The Miami Dolphins pick inside linebacker Austin Spitler with the 252nd overall pick (7th round) of the NFL Draft.  Spitler looks the part as he is 6′3″, 244 pounds and he runs a 4.72 40.  But, he was not a productive player at Ohio State.  He finished up with 38 tackles, 1 sack and 1 interception as a senior last season.  In his four years at Ohio State he finished up with 82 tackles, 1 sack and 1 interception.  Spitler has bust written all over his forehead as he will need a miracle to make the Dolphins’ opening day roster.  He will have to make it on special teams as he wasn’t even a good college football player.

The Dolphins have picked OLB/DE Chris McCoy with the 212th overall pick (7th round) of the NFL Draft.  McCoy is 6′3″, 251 pounds and he runs a 4.68 40 so he is a good athlete.  He played in 13 games at Middle Tennessee State last season and he had 64 tackles, 20 tackles for a loss and he had 7 sacks.  He played in 46 games in his four years in college and he finished up with 108 tackles, 26.5 tackles for a loss and he had 11 sacks.  McCoy is too small to play end in the pros and it’s up in the air as to whether or not he can handle outside linebacker or not.  I have a feeling that McCoy will have to make it on special teams this season to earn a chance to play defense down the road.

The Dolphins select safety Reshad Jones with the 163rd overall pick (5th round) of the NFL Draft.  Jones is a big guy at 6′1″, 215 pounds and he runs a 4.6 40.  Jones is a big time hitter but he sometimes misses tackles as he goes for the kill shot.  He is also a big of a gambler in pass coverage but he makes more than his fair share of outstanding plays.  Jones played in 13 games (all starts) at Georgia last season and he had 73 tackles, he broke up 7 passes, he had 4 interceptions and he forced 1 fumble.  Jones played in 39 games (27 starts) in his three years at Georgia in which he made 206 tackles, broke up 13 passes, he had 1 interceptions (174 return yards), he forced 1 fumble and he recovered 1 fumble.  Jones projects to play strong safety in the pros where his physical style will play well.  I really like this pick for the Dolphins as Jones should not have been available to them in the 5th round.

The Dolphins have selected CB Nolan Carroll with the 145th pick (5th round) of the NFL Draft.  Carroll is 5′11″, 204 pounds and he runs a 4.49 40.  So the measureables are there for Carroll but it’s too bad that he doesn’t play up to them.  He is a very raw defensive back.  He played in only 2 games at Maryland last season making 10 tackles and defensing 1 pass as he went down for the year with a fractured right tibia.  He finished up his four year career at Maryland with 61 tackles and 9 passes defensed.  Carroll is very injury prone and he was likely drafted because he is a great athlete.  He will have to make the Dolphins on special teams until he can show that he can handle playing CB in the NFL.  This was a major reach by the Dolphins.

The Dolphins have selected OLB A.J. Edds of Iowa with the 119th pick (4th round) of the NFL Draft.  Edds is 6′3″, 245 pounds and he runs a 4.7 40.  He is a good athlete and he is a big time asset in pass coverage.  But, he’s not much of a blitzer and he doesn’t bring a lot of thump against the running game despite his size.  Edds played in 13 games (all starts) for Iowa last season and he had 78 tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss, he had 1/2 a sack, broke up 4 passes and he had 5 interceptions.  He played in 46 games (39 starts) in his four years at Iowa and he had 226 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, he had 2.5 sacks, broke up 12 passes and he had 7 interceptions.  Edds will help the Dolphins immediately on special teams and as a coverage linebacker in passing situations.  But, if he’s over going to develop into a starting linebacker he’s going to have to develop a mean streak.

UPDATE:  (8/3/2010) - The Dolphins have placed rookie linebacker A.J. Edds on the Injured Reserve List due to a torn ACL in his right knee.  He was injured in practice.