What will the dolphins draft in 2011

I know some will disagree, but that's the way it is. You don't have to just get superstars for a draft to be successful. You also shouldn't expect every player from a draft to be productive either. If you get two starting caliber players in a draft, then you have done well. Second, I will not use the term "bust" because that term gets used too liberally as it is. In my opinion, "bust" should be a term for picks with high expectations on them, such as first round pick.

A seventh round pick is not a "bust" because no one expects them to make a huge contribution anyway. Instead, I will use the terms "hit" and "miss" because I believe that more accurately reflects how a player's contributions correlate to his expectations.

This was unquestionably a hit by the Dolphins. Pouncey is a Pro Bowl center with rare athleticism for the position. He is great in both run blocking and pass protection. He is a player the Dolphins are building around on the offensive line and a top ten player at his position. There really isn't much more to say about this pick.

Ireland traded up from the third round to nab Thomas in the second. Miami had a huge need at running back since Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams were moving on. Thomas was drafted in part due to his size, being 6'1" and pounds. Thomas has yet to become that player. He has moments where the light appears to be on Pittsburgh in , but many more where you scratch your head at what he is doing.

He has been the only back the Dolphins have that is proficient at pass protection, thus he has remained with the team. Surprisingly he's not bad as a receiving back as he can actually make defenders miss in the open field.

This pick wouldn't have been so bad if other backs such as Steven Ridley and Demarco Murray hadn't been available as well as Kendall Hunter whom Miami could have had with its next pick too.

Two other players of note: Justin Houston and Randall Cobb were available as well. Thomas averages less than 4. Clearly a need for the Dolphins, but Thomas hasn't filled the role well enough to be considered anything but a miss. Gates was the fastest wide receiver at the combine and Miami drafted him to add some speed to the receiving unit.

The Gates pick was lauded by fans and some "experts" as a great pick - a sleeper pick by the Dolphins Gates is fast, but not very good at playing receiver. He rarely saw the field as anything but a returner in and was released before the season. He was picked up by the Jets where he still remains. The Dolphins now have a running back to plug in behind first round pick Mike Pouncey, while the Redskins have done well for themselves by trading down three times in this draft and amassing 13 picks.

The second round of the NFL draft is underway. Day two of the draft will feature the second round with seven minutes between each pick and the third round with five minutes between each pick. Make sure you check out our recap of the first round draft picks , the updated NFL draft order and our second round mock draft. NFL experts also had questions about his accuracy snapping the football. Fast forward to today and Mike Pouncey is considered one of the best centers in the game, when healthy. Who did Miami pass on to select Pouncey?

Miami traded away their original 2nd round selection as part of the Brandon Marshall trade. Pick Grade: D-. Gates, unfortunately, fell out-of-favor in Miami very quickly, catching two passes in his only season with the Dolphins. Pick Grade: F. The selection of Clay turned out to be the only other significant draft pick from the class. Clay spent four seasons in Miami and contributed receptions for yards and 14 TDs which are very good numbers for his position.