The Dolphins went into the draft last night with the overall # 12 pick, yet when it came time for them to pick, they traded down with the Chargers, even though names such as Sergio Kindle, Jerry Hughes and Earl Thomas were still up on the board. This move wasn’t exactly unexpected, the Dolphins gave up their second round pick this year to the Broncos to get Brandon Marshall and rumors of the trade down abounded. In exchange for the trade, the Dolphins moved back to #28 and received a second round pick (#40 overall), a fourth round pick (#126 overall) and inside linebacker Tim Dobbins; they also gave up a fourth round pick (#110 overall), and a sixth round pick (#173 overall).
When their turn finally did come at #28, the Dolphins drafted DE Jared Odrick out of Penn State. When the pick was announced, a lot of people thought it was a mistake, some didn’t understand, and there were a handful who thought it was a great move. This morning however, it seems as though more and more people are warming up to the pick.
Jared Odrick was an All-American, as well as a the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in college, and he is projected to be one of the best players in the NFL, the problem according to some people is that no matter how good he is, he won’t fill one of the needs we have. The thing is apparently the Dolphins and defensive coordinator Mike Nolan have reportedly been working on a different defensive scheme which shies away slightly from a true 3-4 defense, yet is not actually a 4-3 defensive scheme either. Apparently the idea is to improve our defense, not only through the draft but also make it better suited to fit the players that we currently have. From what I understand, the idea is to have a stronger inside core, and have more penetration from the linemen. This will play to Crowder strengths as a tackler and will allow Dansby to be more forceful and effective; it would also allow Starks, Langford and Merlin to be used more effectively.
We won’t really know what the plans are as of right now, but I have to believe that Nolan is playing a big part in the decision making process. The front office knows adjustments needed to be made to our defense; they made that clear when they fired Pasqualoni at the end of the season and brought Nolan along. I trust that they have a strategy in mind, and although it might not be clear to us now, it will become clear at the start of the season. The one thing I believe has been made clear thus far with the moves we have made in free agency is they have every intention of turning this team into a winning team, I mean, when was the last time we saw the Dolphins go after a big playmaker?