The Dolphins seemed to be drafting for need last season instead of taking the best player available and it appeared to have hurt them last April.  CB Vontae Davis (1st round, #25 overall) out of Illinois had a good rookie season for the Dolphins.  He played in all 16 games for the Fins last season and he finished up with 53 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 11 passes defensed and 4 interceptions (one that he returned for a TD).  He should be a fixture at one CB spot for the Fins for a while.  QB Pat White (2nd round, #44 overall) out of West Virginia was selected to run the Wildcat Formation for the Dolphins but he didn’t play as good as Ronnie Brown or Ricky Williams in that role.  He played in 13 games for the Dolphins last season and he completed 0 of 5 passes for 0 yards with 0 TDs and 0 INTs (39.6 QB Rating).  White also carried the ball 21 times for 81 yards (3.9 ypc) last season.  This was a huge reach in the second round as White didn’t show much last season.  CB Sean Smith (2nd round, #61 overall) out of Utah had a bigger role than the Fins wanted him to as a rookie last season.  He played in all 16 games for the Dolphins last season and he made 38 tackles and defensed 12 passes.  WR Patrick Turner (3rd round, #87 overall) out of USC was a huge bust as a rookie last season as he played in 2 games without catching any passes.  WR Brian Hartline (4th round, #108 overall) out of Ohio State was seen as a huge reach for the Dolphins but he proved the critics wrong.  He played in all 16 games for the Dolphins last season and he caught 31 passes for 506 yards (16.3 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Hartline also carried the ball 4 times for 29 yards (7.3 ypc) with a TD run and he returned 3 kickoffs for 36 yards (12.0 avg).  TE Jonathan Nalbone (5th round, #161 overall) out of Monmouth didn’t get on the field for the Dolphins in 2009.  Free safety Chris Clemons (5th round, #165 overall) out of Clemson helped out a tad on special teams as he finished with 13 tackles in 11 games.  OT Andrew Gardner (6th round, #181 overall) out of Georgia Tech played in only 1 game (0 starts) as a rookie for the Fins last season.  LB J.D. Folsom (7th round, #214 overall) out of Weber State played in 2 games for the Dolphins last season while making 1 tackle. 

GRADE FOR 2009:  C-

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  C

The Miami Dolphins wanted to get players to help out on both sides of the football in last April’s NFL Draft but the early returns to not look too promising.  CB Vontae Davis (1st round, #25 overall) has been the best rookie so far for the Dolphins this season as he has 17 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 4 passes defensed and 1 interception that he returned 23 yards for a TD.  He’s in the starting lineup so maybe he can be a impact player down the road for the Fins.  QB Pat White (2nd round, #44 overall) was brought in to run the Wildcat Formation for the Fins but he has flopped in that role.  He has thrown 1 incomplete pass this season and he has carried the ball 4 times for 2 yards (0.5 ypc).  CB Sean Smith (2nd round, #61 overall) has now been thrust into the starting lineup due to injuries so we will see how he responds.  He has 17 tackles and he has defensed 8 passes so far this season as a backup.  WR Brian Hartline (4th round, #108 overall) has helped out the offense a tad this season as he has caught 10 passes for 157 yards (15.7 avg) with a TD and he has carried the ball 1 time for a loss of 1 yard.  FS Chris Clemons (5th round, #165 overall) has made 5 tackles this season.  WR Patrick Turner (3rd round, #87), TE Jonathan Nalbone (5th round, #161), OT Andrew Gardner (6th round, #181) and LB J.D. Folsom (7th round, #214) have not got onto the field this season.  This draft does not look too good for the Dolphins as they didn’t get a lot of players with much of a upside.

The Dolphins selected linebacker J.D. Folsom out of tiny Weber State because his motor never stops.  He is 6′3″, 230 pounds so he’s a tweener being too small for linebacker and likely too big for safety.  It will be interesting to see if the Dolphins want him to lose some weight to play safety or gain some to play outside linebacker.  Folsom made 149 tackles in his last two seasons at Weber State making the 1st and 2nd all league teams in the process.  He will likely get his initiation in the NFL on special teams before ever getting a chance to play defense.

The Dolphins took a chance here that Gardner will develop with good coaching at the pro level.  He has the body to add more bulk as he stands 6′7″ and weighs 304 pounds.  He was selected to the 1st team of the All-ACC two consecutive seasons.  The Dolphins will likely bring Gardner along slowly but he could develop into a decent player in due time.

Chris Clemons has the speed to be a impact player but he will need to improve in other areas to get onto the field for the Dolphins.  Clemons has nice size at 6′0″, 208 pounds and he was a three year starter at Clemson.  He made 323 tackles, broke up 20 passes and had 5 interceptions at Clemson.  Look for him to earn his shot on special teams before he gets a chance on defense for the Dolphins.  This was another reach pick by the Fins.