The Miami Dolphins have to be pretty happy with their 2011 rookie class.  Five of the six players they picked helped them last year.  Here is a look at what the Dolphins’ rookies did in 2011:

22-year old center Mike Pouncey was the Dolphins’ first round pick in 2011.  He stepped right into the starting lineup from Day #1 for the Fins.  He played in 16 games (all starts) for the Dolphins last year.  Pouncey is going  to be a starter for the Dolphins for a long, long time.

24-year old RB Daniel Thomas was picked in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft.  He played in 13 games for the Dolphins last year and he carried the ball 165 times for 581 yards (3.5 ypc) without any TD runs.  Thomas also caught 12 passes for 72 yards (6.0 avg) last year.  We will likely be Reggie Bush’s primary backup once again in 2012.

25-year old WR Edmond “Clyde” Gates was picked in the 4th round.  He played in 15 games for the Dolphins last year but he only caught 2 passes for 19 yards (9.5 avg).  Gates did help out a lot on special teams for the Fins last year as he returned 34 kickoffs for 843 yards (24.8 avg) and 3 punts for 32 yards (10.7 avg).

22-year old FB/TE Charles Clay was picked in the sixth round by the Fins.  He played 14 games for the Dolphins last year and he caught 16 passes for 233 yards (14.6 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Clay will likely get more P.T. at TE going forward.

23-year old DT Frank Kearse was a 7th round pick last April.  He was cut but the Fins before the 2011 season started.  Kearse was then picked up by the Carolina Panthers.  He played in 6 games for the Panthers last year and he had 10 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1/2 a sack.

25-year old CB Jimmy Wilson was also picked in the 7th round of the 2011 NFL Draft.  He played in 15 games for the Dolphins last year and he had 17 tackles, 5 passes defensed, 1 interception and 2 forced fumbles.  This was an outstanding pick for the Fins as Wilson really helped out in the secondary and on special teams last year.

GRADE FOR 2011:  B+

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A

The Dolphins didn’t pick any defensive players until the 7th round of the 2011 NFL Draft.  That is because they are trying to amp up the offense a bit and they needed to add some playmakers.  In the first round, the Fins addressed the offensive line by adding G/C Mike Pouncey.  He should be a starter from day #1 on the interior of the Dolphins’ offensive line adding toughness to the unit.  Next came RB Daniel Thomas.  He is a battle tested RB from the Big 12 and he’s got the pedigree to be the main back in the running game for the Dolphins as early as September, 11th 2011.  WR Edmond Gates is a solid receiver who can also return punts and kicks.  FB/TE Charles Clay came to the Dolphins in the 6th round.  The Dolphins still have more work to do when free agency opens, but they are on the right track.

PROJECTED GRADE:  B

The Dolphins picked 24-year old cornerback Jimmy Wilson out of Montana with the 235th overall pick (7th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Wilson is 5’11″, 193 pounds and he runs a 4.5 40.  He looked really good in workouts and that’s the reason the Fins picked him as he didn’t play much in college.  The reason for that is that Wilson spent 25 months in jail before being acquitted of first degree murder.  If nothing else, Wilson has to be tough due to the time he spent in the clink.

The Miami Dolphins picked DT Frank Kearse out of Alabama A&M with the 231st overall pick (7th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Kearse is a mountain of a man at 6’4″, 315 pounds.  When he stays low in his stance, he wins most of his battles but he has a problem with playing high.  Kearse played in 44 games in his four years in college and he had 122 tackles, 7 sacks, he defensed 5 passes, forced 3 fumbles, had 2 fumble recoveries and he had 2 interceptions.  It might take the Dolphins some time to coach up Kearse, but he has the potential to help them down the road if they are patient with him.

UPDATE:  (9/4/2011) – The Dolphins have released Frank Kearse.

The Miami Dolphins have drafted 22-year old TE Charles Clay out of  Tulsa with the 174th overall pick (6th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Clay is 6’3″, 239 pounds and he runs a 4.65 40.  Clay is a pass catching TE as he doesn’t seem to like to block.  He’s essentially a really big WR and he is fast for his size.  He has good hands and he runs hard after the catch.  Clay played in 13 games (all starts) at Tulsa last season and he caught 43 passes for 526 yards (12.2 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  He played in 52 games (43 starts) in his four years in college and he caught 189 passes for 2,544 yards (13.5 avg) with 28 TD grabs.  This was another solid pick for the Dolphins as Clay could really help the passing game.

The Miami Dolphins have picked 25-year old WR Edmond Gates out of Abilene Christian with the 111th overall pick (4th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Gates is 5’11″, 189 pounds and he runs a 4.47 40.  Gates game is speed as he was often the best player on the team in college.   The step up in competition might not hurt Gates as much because he is a speed burner who makes most of his plays down the field.  Gates played in 12 games (all starts) for Abilene Christian last year and he caught 66 passes for 1,182 yards (17.9 avg) with 13 TD grabs.  He played in 43 games (32 starts) in his four years in college and he caught 158 passes for 2,885 yards (19.8 avg) with 27 TD grabs.  Gates also returned 19 kickoffs for 507 yards (26.7 avg) in college so he should be able to help the Dolphins on specail teams.  The Dolphins wanted to add speed to the WRing corps and Gates should certainly provide that, so I like this pick for them.

The Miami Dolphins wanted to start a new era at running back, so they traded up to take Daniel Thomas out of Kansas State with the 62nd overall pick (2nd round) of the NFL Draft.  Thomas is a big guy at 6’0″, 225 pounds and he does his best running between the tackles.  That’s partially because he’s not a burner as he runs a 4.58 40.  He played in 13 games (12 starts) at Kansas State last season and he carried the ball 298 times for 1,585 yards (5.3 ypc) with 19 TD runs.  Thomas also caught 27 passes for 171 yards (6.3 avg) last year for the Wildcats.  Thomas played in 42 games (41 starts) combined at Kansas State & Northwest Mississippi Community College and he carried the ball 717 times for 3,806 yards (5.3 ypc) with 39 TD runs.  Thomas also caught 52 passes for 428 yards (8.2 avg) in his college career.  Thomas is a workhorse, so he will likely be the main ballcarrier for the Dolphins in the 2011 season and beyond.

The Miami Dolphins picked 22-year old G/C Mike Pouncey out of Florida in the first round of the NFL Draft last night with the 15th overall pick.  Pouncey is a big guy at 6’5″, 311 pounds and he has a nasty streak.  The interior of the Dolphins’ O-Line wasn’t very effective last season so look for Pouncey to start right away at guard in 2011.  He didn’t look too good snapping the ball last season so the Fins won’t likely use him at center unless there’s an emergency.  Pouncey played in 13 games (all starts) for Florida last year.  He has a ton of experience as he played in 54 games (41 starts) in his four years with the Gators.  This might have been a safe pick for the Dolphins, but it also was a good one.

The Miami Dolphins are in need of playmakers and linemen on the offensive side of the football as the defense looks pretty much set for the 2011 season.  With that in mind, I look for the Fins to add a lot of help so that they can give Chad Henne better weapons and more protection in 2011.  Here’s a look at how I saw the Dolphins doing in my mock draft:

1st round (#15 overall) – Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama

3rd round (#79 overall) – Rodney Hudson, C, Florida State

4th round (#111 overall) – Luke Stocker, TE, Tennessee

5th round (#146 overall) – David Arkin, G, Missouri State

6th round (#179 overall) – Kealoha Pilares, WR, Hawaii

7th round (#217 overall) – Kris Durham, WR, Georgia

7th round (#218 overall) – Chykie Brown, CB, Texas

7th round (#235 overall) – Julius Thomas, TE, Portland State

Mark Ingram would be an outstanding fit for the Dolphins in the first round as he reminds me of a young Emmitt Smith due to his size and running style.  The rest of the picks make perfect sense with TE Luke Stocker likely starting from Day #1.  This kind of draft would make Chad Henne and the Dolphins’ defense smile.

When the season started the Dolphins thought the rookie class was going to give them a lot of thump.  But, injuries derailed that quickly.  Here is a look at how the rookies did in 2010:

Jared Odrick:  23-year old Jared Odrick was taken with the 28th overall pick (1st round) out of Penn State last April.  He only lasted one game before his season ended with a broken foot.  He played in 1 game for the Dolphins last season and he had 1 tackle and 1 tackle for a loss.  Odrick has a nice upside so the Dolphins are hopeful that he will be able to stay healthy starting in 2011.

Koa Misi:  24-year old OLB Koa Misi was the 48th overall pick (2nd round) out of Utah.  Misi played in all 16 games (11 starts) for the Fins last season and he had 41 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks, 2 passes defensed and 2 fumble recoveries (1 TD).  Misi looked pretty solid for the Dolphins and they are likely confident in him going forward.

John Jerry:  24-year old guard John Jerry came to the Dolphins in the 3rd round (#73 overall) out of Mississippi.  Jerry played in 12 games (10 starts) for the Dolphins last season.  He still needs to work to improve if he wants to hold onto his starting job.

A.J. Edds:  The Dolphins used the 119th overall pick (4th round) on OLB A.J. Edds out of Iowa.  He didn’t last long as he spent his rookie season on I.R. due to a torn ACL. 

Nolan Carroll:  The Fins used a 5th round pick (#145 overall) on CB Nolan Carroll out of Maryland.  Carroll played in 13 games (1 start) for the Dolphins last season and he had 3 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 interception.  Carroll’s biggest role on the Fins was as a kickoff returner.  Carroll returned 27 kickoffs for 655 yards (24.3 avg) last season for the Fins.  He will likely enter the 2011 as the starting kick returner once again.

Reshad Jones:  The Dolphins used the 163rd overall pick (5th round) on safety Reshad Jones out of Georgia.  Jones played in 13 games (2 starts) for the Dolphins last season and he had 21 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack, 2 passes defensed, 1 interception and 1 fumble recovery.  Jones could work his way into the Dolphins’ starting lineup down the road.

Chris McCoy:  The Dolphins used the 212th overall pick (7th round) on OLB Chris McCoy last April.  McCoy was cut by the Dolphins and he was picked up by the Texans with whom he finished on the practice squad.  McCoy didn’t get into any games for the Texans last season.

Austin Spitler:  The Dolphins used the 252nd pick overall (7th round) on ILB Austin Spitler.  He played in played in 12 games (0 starts) for the Fins last season and he had 4 tackles.  Spitler started the season on the practice squad so he worked hard to get on the active roster.

GRADE FOR 2010:  C-

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  B