Realistic Free Agents we should look at...

We inquired about him this year and NE wasn’t going to trade him to a division rival. His relationship with the Pats is likely irreparably damaged. He would give us the best left side in the NFL. Plus with Garner coming back, that could make our line dominant.

As far as the other guys you mentioned, I think their current teams will try to resign them.

Mankins will be Franchised though. Does anyone think B. Billcheat will let him go for free. You have to love how they do business, but, hate them for the same reason. They Franchise Mankins and I will predict that he quits football.LOL. Don’t we have a marker with NE for the Welker trade? An yes we will spend the money for Mankins because V. Carey will be cut or traded. IMO

I like your picks

and scooping either Santonio Holmes or Braylon Edwards. They may be thugs, but either of their skillsets would be an asset to the WR group.

How much sense would it make to bring Vontae’s brother here… I mean, he fills a need and everything …. Also, I love the idea of adding Mankins if we can pry him away from NE. I would like to see us grab Kyle Orton if the price is right so that we can actually develop a QB if one of the NFL ready QBs don’t fall to us. I think we have plenty of talent at RB with or without Ricky and Ronnie, we just need to fix the offensive line and get a new OC. It would be nice to get a Jacoby Jones, but that is only after our offensive line gets a major overhaul. How many teams would kill for the offensive weapons that we have but are not using. I mean, if Henning figured out that he didn’t have to max protect and he could actually send RBs on routes out of the backfield … it would change the face of our offense. We wouldn’t need a burner, we would be able to spread any defense out, and even Henne would be able to make the throws he needed to make to be successful. I would love to see us push hard to get Ngata, just because the guy is a rare talent and you can never have too many big guys in the middle of your defense. Soliai is looking much better, but what do we have if he goes down?? I think we can add another OLB in the draft in the later rounds to develop and we will be really solid … everywhere.

Not so sure of Jones though. Every time I watch the Texans it seems like he has a crucial drop. And for the RB position, they seem to be a dime-a-dozen now; I bet there’s 60 RB’s in the league right now who could rush for a 1000 yards with a good line and 250 carries. Sure, there’s the elite ones out there, but who was the last elite RB that won a Super Bowl? Marshall Faulk?

As far as the draft, I know that this is extremely bias being an FSU fan, but I would love for us to trade down and draft 4-year starter and 2-time All-American Hudson to play either guard or center alongside Mankins and Garner. With the extra pick from trading down we could take Christian Ponder. Ponder’s had a disappointing year as he was viewed as a Heisman hopeful and the 2nd best QB prospect at the beginning of the year, but I think that had partly to do with the elbow issue he’s been having this year.

Hightower , williams and sheets I can do that, Jones, BESS, and Marshall, with Hartline and Curtis coming in not bad either.but before all that we need to tweak the Oline and light a fire under Henne. I wish there was winter ball for football players like in Baseball.I’m not ready to toss him yet he needs time to slow down the game , you can see it, he is just scared.Now if there is a stud still on the draft board when we pick we better get him.

Jones is having an awful season in Houston this year with an above average quarterback and a complete stud at WR in Johnson - he would disappoint in Miami. I’ve watched enough Houston games to see Jones drop pass after catchable pass.

I love Hightower - not an elite RB, but definitely a guy who would work his tail off at being a true # 1. He also is a great receiver out of the backfield.

I think everyone is dreaming about signing the big name linemen in free agency, but I would be on board for getting Mankins — I just don’t see it happening.

I like the idea of Mankins and I think it is plausible depending on what the front office thinks of Incognito, a free agent this year, and rookie John Jerry. Hightower would depend on the free agency restrictions, but I am betting RFA will be reduced from 4 years to 3. As much as I’d like Zach Miller, I don’t think he will leave Oakland. He’ll likely be a top priority for them this offseason. Owen Daniels would be decent, but a torn ACL raises questions.

Free agent hopefuls:
WR Santonio Holmes – Yeah, he’s now hated because he’s a Jet and he has some problems. He has some issues, but he could bring a lot to Miami as a #2 WR. He’s the best free agent WR.

WR Plaxico Burress – Surprised at this one? He will likely come cheap. He isn’t very fast, but he does have good speed and could be another weapon. Given the likely discount, it is a risk worth taking.

LG Logan Mankins – No matter how good the front office thinks Incognito or Jerry have done, Mankins is a top 5 offensive guard in the NFL and is worth the upgrade.

RB DeAngelo Williams – Only if Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams are both allowed to leave. Hightower would be a great option depending on his availability due to free agency rules.

Draft Hopefuls:
WR Julio Jones, Alabama – AJ Green will be long gone, but Jones is an intriguing option. He is 6’4 and has sub-4.5 speed. He doesn’t have tremendous stats because of Alabama’s offense, but he has the ability to be a great WR in the NFL. He can run all the routes and he has tremendous hands. An extra upside for Sparano’s high demand on protecting the football? Julio Jones has never fumbled the football while at Alabama.

TE Kyle Rudolph, Notre Dame – Very good speed and can stretch the field. He has solid hands and runs solid routes as well. He is often flexed out in Notre Dame’s offense. He needs to work on his blocking, but he has all the receiving tools the Dolphin fanbase covets for a TE. He is 6’5 and is a big target for a QB. He will provide problems for LBs tasked to cover him.

TE Weslye Saunders, South Carolina – Not as solid of a pick as Rudolph, but he can be a late round gem. He was suspended for missing a team meeting in January and again later for a team violation, but was then dismissed entirely from the team. He is 6’5 and is another big target for a QB. He’s not as fast as Rudolph, but he can still stretch the middle of the field and he has solid hands. He is more capable as a blocker as well. He runs very well after the catch.

RB Mark Ingram, Alabama – He is my favorite RB in the draft since Adrian Peterson. I’m much higher on Ingram than I was on CJ Spiller because Ingram is more suited for Miami’s offense. Ingram has good speed and power. He is the type of runner that can run inside and push the pile or run outside and get to the perimeter. He runs very low and has excellent vision. I love his ability to read and exploit cutback lanes. With the way Miami often pulls their lineman, I really think Ingram can thrive in this offense while following the pulling lineman and hitting the holes. He’s one of the few RBs in this draft I feel comfortable carrying the ball 20+ times a game. I didn’t feel Spiller could carry the load Ingram could, another reason I was not high on him this past year.

C/G Rodney Hudson, FSU – He is very smart with his reads. He doesn’t have ideal height and weight, but he does have good strength and handles bull rushers well. I am a little concerned how he could handle some of the larger NTs however. He moves very well and is exceptional at picking up the blitz and stunts. He is a durable and versatile player. He played two seasons as a left guard and has also started a game at left tackle. He can be used at guard or center.

WR Leonard Hankerson, Miami – A worthy middle or late round pick. He is 6’3 and has good speed, though he is not as fast as some may think. If the Dolphins don’t wish to go with someone like Julio Jones in the first round or early second, Hankerson would be a great pick in the middle. He can run all the routes, but he needs to improve his pass catching. He has the ability to make the big plays and score quick TDs and can also find the soft spots in zone coverage. He likely would need time to develop as a #2 WR, but he’d be a solid option as a #4 WR as he progresses. Not surprising to me, Roberto Wallace and Marlon Moore have not reached the potential some fans thought they had in the preseason. In my opinion, Hankerson has more upside than both Wallace and Moore.

Other options for middle or late round picks:
RB Daniel Thomas, Kansas State
WR Jon Baldwin, Pittsburgh
RT Orlando Franklin, Miami
QB Blaine Gabbert, Missouri
QB Ricky Stanzi, Iowa
C Stefen Wisniewski, Penn State
CB Reshad Carmichael, Virginia Tech
CB Curtis Brown, Texas
TE George Bryan, North Carolina State
TE David Paulson, Oregon
DE Marcell Dareus, Alabama
ILB Chris Marve, Vanderbilt
OLB Justin Houston, Georgia

Those are just additional names I wouldn’t mind later in the draft. I think my favorite may be Justin Houston. Even is Misi does prove to work out, there is nothing wrong with having more depth. I included Gabbert and Stanzi on this list with the assumption the coaching staff is not looking to get Locker or Mallett in the first or second round. If they choose to pass on them, I still think getting a project such as Gabbert or Stanzi in the later rounds would still be a wise decision.