Following their 2009 campaign the Dolphins off season needs seemed as insatiable as Ben Roethlisexoffender’s sex drive. Too soon? Send emails to getalife@nobodyreadsthis.com. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Just saying.
Miami needed to fill five major holes in an otherwise solid team to put themselves in a realistic position to contend for a Championship. In no particular order we needed a big-bodied, play making true #1 receiver, a bulldozing nose tackle to anchor our 3-4, a ball hawking free safety, a tackling machine at outside line backer and an elite pass rushing defensive end.
Dolphins brass i.e. Bill Parcells, Jeff Ireland and Tony Sporano were able to acquire two Pro Bowl players by signing Karlos Dansby via Free Agency to fill the outside linebacking void created with the departure of the mouth of the south, Joey Porter and obviously the blockbuster deal that brought us Brandon Marshall instantaneously transforming an anemic receiving corps into a lethal one. That about seals those two holes tighter than a frog’s rear end.
Two paramount deals to fix two monumental weaknesses on your roster is certainly something to be ecstatic about but in the immortal words of our very own Big Tuna “We’ve got a ways to go so put away the anointing oil, okay?” He said that a few years ago referring to a young Tony Romo finding early success in Dallas but don’t think for one second that Parcells isn’t thinking the very same thing as I write this. The fact remains that we still need to figure out how to find a starting NT, S and DE between the combination of our current roster, not a great option, and Thursday’s draft.
We currently sit at #12, which virtually ensures cementing the third of our five holes depending on the direction the crafty Parcells will manuever but our next pick isn’t until #73 (3rd Rd.) and not even David Copperfield could plug our three holes with only two picks in the top 100. In a perfect world (I know) the Dolphins trade out of the 12th pick and into the back of the 1st round while adding a 2nd round pick to replace the one (#43) they lost to Denver in the Marshall deal. With everyone looking to trade down it’s unlikely Miami will find a dance partner but you can bet your bottom dollar that Parcells is trying to do just that and the Philadelphia Eagles might just be our Huckleberry. 
If that deal were to happen then Miami would move from #12 to #24 and compromise to #55 in the 2nd round given us three picks in the top 73 of a very deep draft. That’s enough to make sure you at least know where the anointing oil is stored. That’s a “what if” scenario though and not worth anything more than a fantasy tale you tell your buddies over beers.
Back to the real world, which isn’t all bad when you consider the immense talent that will be sitting there for the taking at #12. There’s no doubt in my mind that NT Dan Williams (Tennessee), DE Derrick Morgan (Georgia Tech) or S Earl Thomas (Texas) will be a Miami Dolphins starter the second they stand up and make the walk to shake Roger Goodell’s hand. The question is which one will it be? (I’ve linked them all to their scouting reports.)
My brain tells me Williams is our guy, with Jason Ferguson suspended for 8 games and the uber importance of a play thrashing 3-4 nose tackle it would seem foolish to pass on Williams. Playing devil’s advocate here and I could say that there are a number of worthy prospects that you should be able to get in the 2nd, 3rd or even 4th rounds to at least split time with Paul Solai until Ferguson returns.
My gut tells me Parcells wants to mold Morgan into shades of the great L.T. Devils advocate says there is only one L.T. and both nose tackle and safety are bigger needs and there will be a quality pass rushing end still available at #55, maybe even a stud like Ricky Sapp (Clemson).
My heart wants Thomas, a ball hawking safety with tremendous cover skills and all around tools for one, and for two, did you see Gibril Wilson and every team we played last season repeatedly gouge us with big plays? The devil’s advocate would say that a nose tackle and a pass rusher are bigger needs… or would he? The heart wants what the heart wants.
Imagine the coundrum, albeit a great one, if Jason Paul-Pierre (South Florida) or Dez Bryant (Oklahoma State) are still available there.
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