The 2009 NFL Draft - Miami Drafts Needs... Well, sort of.

Pat White is the Cat's Claws. Or something like that. Watch the video. He moves like a video game avatar.

I obviously would not have guessed that the draft would have played out like it did. It all started when Al Davis shit the bed once again, passing up Crabtree for Heyward-Bey. The jets moved up to draft Dirty Sanchez (I have already forgotten his real name). I'm sure he'll join the proud tradition of bonehead moves made by the jets.

Let me address three things I think we learned from this draft.

1) Cameron Wake might just be the real deal. The CFL phenom was signed to a three year deal. The Dolphins were believed to be coveting a pass-rushing bookend for J-Peezy and were going to take one in the draft. They did not even draft a developmental project.

I believe that Parcells and company believe Wake might be that good.

2) Or, there might now be room for a return of Jason Taylor. The Phins said publicly that a JT return would hinge upon the outcome of the draft. I can't see who they drafted that would be hurt by a JT return.

I don't see how a JT at a bargain rate would hurt. Let Wake learn from two of the best while slowly working his way into the starting role, perhaps even by midseason.

3) These guys don't leave it up to chance. They needed a CB and so they drafted three, each of them incredibly versatile. They needed a possession receiver and so two were brought in. Including Teddy Ginn's old teammate Brian Hartline. They want someone to step out as a solid possession receiver and so they increased the odds of this happening.

It's murder by numbers people.

But anyway, ignoring the solid moves by the Patriots and Eagles (my, my, Andy Reid does know how to draft a need) let's get to the Dolphins.

DOLPHINS DRAFT CHOICES

First Round

VONTAE DAVIS
CB - Illinois


Second Round

2a
PAT WHITE
QB/WR - West Virginia


2b
SEAN SMITH
CB - Utah

Third Round

PATRICK TURNER
WR - Southern California


Fourth Round

BRIAN HARTLINE
WR - Ohio State

Fifth Round

5a
JOHN NALBONE
TE - Monmouth

5b
CHRIS CLEMONS
S - Clemson

Sixth Round

ANDREW GARDNER
OT - Georgia Tech

Seventh Round

J.D. FOLSOM
LB - Weber State

Two Today

Well, this draft was certainly not a diverse one. The Dolphins Triumvirate decided that the team had two clear needs and that these needed areas required a lot of help. The defensive backfield. The receiving corps.

Over the next few days I will look at individual selections. But first let me start with the top two. Vontae Davis and Pat White.

A Needed Man

With Will Allen being the only viable starter at CB left on the roster, the Dolphins were looking grimly at the return of the Tom Brady/Randy Moss show. Add Terrell Owens to the Bills and a big move by the jets to draft a QB and well... Joey Porter had better eat his wheaties.

Vontae Davis was one of the three players I liked most for the Dolphins at pick #25. Kenny Britt was the one I thought fit best and Larry English the one I liked most. Vontae is a physical specimen. At 5'11" and 208 lbs he is a powerfully built CB who actually put up 25 reps with 225 at the combine. He also had the best 40 time, coming in at 4.45.

The thing is that he translates all of this on film. He runs with anyone and has enough speed and agility to recover from most any mistake. His size makes him a thumper who is not scared to shed blocks and lay the wood on running backs. I love the pick. In a division with Tom Brady, Randy Moss and now Terrell Owens, drafting a fast, physical corner makes a ton of sense. Need filled.

The knock of course, as there is a reason a guy as talented as Vontae slipped to the latter half of the first round, is that he has "character" issues. No one seems to put a finger on them and instead question things like his work ethic. The other knock is that he is a bit arrogant. In his first interview he slid into the third person. Nice.

Vontae also scored a 33 on his Wonderlic aptitude test. One of the highest in the draft. All in all, Vontae Davis is a remarkably valuable pick at 25.

Nice piece on Vontae at nfl.com.

Now to the second round. Pat White. Pat White... Pat White?

The Cat's Claws

On the top end of the second round, the Miami Dolphins (who have selected a QB in the second round for two and now three years straight) select one of the draft's most interesting prospects. Another QB. A clear second rounder on a practically all draft boards, West Virginia's Pat White just didn't seem to make sense for the Dolphins.

With Conner Barwin still on the board the Phins ignored the raw but gifted DE/OLB tweener and went with the versatility of Pat White. Or did they go with the arm of Pat White?

Just over 6' is not enough to play the quarterback position in the NFL. But a 4.49 forty time and insane marks on the cone drills is pretty great stats for a wideout. Then there is the odd fact that White out threw every prospect in QB drills at the combine. Including distance. At the Senior Bowl he was one of the best looking players. So...

So somewhere Glen "Pop" Warner is grinning ear to ear. I still think this pick is curious, even risky, but the fact is that Pat White will make the team and even be on the field for the first game. In college he played QB, RB, and WR. In the NFL I believe it will be the same.

Here's a scenario for you. Pat White at QB. Ted Ginn and Ronnie Brown at WR. Ricky Williams in the slot comes down in motion. The ball is snapped...

Is it Williams who gets the ball with a full head of steam, ready to slam like a Acme Brand spring-loaded boxing glove into the first available linebacker? Or does White keep it and run the play like a traditional shotgun pass play? Perhaps he keeps it and runs a bootleg that OOPS! is really a reverse to Ronnie Brown who in turn throws the ball to a now wide open Ted Ginn, Jr.

I scratch(ed) my head when the Phins selected Pat White. But now it seems to me that he is a value pick. He can run the Single Wing like Jim Thorpe. He can return punts. He can develop into a wonderful slot receiver. He is a football player. Bottom line.

Even if this one doesn't work out, I will still understand why they did it. Too much upside to leave on the board

Methinks it will be a fun season.

BTW: John Beck just got released. Clint, try not to cry too much.