2008 Mini-Camp Over

As discussed earlier, this weekend the Dolphins held their first workouts of the 2008 season. It was only for rookies and included the nine draft picks and thirty undrafted free agents. Instead of trying to pass off as if I know how the camp went, I'd rather suggest you check the local media outlets who actually had sports writers in attendance. In short, it sounds like Jake Long looked worthy of being a #1 pick (I'd hope so against other rookies), Davone Bess looked like a great candidate for a wide receiver spot, and Chad Henne had his ups and downs but overall had a good camp.

In case you were wondering my opinion on Jason Taylor, I don't have one. I believe the media is largely responsible for the circus around him and the team and I will not contribute to it. As long as he is on the roster, I look forward to him having another great season for us and hopefully he leads our defense and team to a big improvement in 2008.

First Mini-Camp of the 2008 Season

Today is the start of the first training camp for the Miami Dolphins. You shouldn't get too excited though. It is only a few days long and is only for the rookies. Also, it's closed to the public. So we will have to rely on information from real reporters to know how everyone did. At this point I guess it would be a good time to list all of our draft picks along with a couple of thoughts on each player. In addition, I'll list the fourteen players signed as undrafted free agents and four players invited to camp for a tryout.

Draft Picks

• Jake Long, OT: I've talked about him before. He solidifies the line and it should be a decent unit.
• Phillip Merling, DE: This was a steal. There is a bit of risk because of his injury and because he is a tweener in the 3-4, but I think he will develop nicely into a 3-4 DE.
• Chad Henne, QB: Ask me how this turns out in four years. I like the pick, especially considering he fell to #57 and we didn't draft him earlier. He could play right away, I wouldn't be surprised.
• Kendall Langford, DE: I was surprised when i heard his name but after studying up, it might be a great pick. He will have to transition to being a two-gapper but this is a good investment because he is a great athlete.
• Shawn Murphy, OG: He immediately is the favorite to start at RG, because Jeff Ireland said so. If he is like the pro athlete his father was, then we are in good shape.
• Jalen Parmele, RB: He is a nice looking back who had great production in the MAC. Even though RB wasn't really a "need," it's nice to have some insurance for Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams
• Donald Thomas, OG: We have another candidate for the starting RG spot. He and his coaches at UConn have connections with Sparano and they really like him. This is a good value pick for a team with no depth at the offensive line.
• Lex Hilliard, RB: A lot of people seem to have a problem with another RB, but I don't. This guy was great at Montana and may project as a FB or goal line and short yardage specialist. Also look for him on special teams.
• Lionel Dotson, DE: We beef up our defensive line yet again. For a team that was the worst defending the run, you can't have enough big players trying to earn their spot on the field.

Undrafted Free Agent Signings

• Davone Bess, WR: He is the most recognizeable name on this list for college football fans and probably has the best chance of making the team. He had huge production in that Hawaii offense but does possess all the skills needed for the NFL. He may need to prove he can be a special teams player though if he wants to make it
  
• Dan Carpenter, K: He has a big leg and is good from 50+ yards. He could compete for the kickoff duties since it doesn't appear the team wants Jay Feely handling those.
  
• Jayson Foster, WR: He did it all in I-AA and his agent says he is more dangerous with a football than Darren McFadden! He will compete for kick return duties and perhaps be a nice weapon for the offense every now and then.
  
• Titus Brown LB
  
• Mike Byrne OL
• Dan Gore, OL
  
• Daren Heerspink, OL
• Aaron Lane, CB
• Selwyn Lymon, WR
  
• Matt Mulligan, TE
  
• Kelly Poppinga, LB
  
• Kory Robertson, D
  
• Marcel Reese, WR
  
• Justin Wynn, WR

Good Old Fashioned Tryouts

• Willie Copeland, QB
• Kris Kasparek, TE
• Rolly Lumbala, FB
• Scorpio Babers, CB

2008 NFL Draft Live Blog

Here I will provide some quick thoughts on each pick as it happens and also some short analysis of every move the Miami Dolphins make. So here we go...

1. MIA - Jake Long: We already knew this, I give my thoughts in an earlier post.
2. STL - Chris Long: They could have traded but this is a solid pick. I think the 4-3 DE is a great position for him
   
3. ATL - Matt Ryan: The right move to fully move on from the Mike Vick era
   
4. OAK - Darren McFadden: Al Davis, what elses did you expect. They have a great QB-RB tandem, but will they have an o-line?
   
5. KC - Glenn Dorsey: This is a gift, a great one for a rebuilding franchise. He will help stop the run in the AFC west
   
6. NYJ - Vernon Gholston: Good point made on NFLN, he and Jake Long will square off twice a year now. Let's hope Jake Long gets the better of the NFL matchups
   
7. NO* - Sedrick Ellis: They really needed a DT and they did a nice job of jumping Cincinatti
   
8. JAX* - Derrick Harvey: They gave up a lot, but if they feel DE is their only missing piece from a Super Bowl, then they got a good one
   
9. CIN - Keith Rivers: They had to settle for a different USC star, they are probably upset
   
10. NE - Jerod Mayo: I thought they would go CB or O-line, but this is a solid pick. Their LB's need some youth and athleticism
11. BUF - Leodis McKelvin: First CB off the board and a good one. He will help in the return game with Roscoe Parrish.
12. DEN - Ryan Clady: He should help protect Jay Cutler, solid pick
    
13. CAR - Jonathan Stewart: They must really love him, I think Mendenhall is a better RB
    
14. CHI - Chris Williams: They could have gone QB but o-line will help their poor QB situation
    
15. KC* - Branden Albert: He shot up the draft boards and is a great piece for their offensive line
16. ARI - Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie: Great pick.
17. DET - Gosder Cherilus: This is the first WTF?!? moment of the draft. Should have been someone else.
    
18. BAL - Joe Flacco: They must really love him because they could have had many options at #26. He's a great prospect but is a work in progress
19. CAR - Jeff Otah: They are rebuilding that power running game but they gave up way too much in that trade
20. 
    

*Pick acquired via trading up