The Dolphins selected four players in the first three rounds of the 2013 NFL Draft. The rookies had underwhelming seasons to say the least, and the Sun Sentinel’s Chris Perkins takes a look at the group. Third-overall pick Dion Jordan contributed mostly as a third-down pass rusher in a season riddled by injuries. Cornerback Jamar Taylor and guard Dallas Thomas also suffered through injures while cornerback Will Davis struggled to crack the defensive back rotation.
In spite of the player’s issues, the sophomores are confident they will rebound.
“I feel like it was a learning experience for all of us,” said Taylor. “We all came here on our high horse and we got humbled real quick… There’s no doubt in my mind the Dolphins drafted the right players last year.
“I’ve got high expectations on myself. I can’t really worry about what everybody else thinks. As long as I get the respect of my teammates and the coaches and myself, and just prove myself right, that I know I can do it, that’s all I worry about.”
Thomas is now the team’s starting left guard, but as Perkins points out, none of the other players are starters. It will be difficult for Jordan, Taylor and Davis to dethrone the veterans ahead of them on the depth chart.
Let’s see what else is going on around the NFL…
- The Dolphins should sign Bryant McKinnie to be a “minimum salary insurance policy backup,” states Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald. McKinnie started ten games for the Dolphins in 2013.
- Former Central Michigan offensive tackle Jake Olson will sign with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Prior to the player’s unlucky string of injuries in college, he started over 2013 number-one pick Eric Fisher.
- The Jets had a bit of a shakeup in their scouting department. The team announced the hirings of Johnathon Stigall and Seth Turner, who will replace the recently departed David Boller and Aaron Glenn. As ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini points out, the subtraction of Boller came as a surprise; he was hired only last year by general manager John Idzik.