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Draft Preview: Dolphins pick 24th
Posted: Monday March 29, 1999 10:40 AM
For the next 25 days, CNN/SI will offer a daily look at one pick from the 1999 draft, finishing with Cleveland. Check back for a new preview each day. Trying to project what Jimmy Johnson is going to do with a first-round pick is like trying to anticipate which way a football will bounce -- both, by design, could do just about anything. The Miami Dolphins have the 24th pick in the upcoming draft, but Johnson hasn't even begun tinkering with Miami's selections. The only change from the hand dealt to him is that the Dolphins traded their seventh-round pick to the New York Giants for tailback Tyrone Wheatley. Johnson pulled three trades on draft day last year, and while it's only been one year, it could be argued that two of those trades were better for the other team. In the first round, Green Bay gave the Dolphins their first- and second-round picks to move up 10 spots in the first round. The Packers took defensive tackle Vonnie Holliday, perhaps the best defensive rookie in the NFC last year, while the Dolphins used the 29th pick on tailback John Avery, who rushed for more than 50 yards in only three games last year, finishing with 503 yards. Johnson then took the Packers' second-round pick and sent it to Detroit for picks in the third, fourth and sixth round. Detroit used the pick on quarterback Charlie Batch, who started 12 games for the Lions last year, while the three players Miami took with those picks -- linebacker Brad Jackson, guard Scott Shaw and quarterback John Dutton -- were all cut in the preseason. One trade that did work in Johnson's favor came in the fourth round, when he sent his fourth- and fifth-round picks to Philadelphia to move up and take Clemson defensive end Lorenzo Bromell. Bromell was third on the team with 8 sacks in 12 games, while the two players Philadelphia drafted -- defensive tackle Brandon Whiting and linebacker Ike Reese -- combined for 19 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Best bet for No. 24 So what does Johnson do this year? There are several interesting scenarios. Miami has been in contact with the agent for Bengals receiver Carl Pickens, Cincinnati's "franchise" player. Johnson is hesitant to get rid of his top pick, but if he can afford Pickens' salary demands -- more than $4 million a year, for certain -- it would certainly be making good use of the pick. Johnson could also pick up a first-round pick if another team wants to sign his "franchise" player, tackle Richmond Webb. The Arizona Cardinals, having lost out on Lomas Brown, are reportedly interested and have two first-round picks, making them more likely to deal one. For sanity's sake, let's just assume Johnson stays at No. 24. His biggest frustration last year seemed to come in short-yardage situations -- he went so far as to use an option quarterback a few times, knowing he didn't have a big bruiser to pick up a normally easy first down.
There's been a lot of speculation that Miami could take a chance on tailback Cecil Collins, who's shown immense talent but has also been kicked out of LSU and McNeese State in the last two years for legal problems. Johnson gave Lawrence Phillips a shot, after all, but Phillips rushed for all of 44 yards as a Dolphin. Johnson would also like a quarterback to take the baton from Dan Marino in the next few years, and while UCLA's Cade McNown would be a great fit, he won't be there when the Dolphins pick. Johnson would have to trade up to get him, and might be content to take a quarterback in the second or third round, given the depth of this year's class. If he can't get Pickens or free agent Tony Martin, he has a glaring need at wide receiver, and after David Boston and Torry Holt, most any other receiver could be available when Miami picks. The scenario we'll go with goes back to the short-yardage problem. Miami's top fullback, Stanley Pritchett, has more catches (55) than carries (53) in his three-year career. There hasn't been a fullback taken in the first round since William Floyd went to the 49ers in 1994, but Syracuse's Rob Konrad will likely end that drought. The easy comparison for Konrad is to Tampa Bay's Mike Alstott -- a big back who can run the ball, block for a smaller tailback and catch passes out of the backfield. You could compare Avery to Tampa Bay's Warrick Dunn, and Johnson would love to have the same 1-2 punch Tony Dungy has enjoyed in Tampa for the past two years. Konrad is big -- 6-foot-3, 260 pounds -- but fast enough to get 10-15 carries a game, and would certainly address the short-yardage woes. If Johnson goes with this option, perhaps he won't have to go with the option on 3rd-and-1 next season. Click here if you have a question or comment about the upcoming NFL Draft. We'll answer a few questions and publish selected comments once a week between now and April 17.
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