FanPost

Dolphin Offseason/Draft Strategy - Article 7: Interior Offensive Linemen to target in the draft

I am in offseason mode (literally, as I am a high school coach) already (as the Dolphins are again in early January). So I thought it is my usual time to pretend my thoughts matter to Miami and have decided to step back and look at what we do with our team this offseason.


My plan is to do 10-12 articles about the draft and free agency. I wanted to give some insight into how I would (and I hope Tannenbaum will) approach this year’s offseason. I am working backward, as I think we need to know what we can land in the draft to know what we need to: sign, re-sign or cut this offseason.


This article will focus on Interior Offensive Linemen in the NFL Draft. This is a very difficult position for me to grade and I will get to what criteria I used later, but I think we can all assume at some point we will draft an offensive linemen (IMO we should get one every year in the draft). Our interior offensive line play was lacking to say the least. Both our guard spots should be upgraded (and while I think we do one by free agency, I think the other is done through the draft).


I am in the Mike Pouncey camp. I am not a big fan of how much money we dumped on him, but I do believe we simply keep him at his current contract through 2017 at the minimum. He played injured through most of the season and was next to two dumpster fires. I’d like to see him this season healthy in our new scheme before deciding his fate.


It is difficult to judge interior offensive linemen without being privy to the college "coaches tape". I’d want to see the endzone shots on these guys from every snap they played before making a serious decision on who is best for us. With that being said, I have tried to watch tape on all the guys (what I had time for) and this is how I would rank interior offensive linemen from this draft and the round I would target them:


1- Cody Whitehair (KSU): I feel when the tape is on, this guy looks like a plug and play guard in the NFL. He will get killed at the combine (arms to short, not real athletic, etc…), which is what I’d be hoping for. He was a 4-year starter and is a very physical player, but he is surprisingly good on his feet also. Simply put, he is the best interior offensive lineman available in the 2016 draft. If I am GM, I pray he slides to my 2nd round pick and scoop him up if he does.


2- Spencer Drango (Baylor): A guy that goes from pretty solid OT, to an elite NFL guard IMO. This guy is big, strong and can move. I think Baylor was very under-rated up front this season. This is a guy I have a hard time passing up if he makes it to round 2. My fear is he gets bumped all the way into round 1 (too high for me on him).


3- Max Tuerk (USC): I actually have a few guys, listed below him ranked higher than him, but I think this is a guy that will slide down into rounds 3-4 and will be more of a "value" in the draft. Very athletic player (was a center in college and can play both spots). Great at getting to the 2nd level. I compare him to Cameron Ervin from last season’s draft (a guy I really wanted us to pick). If we are staying with zone schemes, he may be a great fit at guard (or eventually replacing Pouncey, if you are in that frame of mind).


4- Landon Turner (UNC): Very sound football player. I think this guy is another plug-and-play type rookie that will be ready early. I think he is not going to be an all-pro type player, but will be a 5-7 year guy that would immediately upgrade what we have at guard right now. Targeted round for me would be round 3 or 4.


5- Joshua Garnett (Stanford): Another player that is very physical. (after reading my personal picks I think you can see I like the guys that are pretty nasty players on the OL). I think he is a guy that will probably end up being "over-drafted" which is why he ranks below Tuerk/Turner on my board. I’d be willing to look at him with a round 3-4 pick, but see him going mid-round 2.


6-Sebatian Tretola (Arkansas): I live in Arkansas. So, like it or not (and usually not), I see most of their games. This kid is very good. Not going to fit in a zone-based offense, but is very strong at the point of attack and very willing to do all he can to succeed. He is in the process of "slimming down" to 320ish range so he can get a little quicker. I think this is a guy I target because he is a round 3 type player that I feel starts for us right away, with the potential to be special.


7- Denver Kirkland (Arkansas): Another Razorback Olineman that I feel will be solid in the NFL. More athletic than Tretola (played tackle in college) and he is actually even bigger than most guards at 6’5. He will have the potential to make some team happy with a 3-4th round pick.


8-Nick Martin (ND): Another guy I think gets "over-drafted". I like him as a 3rd round talent, but see him going round 2. Played Center in college, but could play Guard or Center in NFL. Not as good as his brother, but will be a solid pro. Maximizes his talent level, just limited physically. He will be an instant starter at the NFL level, in my opinion, but nothing more than an average starter (still an upgrade for us though…).


There are several other options out there, but I didn’t want to do an exhaustive list. I would say I stay away from Vandal Alexander (LSU) as I think he gets drafted in round 1 or early round 2 and I see "bust" all over him. There are plenty of other guys that I did not have time to do tons of research on, but I think with the talent level out there at interior OL it is not a stretch to say we could find a very solid starter if we were willing to spend a 3rd round pick on OL. We could spend a 2nd round pick and have our pick of most of the guys I listed if we chose to go that route also.

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.