I recently got another opportunity to chat with the Miami Herald's Greg Cote, who covers all of Miami's sports teams, including the Miami Dolphins. He also regularly updates his blog, which I'd highly recommend for you all to check out frequently. This time we talked about the draft and about Trent Green:
I was very surprised the Dolphins passed over Brady Quinn to select Ted Ginn. They had Quinn rated higher than John Beck, but not as high as the ninth pick. Then again, very few experts thought Ginn would go as high as ninth. My feeling: If you're going to "reach" for somebody, why not make it somebody at the greatest position of need? As for the draft overall (including that first pick), we shall see.
What do you think of the Ted Ginn Jr. pick? Do you think he can turn into an elite NFL receiver or should we all prepare ourselves for our first round pick to simply be a good return man and a #3 receiver?
I have some doubts about Ginn. A foot injury that takes six months-plus to heal is a pretty serious injury. Draftniks tend to peg Ginn as a No. 2-type receiver; he must prove he's better than that. His speed is undeniable, but there are reasons he wasn't higher on a lot of draft boards.
What are your impressions of John Beck so far? I, for one, am very impressed with his personality and how he is approaching life in the NFL. What do you think and can he be this team's franchise quarterback?
My impression of Beck is only a glimpse, but a favorable one. He certainly is a squeaky clean/All-American type personally. He seems mature. Can he be a franchise quarterback? Don't know yet.
What are your opinions on some of the other guys selected, such as Samson Satele, Lorenzo Booker, and Reagan Mauia? Are there any undrafted free agents that Miami signed that us Dolphin fans should keep an eye on?
Honestly I haven't formed impressions yet. I will say the Booker pick looked smarter once Ricky Williams tested positive again.
Lastly, what do you think about this whole Trent Green saga that is currently playng out? Will Green ever be a Dolphin? And am I the only one who actually feels pretty bad for Green, especially after hearing him speak? He just seems so frustrated.
I think the Green deal eventually will get done, because the Dolphins' desire to have him and his desire to be here are both so obvious. He can be a decent one-season stopgap, although I continue to maintain that a healthy Daunte Culpepper deserves a full, fair shot at the starting job.
The biggest thing that stands out to me is that Greg Cote, like myself, is a full-blown member of the "Support Daunte Culpepper" club.
But I want to know what your thoughts are.