FIRST!!! A way too early 2024 mock draft!!!

I just checked and PFN has the 2024 mock draft running.

22. Oronde Gadsden II WR Syracuse
54. Jordan Morgan OT Arizona
150. Cade Stover TE Ohio State
182. Gabe Hall DT Baylor
214. Ty'Ron Hopper LB Missouri

First things is, if the Phins are picking at #22 in next years draft then this year will be a repeat of last year and Grier needs to be shytecanned IMMEDIATELY!!
Second, Gadsen back at WR in Miami!!!! I had to reach way down to #35 player but Gadsden is back at WR in Miami!!!

A bunch of players who were on the PFN mock draft app this year (2023) early but then were not....must have gone back to school for another year?

I see Jaheim Bell TE/HB is available as is TE Cade Stover? And I drafted OT Jordan Morgan this time, but we all know Grier will not draft an Olineman,
so if the Phins are picking at #22 or higher in 2024, Grier has got to go!!

LOVE IT!!!

I posted about Gadsden II several times and he is a favorite of mine.

BUT

As of today, I am selling the farm to trade up and get Georgia TE Brock Bowers. He may be the best player in college football this coming season and could be a top 5 pick, so the price won't be cheap, but this is the guy that puts us over the top. Excellent blocker and one of the best college receiving TEs I've ever seen. This guy is the total package, and is the closest thing to Travis Kelce/George Kittle I've seen.

JMP wrote:

LOVE IT!!!

I posted about Gadsden II several times and he is a favorite of mine.

The sons of Gadsden and Surtain both on the Fins, oh what could have been...

BUT

As of today, I am selling the farm to trade up and get Georgia TE Brock Bowers.  He may be the best player in college football this coming season and could be a top 5 pick, so the price won't be cheap, but this is the guy that puts us over the top.  Excellent blocker and one of the best college receiving TEs I've ever seen.  This guy is the total package, and is the closest thing to Travis Kelce/George Kittle I've seen.  

I've already assumed Bowers won't even be on this team's board because this offense doesn't need a TE who catches passes I'm actually expecting the TEs to have even LESS receptions that last season--when the Fins were the only team in the league to get less than 50 from their TE group.

DolFan 316 wrote:

I've already assumed Bowers won't even be on this team's board because this offense doesn't need a TE who catches passes I'm actually expecting the TEs to have even LESS receptions that last season--when the Fins were the only team in the league to get less than 50 from their TE group.

The difference is, Bowers catches passes AND blocks - unlike every TE in the 2023 draft. Well, except for Washington - who has bum knees.

This Dolphins offense does not need TEs that can't block, can't run routes and can't break tackles. What they need is a complete do-everything TE that can line up all over the formation and contribute in multiple ways, and those come along very, very rarely. That's why they drafted Higgins, who can do everything, and not a guy like Kuntz who has size and nothing else. Obviously Higgins is a projection more than a sure thing, but Bowers is as close to "can't miss" as you can get.

I actually drafted Bowers at #22 in one Mock I ran, JMP.

But I agree, I don't think he will be on the board that late but....

TE just ain't a priority in today's NFL IMO. Unless you are Pitts like and I think Bowers might be in that category
but a much better blocker.

finfanatic wrote:I actually drafted Bowers at #22 in one Mock I ran, JMP.

But I agree, I don't think he will be on the board that late but....

TE just ain't a priority in today's NFL IMO. Unless you are Pitts like and I think Bowers might be in that category
but a much better blocker.

Yeah, completely agree.

I do think Bowers is going to be one of those special players that can impact the game much more than a typical TE. I'm not saying he will be the next Travis Kelce, but he just might have that kind of potential. Kelce was drafted #63 overall in 2013, but if you look back at that draft he was clearly the best player in the entire class, and it's not even close (apologies to DeAndre Hopkins...) I could see us saying the same thing about Bowers 10 years after the 2024 draft. I'm sure the Dolphins won't get him, but I just pray that he ends up outside of the AFC East, and preferably in the NFC!

finfanatic wrote:TE just ain't a priority in today's NFL IMO.

So...the teams who drafted seven TEs between picks 25 and 78 were just wasting everyone's time? (BTW a sincere thanks for agreeing with me in the other thread )

JMP wrote:Kelce was drafted #63 overall in 2013, but if you look back at that draft he was clearly the best player in the entire class, and it's not even close (apologies to DeAndre Hopkins...)

WELL...you're almost right. Turns out when it comes to career Approximate Value, Kelce is actually a close second to...David Bahktiari (The Packers got a major steal because unlike this team they know how to evaluate O-line talent.) But those two really are far and away that draft's best players. Hopkins is a distant third. I will say Lane Johnson would be a lot higher if he didn't keep using PEDs.

https://stathead.com/tiny/6UkXS

Well, teams still need TEs and they can be a weapon, but how many were projected to go first round and how many did?

That's the priority I am talking about.

If Pitts and Bowers had been in this draft, both would have been 1st round picks IMO.

At this point, I do not think Grier and Co. would have picked TE even if LaPorta or Mayer had been available at #51?

The Phins got their new hybrid slash TE HB WR in the 6th round.

finfanatic wrote:Well, teams still need TEs and they can be a weapon, but how many were projected to go first round and how many did?

That's the priority I am talking about.

If Pitts and Bowers had been in this draft, both would have been 1st round picks IMO.

At this point, I do not think Grier and Co. would have picked TE even if LaPorta or Mayer had been available at #51?

The Phins got their new hybrid slash TE HB WR in the 6th round.            

Agree completely.

If we assume Higgins fits the ideal of what the Phins were looking for, I think LaPorta is probably the closest fit in the '23 draft.  But I don't think the Phins would have selected him in round two.

DolFan 316 wrote:

finfanatic wrote:TE just ain't a priority in today's NFL IMO.

So...the teams who drafted seven TEs between picks 25 and 78 were just wasting everyone's time? (BTW a sincere thanks for agreeing with me in the other thread )

JMP wrote:Kelce was drafted #63 overall in 2013, but if you look back at that draft he was clearly the best player in the entire class, and it's not even close (apologies to DeAndre Hopkins...)

WELL...you're almost right. Turns out when it comes to career Approximate Value, Kelce is actually a close second to...David Bahktiari (The Packers got a major steal because unlike this team they know how to evaluate O-line talent.) But those two really are far and away that draft's best players. Hopkins is a distant third. I will say Lane Johnson would be a lot higher if he didn't keep using PEDs.

https://stathead.com/tiny/6UkXS

Rather hideously, Miami's first player on that list from the 2013 draft comes in at....# 80 (Jamar Taylor). We had all that draft stock going in, and came away with ZERO of that draft's top 75 players. Ugh.

2006 and 2013 have to be neck and neck for the very worst drafts in this team's history.

finfanatic wrote:I just checked and PFN has the 2024 mock draft running.

22. Oronde Gadsden II WR Syracuse
54. Jordan Morgan OT Arizona
150. Cade Stover TE Ohio State
182. Gabe Hall DT Baylor
214. Ty'Ron Hopper LB Missouri

First things is, if the Phins are picking at #22 in next years draft then this year will be a repeat of last year and Grier needs to be shytecanned IMMEDIATELY!!
Second, Gadsen back at WR in Miami!!!!  I had to reach way down to #35 player but Gadsden is back at WR in Miami!!!  

A bunch of players who were on the PFN mock draft app this year (2023) early but then were not....must have gone back to school for another year?

I see Jaheim Bell TE/HB is available as is TE Cade Stover? And I drafted OT Jordan Morgan this time, but we all know Grier will not draft an Olineman,
so if the Phins are picking at #22 or higher in 2024, Grier has got to go!!

Your draft works for me!

I tried it. First I got Detroit's 3rd rounder in 2025 to move down from 22 to 25 (I countered their original offer) then they offered their 2025 1st and number 57 for that 25th pick. I took it, giving us two first rounders in 2025.
TE Jaheim Bell was my pick at 54.
I then took CAR 3rd in 2025 and 69 to move down from 57. So now we have 5 picks in the first 3 rounds in 2025.
At 69 I took QB Cameron Ward.
DT Leonard Taylor was my pick at 150.
EDGE Collin Oliver was my pick at 182.
I couldn't pass on Shedeur Sanders (134th ranked player) at 214 so we took 2 QB's in this way too early.

Hal, I love the Jaheim Bell pick. I think there is a chance he could be the next Deebo type player. If he is used correctly.

And I HOPE the Phins are set at QB and never even think of drafting one in the next draft!

You are gonna give us all nightmares, Hal!!!