Thursday, February 21, 2013
More Miami WR buzz
By Tim Kavanagh
A common theme for much of the talk regarding the Miami Dolphins this offseason has been their quest to find help at the WR position for rising second-year pro Ryan Tannehill. The prevailing consensus seems to be that the Dolphins will use both free agency and the draft to bring in some options, and the next step in the process is the scouting combine, which gets rolling in earnest on Thursday.
The two WRs at the combine who have been denoted with a "first-round talent" sticker by media analysts are Tennessee's Cordarrelle Patterson and Cal's Keenan Allen. Both come with significant questions, however: Patterson was inconsistent (and only played one year at the FBS level), whereas Allen lacks high-end speed, and won't run at the combine.
"The Dolphins need a wide receiver, but they also need a vertical threat, and I don't think he's a 4.4 [40-yard dash] guy," NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said of Allen, per the Miami Herald. "Here's the deal with Keenan Allen: if you like him on tape, he's Anquan Boldin. If you don't like him, he's speed deficient."
As a result of the perceived deficiencies of Patterson and Allen, Miami may be better off bolstering their WR corps with free agents. They've yet to reach a new deal with internal free agent Brian Hartline, though this could be hammered out between now and the start of the league year on March 12. As for the rest, the Dolphins have been linked to Greg Jennings (because of the connection with Joe Philbin), as well as Mike Wallace.
Bill Polian
Top offseason team needs"Ryan Tannehill's rookie season was overshadowed by some of the league's other phenomenal young QBs, but he delivered on his early potential. Now, the Dolphins must help him continue to develop. Wide receiver is by far the biggest need. Rumors connect Greg Jennings here, but I'm not certain that will be the ultimate move. If not Jennings, however, the need for an experienced wide receiver overrides virtually everything else if Tannehill is to continue his growth. Particularly when the team's No. 1 receiver from 2012, Brian Hartline (1,038 receiving yards), is a free agent."
