The NFL Draft is six days away, and as crazy as the past few days have been with trades at the top two positions, we are quickly approaching the zenith of Mock Draft season. Thursday night, ESPN added to their annual Mock Draft publications with the "versus" Mock Draft, a three-round projection in which the two analysts alternate picks throughout the Mock.
Kiper started the Draft, giving him the odd selections throughout the projection, while McShay took the even picks. That gave Kiper the Miami Dolphins' 13th overall pick, which he uses to select Florida cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III. He explains his choice, writing, "There have been some questions about Hargreaves when it comes to length. He's 5-foot-10 with shorter arms. But the guy can flat-out cover and could have the quickest transition of any cornerback in the draft, including Ramsey."
The addition of Hargreaves does give Miami a cornerback to start opposite Byron Maxwell and fills one of their top two needs heading into the Draft. As Kiper wrote, Hargreaves is a smaller cornerback, which does not seem to fit the mold Miami is looking for in their cornerbacks this year, but he is an exceptional talent that could overcome his stature. His selection fills one piece of the puzzle facing Miami leading into the Draft, and they now turn to their second-round pick, the 42nd overall selection.
As an even pick, McShay takes control of the Dolphins' front office here, using the selection to add Stanford guard Joshua Garnett. McShay writes, "A physical and powerful run-blocker, Garnett would be a big boost to whoever ends up starting at RB for us."
Together, Kiper and McShay have now picked positions to fill the Dolphins' top two needs in the Draft. Doubling down later on either, or both, cornerback or guard would not be surprising, but as of now, it looks like Miami can spend the rest of the Draft looking for depth at any position and could focus on the best player available. Garnett is an exceptional run blocker, but needs to continue to develop as a pass blocker. He should be a day one starter, but will need some assistance early as he adjusts to the NFL.
The third-round pick for Miami is the 73rd overall selection, giving the pick to Kiper. He uses it to add Louisiana Tech running back Kenneth Dixon. He explains, "They like Jay Ajayi, and Dixon can take some pressure off. He's decisive and bounces off contact."
The addition of a running back in the third round gives Miami the running back they have been trying to find all offseason. They signed C.J. Anderson to an offer sheet, only to see the Denver Broncos match the offer and retain him, while they meet with Chris Johnson, but he decided to re-sign with the Arizona Cardinals. The team is said to expect Ajayi, their fifth-round pick in 2014, to have a big role this season, which would appear to mean he will be the starter, but Dixon would give Miami the second back they want to split carries with Ajayi. Dixon has the talent to be an NFL starter, and when teamed with Ajayi, should give Miami a solid one-two punch.
A solid three rounds of picks for Miami in the Kiper versus McShay Mock Draft give the Dolphins starters at cornerback and guard as well as a running back capable of sharing the carries. What would you think of a Hargreaves, Garnett, Dixon draft for the Dolphins?