I thought I'd make a poll regarding the position we should hit on in the 1st round. In this poll, there is no option of trading down/up. Which position would you select with the 12th overall pick in the draft?

Tough poll to answer without knowing what we do in free agency.

That's true. I chose a DE (I am hoping B. Mingo falls to us, maybe even Dion Jordan) because I don't feel we will sign a marquee DE in free agency. I haven't been following this, but do you have any idea what kind of contract Paul Kruger is pursuing?

I draft players. Not positions.

Don't know what Kruger is looking for, but I would imagine he is looking in the 7-10 million range. A kid that I like and you can probably get him for a much better deal is DE Michael Bennett of Tampa Bay. He is TE Martellus Bennett brother and he is an ascending talent at 27 years old.

The last 3 years he had 1, 4 and 9 sacks and he just completed his 4th year with the Bucs. He has nice size at 6'4, 274 lbs and he has very good speed and quickness for his size.

Like Rich said, this is difficult to vote on without knowing what the Dolphins will have done in free agency.

I did go ahead and choose DE, but cornerback is not far behind. That said, I believe in generating consistent pressure with the front 4 will help the secondary play improve. Right now, Cameron Wake is the only consistent pass rusher the Dolphins have.

Jared Odrick and Randy Starks do a good job with interior pressure, but there is no one at the opposite DE spot that provides the pressure needed, especially when you consider they are getting one on one blocking due to Wake getting a double team on the other side.

best player available. More than likely
1. Vaccaro
2. Ansah
3. Patterson

Mingo can't play defensive end in the NFL. He gets swallowed up. He's a 34 OLB

the only defensive ends that i'd want in this draft are Damontre Moore, Bjoern Werner, Ezekial Ansah and Datone Jones, Alex Okafor or Sam Montgomery.

Scouts are agreeing that Dion Jordan and Mingo can't play end in the NFL.

You can do that when you are Baltimore and have a solid team in place. This is a young Dolphins team that has DEFINITE areas that need to be addressed.

If you want to identify BPA at a position of need, that's fine.

swerve, you have definitely fell in love with the Vaccaro kid. I think he is a nice player, but I am not taking him at #12. I would take a Werner, Ansah, Moore or Patterson if they were there at #12 before I would even come close to taking him. He a good player, but I don't see an Eric Berry caliber safety.

Bacarri Rambo, FS, Georgia, 3rd round.

I'll answer after I see what we do in FA

You would use our 1st top 15 pick on a position that is one of the most solidified on this team...fans would show up with torches and pitchforks at the Davie facilities if that happened.

I'll stick to a few select positions, but my point is I'm not going into the 1st round saying, "I need to draft X position."

I voted DE because I think that's where the talent will be, and the impact that a premier player acquired there would have is as big as any. So unless the BPA is significantly ahead of the best DE, I think they go there. But if they're absolutely in love with a CB, WR, or even Eifert at TE, that's fine.

But the last thing you can do is go into the draft saying, "we have to draft X position in the first round." That's a recipe for disaster.

????????

Exactly! That's how you wind up trading up one spot to get Vernon Carey. Because he's the only good OT remaining. Because everyone knows you HAVE to have him. And because you can't take the chance the rumours that someone is going to trade up past you to get him aren't true

How many people said that about Jason Taylor early in his career?

You could change the poll to ask what you think is the position of highest need. That of course could change based on who is signed during free agency. And I think there is a difference between wants and needs.

Absolute pressing needs
WR
CB

Wants
TE
OT
DE

You would use our 1st top 15 pick on a position that is one of the most solidified on this team...fans would show up with torches and pitchforks at the Davie facilities if that happened.

AFCMiamiEast: Actually, Vaccaro's name has been mentioned for the fins at number 12 for good reason. IF Miami took this kid, he would line up WITH Reshad Jones and replace Clemons in the secondary to potentially make a beast like tandem. Read below on the scouting report as he has Ed Reed "like" talent coming out of college. I am not saying he is the guy for Miami, but if they did, he seems like a valuable asset to the defense and especially if the fins address the offense in free agency and rounds 2-3 of draft.


http://www.nepatriotsdraft.com/2011/11/ ... eport.html

Prospect: Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 215
Grade: 7.4 (Grading Scale)


Scouting Report

Athleticism
+Good size and bulk for the position.
+Shows good balance and change of direction skills.
+Above average quickness and acceleration.
+Fluid hips and has functional strength.
-Might be a high 4.5 speed guy.

Zone Coverage
+Fantastic instincts in zone, is always around the ball.
+Reads patterns well, plays very tight to receivers in his area
+Routinely gets a good break and closes quickly on the ball.
+Shows the ability to cover a deep half/third as well as play underneath.
-Doesn’t have great ball skills, has left a few interceptions on his plate.

Man Coverage
+Able to cover tight ends and slot receivers.
+Excels in press, able to get a solid jam and re-route receivers.
+Seems to understand leverage and will play his man into help.
-Lacks elite recovery speed on deep routes.
-Gets out of his backpedal too quickly at times, a bit impatient.

Run Support
+Solid form tackler, comfortable making a stop in space.
+Able to deliver a big hit, really lays the wood.
+Very effective blitzing off the edge, gets routine pressure.
+Will take on fullbacks, blow up blockers, all the dirty things to help his team.
+Very quick with his reads, gets to the hole quicker than blockers think he will.
-Goes for the kill-shot too often – has the fundamentals, needs to use them.
-Takes an occasional poor angle in pursuit.

Intelligence
+Shows a good understanding of the Texas “two-read” defense.
+Is asked to make adjustments based on the receivers route each play.
+Plays a variety of positions, including special teams.

Leadership
+Passionate player that has the respect of his teammates.
-Had an arrest (failure to obey) during the summer before his senior season.

Overview:
Vaccaro is exactly the kind of versatile defensive back that NFL teams are looking for. He can bully slot receivers with his strength and change of direction skills, while covering tight ends with his size and athletic ability, as well as covering a deep half or third in zone.

Vaccaro could play either free or strong safety at the next level, with the additional ability to contribute as a “star” or “money” defensive back in sub-packages. He also has excelled on special teams at Texas, which will endear him to NFL coaching staffs.

Vaccaro is probably slotted by most evaluators as a day two pick, but I would be shocked if he fell out of the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Scouting Notes

vs Texas A&M
-Perfect angle to ball-carrier, bangs him out of bounds.
-Times up the blitz, bull rushes RB into the quarterback, leads to sack.
-Getting feisty with Swope on the line of scrimmage, powerful punch.
-Not fooled by Swope’s feints, stuck with him on option route.

Full scouting notes for Vaccaro vs Texas A&M.

vs Oklahoma
-Great jam on Broyles at the line, runs route for him and nearly gets the interception.
-Perfect angle to ball-carrier, breaks down in space and tackles shifty RB in space.
-Reads QB’s eyes, jumps route and knocks ball down. Nearly a pick six.

Full scouting notes for Vaccaro vs Oklahoma.

That's true. I chose a DE (I am hoping B. Mingo falls to us, maybe even Dion Jordan) because I don't feel we will sign a marquee DE in free agency. I haven't been following this, but do you have any idea what kind of contract Paul Kruger is pursuing?[/quote]

Mingo can't play defensive end in the NFL. He gets swallowed up. He's a 34 OLB[/quote]

How many people said that about Jason Taylor early in his career?[/quote]

Mingo also has too much 'boom or bust' reputation for my liking.
If I had to choose from the two I'd pick Jordan. But I like Ansah better them both of them in our 43 defense.

I know this is not a position of desperate need but to me there are only 2 elite TE in this draft and Zach Ertz is the better of the two! We won't be able to get this type of talent if we pass at 12.
TE is the new elite position now and we need one because Egnew SUCKS and Fasano can't out run my grandma!

I think people are getting so hung up on Ertz and Eifert but down the road my prediction is that guy's like Travis Kelce and Gavin Escobar will be just as good or better in the NFL. 3rd round guys we can get.

Do you have some more info on those guys? video?

here's a little sampling of all of them. I'm a fan of this tight end class.
I want Escobar or Kelce in the 3rd round.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nzvJd1swSE

I want Dee Milliner, as Sean Smith wants more than his sometimes decent play is worth. On top of not having a solid starting corner.

I'm also starting to really like Jonathan Banks as well.



Source: Pro Football Weekly

Richard Sherman??? Is that a joke?

Comparing him to the type of CB's the Seahawks have is absolutely ridiculous. At least in my opinion...Banks doesn't want to hit anybody and struggles against bigger WR's, from what I've seen.

I agree, it would be nice to see us add a WR or CB, but honestly if a truly great OT or S prospect showed up, I wouldn't mind us getting the guy.

Richard Sherman??? Is that a joke?

Comparing him to the type of CB's the Seahawks have is absolutely ridiculous. At least in my opinion...Banks doesn't want to hit anybody and struggles against bigger WR's, from what I've seen.[/quote]



-Josh Norris

Myself and Mr. Norris will disagree. He shies away from the run game, and doesn't have strength to match up physically against bigger WR's.

This draft is strong at Defensive Tackle, Defensive End and Safety.
The Corner and Receiver classes aren't super top heavy but it is deep with talent.

I don't understand why he wanted to be quoted anonymous...? That is sketchy to me, unless many scouts do that for a reason unknown to me...I heard Desmond Trufant is rated higher than Banks now. I would imagine that they would like to be credited with their work unless they were unsure about it themselves.

Banks and Trufant have seemed to pass by Rhodes some. Rhodes is being talked about as a high 2nd rounder. Jordan Poyer and Blidi Wreh-Wilson are 2 more guys who could crash the 1st round party.

kinda sucks that alot of mockers have Patterson going to the the Bills and Jets now. I don't want to play against him twice a year.

A pass rusher is easily the best value at that spot given the depth of talent and will provide the biggest boost in production. I like Ertz and Eifert in the second round as they are matchup nightmares. I liked Justin Hunter and DaRick Rogers before the season started and still like em now but Wallace and Jennings are the best options for a number one receiver.

The honey badger anywhere after round one is a steal.

I went with DE, thinking Jordan if he is there at #12. Improve the pass rush and we could get by with average guys at CB for year.

I'd also trade up back into the first round with a second and third rounder to get either stud TE or the best WR left.