All Ranked Players|NFL Draft History
Scouts Inc. Player Evaluations



Overall Football Traits

Production 3
"2005: Redshirted. 2006: Appears in all 12 games in a reserve role. 2007: Starts in all 12 games at left guard. 2008: Appears in 10 games, starting eight at guard; second-team All-WAC honors."

Height-Weight-Speed 2
Possesses an enormous frame and is thickly built. Top-end speed is below average for the position but his massive size makes it understandable.

Durability 4
Suffered a shoulder injury late in 2007 that required offseason surgeryand was forced to sit out spring drills and miss the first two contests of the 2008 season.

Intangibles 3
Showed the mental toughness to battle back from that shoulder surgery.


Offensive Guard specific Traits

Awareness 4
"Still needs work in this area. Does not have great game experience and will make a significant jump in level of competition to the NFL. Shows adequate natural instincts but doesn't always appear to have a great feel for handling stunts, twists, blitzes, etc. "

Toughness 2
He's tough and aggressive. Plays with a mean streak. Motor is adequate but will occasionally appear to wear down.

Pass Protection 2
Gets set quickly and uses long arms to maintain separation. Shows excellent initial hand punch to jar defender. He can shuffle laterally with decent quickness but the more space he's in the more vulnerable he becomes. Hand placement and footwork can improve as well. As long as he's set and playing with leverage he can anchor versus powerful bull rushers.

Run Blocking 2
Can improve his angles as a blocker. Struggles a bit when asked to reach LBs on the second-level but is very effective when working in confined space. He shows some great initial pop and works hard to sustain.