FanPost

LittleNicky's 7 Round Dolphins Mock Draft

This is my first crack at a Full, 7-round, Dolphins Mock Draft.  We have 9 picks in the 2009 Draft, and at least 1 pick in every single round.  The longest wait we'll have on Draft Weekend between picks is 53 selections, between our 4th and 5th rounders, so it should be a pretty eventful weekend for us.  I really see us being Defensive-centric throughout the opening rounds, then adding some OL depth later in the Draft.  I also think the "Free-Falling WR's" theme will continue for another year, so I have us getting a potential 1st-round wideout with our early 2nd rounder.  But enough talk, let's get to the picks.

 

1st Round. 

Pick 25 (25th Overall)

Darius Butler, CB, UConn - 5'10, 185lbs, 4.38 40, 43in Vertical.

  • Butler is, IMO, one of the top Corners in the draft, and he would not only start immediately opposite Will Allen, I think he could take over the "number 1 CB" tag by the second half of the season.  He has the best combination of speed and jumping ability of any of the draft's top corners, and he's not afraid to come up and smack a ballcarrier in the run game.  Butler is one of the most complete cornerbacks in the draft, and I think we get a very good addition to our secondary here in round 1.

2nd Round.

Pick 12 (44th Overall)

Hakeem Nicks, WR, UNC - 6'1, 212lbs, 4.51 40, 36in Vertical.

  • Nicks, projected as a late-first round prospect, could fall into the early second, and I have the Dolphins getting him at 44.  We may have our choice of a few WR's here, because, like I said earlier, I believe WR's as a group could fall again like they did last year.  Anyway, I envision Hakeem Nicks as Anquan Boldin v2.0.  His 40 wasn't all that impressive, but he plays very fast.  He has HUGE hands, and catches anything he can get to.  One of his more Parcells-pleasing attributes is his ability-and, moreso, his willingness-to block.  On top of all that, Nicks' is able to do damage after the catch, which enables him to turn anything into a big play.  It may be a stretch to see him fall to 44, but I don't think it's out of the question.

2nd Round.

Pick 24 (56th Overall)

Lawrence Sidbury, OLB, Richmond - 6'3, 265lb, 4.64 40, 28 Bench Reps, 35in Vertical

  • Sidbury is a high-motor, high-potential pass rusher coming from the Division 1-AA (FCS, whatever) National Champion Richmond Spiders.  He might take some time to convert to OLB, but his skills and athletic ability project well to the SSLB or Rush LB in our 3-4 defense.  The knocks on him are mostly coachable, things like "doesn't use his hands well" and "does not have many pass rush moves."  But I believe he would be a solid pickup at this point in the draft, and his potential, if realized, would make him an absolute steal at the bottom of round 2. 

3rd Round.

Pick 23 (87th Overall)

Chris Baker, NT, Hampton - 6'2, 326lbs, 5.02 40, 24 Bench Reps, 35.5in Vertical

  • Another small-school prospect for us, but I'm sure his former teammate, Kendall Langford would vouch for Baker's ability.  At only 6'2, he would seem to be a little short for a NT, but he plays with good leverage and was quick enough to play DE as well at Hampton.  I believe he could be a 3-down NT because of his ability to rush the passer from the 3-4 set.  He does have a couple red flags as far as character concerns, getting kicked off the Penn St. football team a couple years ago for 2 misdemeanor assault charges, but I don't think he has a habit of running into the law, so I'm not too concerned about it.  I think his combination of size and athleticism is too good to pass up at this point.

4th Round.

Pick 8 (108th Overall)

Greg Toler, CB, St. Paul's College - 5'11, 191lbs, 4.45 40, 13 Bench Reps, 33.5in Vertical.

  • Who needs BCS players?  Matty did a short write-up on Toler about a week ago, and the more I learned, the more I liked about Toler.  He's drawn comparison's to Rodgers-Cromartie, drafted in the first round by Arizona last season, mostly because he's a small-school CB rising up draft boards.  The more telling endorsement of Toler, however, is that the Miami Dolphins brass flew out to St. Paul's College to attend a private workout of the kid.  He could come in and compete with Jason Allen and Eric Green for the Nickel/Dime CB spots.  Getting the recognition he's getting, you know he had to work incredibly hard, and I think that work-ethic and attitude would carry over into the NFL.

5th Round.

Pick 25 (161st Overall)

Frantz Joseph, ILB, FAU - 6'3, 235lbs, 4.83 40, 19 Bench Reps, 27.5in Vertical.

  • Bottom line, the kid is a tackling machine.  He notched 141 tackles last season for FAU, and he plays with terrific instincts and intensity.  He definitely has the requisite size to play alongside Crowder, and he was asked to play in coverage enough in school that it's not a glaring weakness in his game.  He would immediately contribute on special teams, and I think he could eventually work his way into the lineup as a starter.  Plus, I can just see him and Crowder doing a "Hans and Frantz" routine in an interview, and how could we pass up that comedic potential?

6th Round.

Pick 8 (181st Overall)

Dallas Reynolds, C, BYU - 6'5 328, 5.28 40, 20 Bench Reps, 30in Vertical.

  • I've seen Reynolds in a couple Dolphins 7 Round Mocks, and I liked the pick, so I shamelessly stole it for my own. The biggest bonus to getting Reynolds, IMO, is his versatility.  He can play pretty much every OL position, and he would provide quality depth all over the line.  I think he's most valuable as a backup C though, considering Grove's injury history and the fact that he's pushing 30.  Reynolds would be a great guy to start grooming as a future starting center.

7th Round.

Pick 5 (214 Overall)

Robert Brewster, OT, Ball St. - 6'4, 325lbs, 5.31 40, 23 Bench Reps, 30.5in Vertical.

  • Brewster was the OL Anchor on last year's prolific Ball St. offense, which led the team to a 12-2 record, including a loss in the GMAC Bowl.  Ball St. did ALOT of passing, and their QB, Nate Davis, was largely untouched most of the season thanks to his OL.  Brewster would be a good pickup for the tackle position, a position that severely lacks depth behind Long and Carey.  He's certainly big and strong enough, and his experience pass blocking can only help him at the next level.

7th Round.

Pick 28 (237th Overall)

Marlon Lucky, RB, Nebraska - 5'11, 216lbs, 4.53 40, 18 Bench Reps.

  • This is my plea for Husker to come back :-)  In all seriousness, Lucky is a decent back, with good pass catching ability, and I think he was never able to reach his potential largely because of Bill Callahan's cluelessness as a coach.  He would most likely join Lex Hilliard on the practice squad to start, and he would have a chance to compete to be the complementary back to Ronnie once Ricky moves on.  At this point in the draft, I think you're just drafting for a "just in case" scenario, and Lucky would at least be able to step in on 3rd downs if a couple running backs go down.

So that's my 7 round mock.  Feel free to skewer it and tell me how stupid I am and all that below :-) 

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of The Phinsider's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of The Phinsider writers or editors.