More dumb decisions from the Phins archive

as frustratingly stupid the selection of Charles Harris was from a football perspective...

“He was also a horrendously poor athlete compared to his position.

“He’s on the small side at 253 pounds, which means he needed to be a good athlete to get by — and Harris was the opposite. He ran a 4.82 40, broad jumped 9-foot-1, had a 7.47 3-cone and a 4.42 shuttle. That’s simply not enough juice or change-of-direction ability to beat NFL tackles.”

https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/barry-jackson/article242568446.html

the selection could've completely avoided, but...

What lessons can be learned on the Dolphins missing so badly on Charles Harris, the 22nd pick of the 2017 Draft who had 3.5 sacks in 41 games here before being shipped to Atlanta for a seventh-round pick?

Here’s one: Don’t hold a player’s family name against him. Someone very close to the situation said the Dolphins passed on Wisconsin’s T.J. Watt because they thought he was getting overhyped because of his famous brother (Houston Texans star J.J. Watt) and also because they feared he was a one-year wonder in college. He played sparingly at Wisconsin in 2015, then had 11.5 sacks in 2016 and then turned pro.

T.J. Watt has 34.5 sacks in 47 career games for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

you know, because there's a rule there can only be one good football player per family. aaaarrrggghhh!!

Harris was such a bad pick...and that's not hindsight. He's a good guys and probably interviewed well, and I think that's a big reason the Phins were high on him. But on the field, he simply isn't good. A smallish, unathletic player with limited pass rush moves...how could you go wrong??

That story is telling regarding serious problems in scouting and talent evaluation. Hopefully issues that are behind us with the additions Grier made to his staff, plus Flores own scouting background.

If you're going to overlook measurables that say Harris is a poor athlete and not likely to succeed, then use the "JJ Watt is causing too much hype" to explain away a very good season by his brother - well, the deck is pretty much stacked against making good draft choices.

Yep, I never understood shy the Phins continually draft a player when they are more highly rated players still on the board.

It all smacks too much of Dave "Dumbarse" Wanstedt's style of drafting to me.

He went into the draft thinking I have to get a nickel corner in the 1st round. Bypassed a WR and a QB who would have helped the team FAR MORE...to get a marginally talented short CB who only got to play because he was a 1st round pick. And remember the year he just HAD to have a Special Teams LB. He picked a guy in the 2nd who should have been a 5th or 6th rounder...if that!!!

Just incredibly dumb drafting strategy overall. Maximize your picks and try to get MORE VALUE then the pick position represents. I am not sure the Phins are doing the best job of that even now. But we shall see.

I agree, Grier's overall drafting looks to be far Far FAR better than Wannstedt's. But then again a drunken monkey flinging darts at a board full of names could best Wannstedt's drafting IMO!

I recall far too many drafts where I just had no idea how the player fit Miami's plans. And with every one of those players, sure enough, they didn't fit.

But this past draft was the exact opposite. I can understand why every single pick was made, and I have an idea of how the Phins will utilize them. Sure, some players won't pan out and there were other players I might have chosen at times. But at least there is a plan in place that makes sense and it finally looks like the front office and coaching staff are working together from the same page.

Remember - it isn't always about the best player, it's more often about the best fit. But past Dolphin regimes have not chosen the best player OR the best fit - just a total clusterfuck.

I think a lot of it in the last 20 years comes down to team identity. They really haven't had one other than the one-year-wonder wildcow offense.

Flores seems like he's got an idea, an actual fuckin' idea of what he wants to do, with an ACTUAL PLAN to get there. We've been through some unbelievably bad coaches, dramatically terrible, and we've finally got a good one. Now, if they just stick together with the plan, they should be fine. If the GM and head coach start to drift apart, I have ZERO faith that Owner McDumbass will do the right thing and get a new GM in here to mesh with Flores.

For now, it looks like they are working together, and that's 3/4ths of the personnel battle right there.

Degarmo wrote:I think a lot of it in the last 20 years comes down to team identity.  They really haven't had one other than the one-year-wonder wildcow offense.  

Flores seems like he's got an idea, an actual fuckin' idea of what he wants to do, with an ACTUAL PLAN to get there.  We've been through some unbelievably bad coaches, dramatically terrible, and we've finally got a good one.  Now, if they just stick together with the plan, they should be fine.  If the GM and head coach start to drift apart, I have ZERO faith that Owner McDumbass will do the right thing and get a new GM in here to mesh with Flores.  

For now, it looks like they are working together, and that's 3/4ths of the personnel battle right there.

Yeah, having an identity and building to it really seems like the way to go. You have to have a plan, otherwise you're just throwing crap at the wall. We did that for too many years.

I've been bashing Wanny for the better part of 2 decades, and deservedly so, but his successor's draft day ineptitude was arguably even worse, and kind of gets lost in the shuffle.

The 2006 draft was the very worst in team history, and what made it inexcusable was the fact that two future HOF candidates were readily available **who had played for Nick Saban at LSU!!!****

Andrew Whitworth went 55th, played a position of need (OT) and is still in the NFL, 14 years and 4 Pro Bowls (twice first team AllPro) later.

Kyle Williams ended up going 134th to Barfalo, making 6 Pro Bowls in 11 years. He played DT, another position of need (and one targeted by Saban going in; he wanted to take Ngata, who went four picks in front of us in the first).

Instead of taking guys who had gone to war for him and helped him win at LSU, he kept taking players he failed to get in college (Brown, Allen). Jimmy Johnson he wasn't.

That said, the things we've seen in 2019-2020 so far give me hope.

Minkah Fitzpatrick doesn't fit? We get a first rounder in return, not bad at all considering where his stock was before Pittsburgh. Compare that with Gase's return on Jay Ajayi, or what Wannspiel got for Ogunleye when both were coming off All-Pro seasons.

Likewise, we got a great haul for Tunsil and Stills, far more than you would expect to get for a starting LT and a third/fourth WR.

Running the show himself, Grier has shown a knack for getting draft value back. Trading Drake for a fifth rounder might have been selling low, but getting Brieda back for that same pick is a pretty solid return.

If the NFL does survive five years, at least we will have a shot at being good.