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Elliot Harrison from NFL.com re-did the 2009 NFL Draft yesterday, giving each team another chance at fixing their wrongs from that year. Did the Miami Dolphins stick with cornerback Vontae Davis according to Harrison? Did they go another direction?
The Dolphins did not keep Davis. But, it's not because they chose someone else. It's because he was already off the board by the time the Dolphins' 25th overall pick rolled around. (Hey, remember when the Dolphins would select that late in the draft routinely? No? Not many of us do.) According to Harrison's redo, the Minnesota Vikings grab Davis with the 22nd pick, after their original pick, Percy Harvin, was selected fifth overall by the New York Jets (meaning they did not take Mark Sanchez - who wound up not being selected in the first round).
With no Davis, where do the Dolphins look at 25? They look to answer one of their 2013 draft needs. According to Harrison, the Dolphins would grab defensive end Michael Johnson if they could do it all over. Of the pick, Harrison wrote:
The Dolphins could've stood Johnson up as an OLB in their pressure-based 3-4, where he would've benefitted from the tutelage of both Jason Taylor and Joey Porter. Cameron Wake and Johnson on the edges would make playing the Dolphins not fun.
In his four years with the Cincinnati Bengals, Johnson has started 30 games, appearing in an additional 34, where he has recorded 23 sacks, two interceptions, 16 passes defensed, and 142 tackles. He could be a wrecking ball opposite Cameron Wake, especially having had a chance to learn under Jason Taylor in 2009 and 2011.
I can't say picking Johnson would be the wrong move if Miami were re-picking.
The Dolphins saw one of their second round picks, cornerback Sean Smith, also land in the first round of the 2009 re-draft. Harrison sees the Indianapolis Colts, who traded for Davis from Miami last year, drafting his former secondary mate Smith with the 27th pick, rather than grabbing running back Donald Brown (who falls out of the first round).
According to Harrison, the Dolphins grabbed two first round pick worthy players in the 2009 draft. Unfortunately, neither one is still in Miami after Davis was traded and Smith left for the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency this year.