The Draft: An Indecent Proposal

by urbino on Feb 27, 2008 12:43 AM EST

What if they held a draft and nobody came?

So the big question on the minds of all Dolphins fans is: what will Miami do with the first pick in the draft? We have lots of needs, and there are lots of option. Let's peruse them. Some of us favor Jake Long, at LT. Others say Long is better suited to RT, and both the draft and FA are deep at the OT position. Good points. Some people favor Chris Long, at DE or OLB. Others say either position is not one where we have our greatest needs, and Long might be a tweener, regardless. Some people favor Matt Ryan, at QB. Others say taking a QB at #1 would be too expensive, especially given that we just drafted a QB last season, and Ryan doesn't seem to be a #1 QB.

Glenn Dorsey is pretty much out of the running now, given his health problems. There's McFadden, universally regarded the biggest talent in the draft, but RB is the one position we're actually pretty deep at.

The upshot is: there's nobody in this draft who's worth a #1 pick, this year, to these Miami Dolphins. If we could, we'd trade down out of the top spot, snag one of the Longs or maybe Sedrick Ellis or even Ryan, and not have to pay them so much more than they're worth to us. The problem is -- as, ahem, I predicted back in Nov. -- nobody particularly wants to trade up to our spot. So there's nobody we particularly want at #1, and there's nobody to trade down with.

So how about this: when the commish announces the Dolphins are on the clock on draft day, Jeff Ireland goes to the podium and says, "Pass."

That's right. With the #1 pick, the Miami Dolphins select nobody. Let the Rams pay somebody out the ass, if they want to. If not, they can pass, and let the Falcons inherit the problem. Honestly, it wouldn't bother me one bit if that's what we did on draft day. The NFL would go apey, of course, but maybe seeing somebody do something so drastic on draft day would cause them to restructure the way the draft works.

Or, if passing is just too much for you, how about this: a couple weeks before the draft, we buttonhole some kid we'd like to take in a later round and say, "Looky here. We'll draft you #1 if you'll commit right now to a reasonable contract and guarantee you'll show up for training camp on day one."

I think I still prefer just passing, but that's partly just because I'd like to watch the ensuing train wreck. What do you think?

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Comments

Good idea!

This would be the best way for an NFL team to protest the way rookie contracts work. Maybe it would light a fire under the NFL and NFLPA's ass to get some kind of rookie pay structure in place.

After all, nothing gets a point across like humiliation!

by Matty I on Feb 27, 2008 1:09 AM EST reply actions

They often do corner a guy and pre-agree

to contract terms, but they can't be written in stone until they actually pick them.

On the "pass" idea... I was thinking about something similar. I think that if the clock expires on you during your pick, the next team has the right to go ahead and pick. However, you do not lose your chance to pick and can select a player at any time after that.
So if the Dolphins "lollygagged", and didn't get their pick in, and the next two teams selected players before the Dolphins finally chose someone... does that mean the Dolphins got the 3rd pick?
Do the Rams, who own the 2nd pick, end up having to pay #1 money to their selection, or #2 since that is the pick they owned?

You want to mess up the draft and still get a player in the top 5, just let the clock expire and the next team pick before you.

by LeftCoastFinFan on Feb 27, 2008 1:43 AM EST reply actions

very intersting idea....

If you have all the top 5 guys ranked the same, just wait till the 4th pick and then send the card in! I love the idea.

by YatilGinnJr on Feb 27, 2008 1:48 AM EST reply actions

Wouldn't Work...

...and its been done before. First, this means you couldn't have a prior contract agreement. And the player's agent will still ask for the money from the original slot. I vaguely remember the Vikings player they picked when they passed holding out because they tried to give him the money at the lower pick.

If it was that easy, it would have been done before. Plus, all of the teams picking behind us would be pissed as their players would be asking for the higher money. The chaos it would create would outweigh any minor savings in the contract.

by dab415217 on Feb 27, 2008 8:16 AM EST reply actions

Not 100% sure on the rules

but it would make sense that you have to still pay your pick according to your draft order, not where you actually selected him.

I am in favor of some sort of organized "pass" by NFL teams in order to get rookie signing bonuses and contracts under control.

A rookie who hasn't proved anything at this level will automatically make a lot more than some proven veterans because the rookie went in the top 10.

by MarkDuper85 on Feb 27, 2008 9:10 AM EST reply actions

Pass

If anyone would do it, it would be Parcells if he wanted to get a point across. It would be great to see, but we have the cap room, and it would hurt the team more to not select one of these top prospects. Regardless of which one we all say we should take, I think we all would agree we should take one them.

"It all starts with the Dolphins," an executive with another team said Sunday, "and not a single person here has any idea what they're going to do."

by Neo on Feb 27, 2008 9:50 AM EST reply actions

It isn't as if...

any of us are paying these rookie salaries.

Wayne has been happy to jack up ticket prices and gauge the average fan who can't even afford to go to games anymore. All this happening, despite the team sliding into oblivion (1-15).

So I've no problem with Wayne & Co. dealing with rookie salaries.

by Natalya on Feb 27, 2008 11:10 AM EST reply actions

Now if wayne wants to lower

ticket prices, make things semi-affordable, then I'll be game for some kind of structured contract system for players.

by Natalya on Feb 27, 2008 11:10 AM EST up reply actions

I can't afford to go to the games.

I have to settle for watching them on my 8in b/w set. :(

by LeftCoastFinFan on Feb 27, 2008 11:19 AM EST up reply actions

has to be the dumbest idea i've ever heard

why would you give up a spot is besides me....

As a counter point... you have 5 guys who you figure are about the same....

Conference Call the 5 agents, tell them we are willing to select any one of your guys first.

here are the paramaters of our contract offer. first one to sign is number 1 the rest of you guys can take a lesser percentage of that contract dependant upon where you get selected.....

There you go. you get the deal you want. you get your player in at the start of camp and you don't have to wait for another team to sign the first player in order to slot the selection. on top of that you don't have to send 2 months in arbitration because the guy you do select claims that '''miami had the first pick and selected him''' so miami has to pay him this cap money since each team has draft/cap money alloted based upon where they pick.

by W NY Fins Fan on Feb 28, 2008 11:33 PM EST reply actions