Miami Dolphins mock draft
There are literally hundreds of mock drafts out there, each attempting to prognosticate the 2006 NFL Draft in their own way. So what's the harm in throwing one more onto the existing heap?
Besides, this one is all about the Miami Dolphins!
Round 1, No. 16 Overall:
This pick is complicated. If FSU defensive tackle Broderick Bunkley were to somehow fall to this spot Nick Saban would snatch him up in a heartbeat. But that ain't going to happen. That being the case, I think their second favorite guy on the draft board is wide receiver Chad Jackson out of Florida. If Jackson is gone, look for Saban to select either FSU's Kamerion Wimbley or NC State's Manny Lawson. If he does select one of these guys, expect them to be converted into a pass-rushing outside linebacker. Saban is big on height and overall size, so I think he will pass on guys like Santonio Holmes and Ernie Sims (both only 5-11). Lastly, if Virginia Tech cornerback/safety Jimmy Williams is still on the board, he could also be a strong possibility for the Dolphins. As with Bunkley, this scenario is highly unlikely.
Round 3, No. 82 Overall:
There are a couple of 2nd-round caliber left tackles that could possibly slip to this spot on Saturday. One of them is a former LSU Tiger that coach Saban recruited and coached. If Andy Whitworth is still on the board when the Miami Dolphins make their selection, expect him to come off it in a hurry.
Round 4, No. 114 Overall:
Saban could look to another one of his former players with this pick. LSU outside linebacker Cameron Vaughn could still be on the board at this point. If he is, expect Saban to take a good hard look at him. He may also consider an SEC-rival like Tennessee outside linebacker Parys Haralson.
Round 7, (3 picks) No. 212,226, and 233 Overall: It’s virtually impossible to give specifics on these picks, because it’s hard to tell exactly who will still be available. Expect the Miami Dolphins to pick up bodies for the offensive and defensive lines. They may also opt to go for a "project" wide receiver; a speedster or special teams ace of some sort.
Not that I'm self-loathing or anything, but I think that the best part of this mock draft is that it’s over. That's because with just one day left until the actual draft, the prognosticating can come to a stop and the excitement of the NFL Draft can begin.
DRAFT 2006: Cowboys listening to all offers for No
Jerry Jones is getting tired of writing big checks to free agent offensive linemen.
The cheap solution: Draft some good ones.
The Dallas Cowboys have the 18th pick in the draft Saturday, which gives them a chance to add all but a handful of the best blockers available - unless they trade up a few spots, perhaps to take Southern California tackle Winston Justice.
However, Jones usually prefers trading down, both to get more picks that way and because the lower they're taken, the cheaper they cost. That doesn't always mean getting lesser players, either, as evidenced by Larry Allen and Flozell Adams going from second-rounders to Pro Bowlers.
"We would really like to have numbers of picks," Jones said. "But if we thought there was a real chance to get a player who shouldn't have been sliding, we might move up. More than likely, I don't anticipate anything dramatic in either scenario, nothing more than three or four slots."
Since going 9-7 last season and falling short of the playoffs, the Cowboys have addressed most of their needs through free agency. That includes signing Kyle Kosier to replace Allen at left tackle and Jason Fabini to take over at right guard. Of course, they also made the headline-grabbing addition of receiver Terrell Owens.
"It seems like we've got a lot more options," Jones said. "With the free agents, we were really able to cover our needs spots. That allows us not to compromise our pick in any way. We don't have to take a lesser player because he plays a position of need.
"But I would not hesitate at all to draft a position where we didn't have the biggest need. We're not going to pass up too good of a player."
Except maybe if he's a receiver.
Although Owens is 32 and fellow starter Terry Glenn will be, too, when training camp opens, and there are legitimate questions about whether they will play every game (Glenn because of health, Owens because he's Owens). Jones may already be trying to make Owens content by not adding competition at the position.
"I don't feel an urgency to get a young wide receiver," Jones said.
If Dallas does try drafting by position, defensive tackle and linebacker are good places to start.
The Cowboys improved their defense a lot by taking outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware and defensive lineman Marcus Spears in the first round last year, then adding lineman Chris Canty in the fourth round.
Yet coach Bill Parcells can still find a spot for anyone else who can get to the quarterback or draw enough blockers to free someone else's path. Tackle might be a priority since La'Roi Glover left in free agency.
When in doubt, though, the Cowboys might go with an offensive lineman.
"If we get out of the draft without an offensive lineman, I'll be very disappointed," Jones said. "Frankly, I like putting an offensive lineman in the mix every year because of how expensive it is to get them in free agency."
The Cowboys have drafted six offensive linemen in four drafts under Parcells. They've had as many misses as hits.
Second-rounders Andre Gurode and Al Johnson split the center job last season and likely will do so again this year. Last year, seventh-rounder Rob Petitti cracked the starting lineup out of training camp, but as the season went on it became apparent that was mostly by default; most telling is that Fabini was signed to take his place.
The regrettable move was taking Jacob Rogers 52nd in 2004.
Rogers was an All-American from Southern California's national championship team, so the Cowboys thought they got a steal getting him so low. Turns out, other teams knew what they were doing by avoiding him. He frustrated team officials for two years, never taking an offensive snap before being released recently.
In the third round of that same draft, Dallas took Stephen Peterman. He remains a fringe player. The other OL pick of the Parcells era was seventh-rounder Justin Bates in 2003, who never made the team.
Statement From Dolphins Quarterback Daunte Culpepp
“Today I have learned that the charges against me in the alleged boat incident in Minnesota have been dropped. The Judge dismissed the case for lack of probable cause upon finding that there was not admissible evidence to warrant the case going forward. I was confident when the legal process began that the truth would come out, and I am glad that my innocence has been proven. I greatly appreciate Judge Burke’s sensitivity to the damage that can be done to a person’s reputation when they are wrongly charged.
“In the meantime I stand with my former teammates that are still in the legal process. I consider them innocent until proven guilty. I want to thank my attorneys David W. Martin and Earl P. Gray for their help in defending me in this case.
“I am delighted to begin my role as a Miami Dolphin with this issue now behind us.”
Dolphins Sign S Deke Cooper As An Unrestricted Fre
The Miami Dolphins today signed four-year veteran safety Deke Cooper to a one-year contract as an unrestricted free agent from Jacksonville.
The 28-year-old Cooper has spent the last three seasons with the Jaguars. In 2005, he started 12 of the 16 games in which he played at strong safety, and recorded 80 tackles and an interception, while adding six stops on special teams. In 2003, his first season with Jacksonville, he started ten games at free safety and collected 74 tackles and an interception. Overall in his NFL career, which also includes one season with Carolina (2002), he has played in 56 games, including 22 starts. He has totaled 190 tackles, three interceptions, a sack, one fumble recovery, one forced fumble and 33 stops on special teams. He also played with Rhein of the NFL Europe League in the spring of 2002 and was a first-team All-NFLEL selection as he led the league with six interceptions.
The 6-2, 210-pound Cooper was a four-year letterman at Notre Dame (1996-99) where started 25 of the 45 games in which he appeared. He totaled 203 tackles, six interceptions, four fumble recoveries and seven forced fumbles. He graduated from Notre Dame with a degree in sociology and computer applications. Born October 18, 1977 in Swainsboro, Ga., Cooper attended Evansville (Ind.) North High School, where he lettered in football and track.
NFL Schedule To Be Released Today
The Dolphins have known whom they'll play for months. Today, they'll learn when.
The league will announce the schedule on a 2:00 p.m. ET edition of NFL Total Access. We'll have the Dolphins' schedule right here, as well, with historical notes relating to each of the team's 16 regular-season games.
All the Dolphins know so far is that they will open the season at the Super Bowl XL champion Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night, September 7 at 8:30 p.m. (ET) in a game broadcast on NBC. Later during the season, Miami will travel to battle the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day (November 23) as the early game that afternoon at 12:30 p.m.(ET) in a contest televised by CBS.
