Drafting players in the National Football League is a calculated risk performed by general managers and front office personnel every April. Some do it better than others.
But if there is one aspect of Miami Dolphins General Manager Jeff Ireland’s draft prowess and player procurement record that consistently delivers it’s his knack for uncovering gems. Ireland’s success in the later rounds and free agency speaks for itself, and it appears as if he has added to his legacy this year.
Ireland admittedly takes what so-called draft experts like Mel Kiper, Jr., and Mike Mayock have to say with a grain of salt, relying on his own scouts and his evaluations when assembling his draft board. When it’s all said and done, he and Head Coach Tony Sparano determine whether or not the draft answered their needs. Still, to hear Kiper list among his steals of the 2011 NFL Draft two players chosen by Miami – fourth-round wide receiver Edmond Gates and sixth-round fullback/tight end Charles Clay – had to feel pretty good.
“I feel like they’re pretty good steals myself and I wouldn’t have taken them if I didn’t feel like they were pretty good players to begin with,” said Ireland, who was presiding over his fourth draft as a general manager but first without Bill Parcells in the room. “It’s always nice to get a slap on the back. Those guys follow the draft as well as anybody and I appreciate the compliment, but the proof’s in the pudding. These guys have got to get on the field and prove that they’re worthy of wearing a Dolphin on their helmet.”
Two of Ireland’s biggest finds in terms of impact players happened to be undrafted free agents back in 2008, which was his first year at the helm in Miami. Wide receiver Davone Bess is presently regarded as one of the best slot receivers in the league while kicker Dan Carpenter made it to the Pro Bowl in his second season.
One look at Miami’s young secondary also reveals some impressive late-round discoveries in cornerback Nolan Carroll and safeties Chris Clemons and Reshad Jones. All three were taken in the fifth round (Clemons in 2009 and Carroll and Jones in 2010) and all three saw significant playing time last season. So it was back to offense this year, with Gates and Clay expected to produce early, especially in Clay’s case.
“Whenever you draft a player you have a vision for the player,” Ireland said. “This guy has great versatility. He can play fullback, he can play tailback and he can play H-back. We saw him run the ball, we saw him catch the ball, we saw him block on the interior line and we saw him block from an H-back position.
“But what’s intriguing about the player is how many different ways he got the ball. That’s what’s intriguing because I think the guy touched the ball 380 times. You see him as a fullback because that’s where he primarily lined up and then you’re saying ‘They gave the ball to a fullback 380 times in his career?’ Well, he’s much more than that and hopefully we can use him in all the different ways that Tulsa was able to use him.”
In Gates, Ireland found the deep threat he was looking for on offense as Gates ran the fastest 40-yard dash of any of the receivers at the NFL Scouting Combine. He also has the ability to return kickoffs and punts, but his speed combined with what the Dolphins already have at wide receiver with Bess, Brandon Marshall, Brian Hartline, Marlon Moore and Roberto Wallace should help improve the passing game.
Miami plays in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL, with the New York Jets having appeared in each of the last two AFC Championship games and the New England Patriots finishing with the league’s best record last year at 14-2. So it’s only natural to keep those two teams, along with the Buffalo Bills, in mind when putting together the roster. That makes draft weekend even more compelling.
“I follow our division, I follow the conference for the most part and I follow our opponents for next year,” Ireland said. “Not that I have a little buzzer that goes off in my head but I do follow more intently the division. You know where the match-ups are and this is a match-up business, there’s no doubt about it. From an advance side of things the pro scouting department is built on match-ups and we have to know what the match-ups are. Not that we would react any different way from a drafting strategy standpoint, but certainly maybe what a team does in free agency you might react later down the road.”
Since free agency and the ability to sign undrafted free agents is in limbo right now due to the ongoing lockout and labor situation, Ireland, Sparano and his staff are hamstrung as far as being able to fill out the roster. He has kept busy building a list of potential free agents based on the varying scenarios, whether the league goes forward under the rules that were in place in 2010 or a set of different rules.
Last year, the Dolphins made a splash on the first day of free agency before the draft by signing inside linebacker Karlos Dansby. They also signed guard Richie Incognito and acquired Marshall from the Denver Broncos via trade.
“You don’t really know the rules that you’re playing by right now so we do know the list based on guessing,” Ireland said. “Do we plan on making a splash? It depends on what kinds of players are available to us but either way I plan on doing something for sure. How big a splash, I’m not sure.”
So the fans still have something to look forward to on the roster, while also developing their own expectations for this year’s draft picks. Gates and Clay will be watched closely along with first-round center Mike Pouncey, second-round running back Daniel Thomas, seventh-round defensive end Frank Kearse and seventh-round safety Jimmy Wilson.
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