Fifth Round for the Phins: A big blocking TE

With their first pick in the 5^th round the Miami Dolphins decided to once again try their luck at drafting a tight end. They decided to select team captain Arthur Lynch from the Georgia Bulldogs. He is a big boy at 6’5” 258 pounds, and is tough to tackle once he gets the ball in his hands. His biggest strength is by far his blocking skills, which is not a bad thing for the Dolphins to add to a line that obviously needs all the help they can get. He is a pretty decent pass catcher with strong hands, but has been known to have a few drops here and there. Last season he caught 30 passes for 459 yards which is a 15.3 yards per catch average and 5 touchdowns. The 5 touchdowns proves that his big frame is a nice red-zone target for QBs. He is also going to be 24 years old, so he is going to be an old rookie. He is also known for his hard work ethic and his football smarts. He should at the very least be a solid locker room presence.

This pick is interesting because it shows a few things about what the Dolphins think of their current tight ends. Since Lynch is not known for his pass catching skills, it shows that the Dolphins are very satisfied with Charles Clay as their main pass catching tight end. Charles Clay really stepped up last season after Dustin Keller went down with a horrific knee injury. Most sports gambling fans would even go as far as saying he was probably the most improved player from the year before, and had made some huge game changing plays for us. Clay definitely gained a lot of confidence, and experience last year, and should be able to continue playing at a high level at the tight end position. He definitely has the potential to be one of the top-tier tight ends in this league.

The other thing that this pick displays is that the Dolphins are not completely thrilled with Sims and Egnew. This is probably Egnew’s last chance to show he can be a tight end for the Dolphins. Most sports gambling fans, and myself included would say that he may not even make the team this upcoming season. He had a total of 7 catches last year, and there is really nothing special about him, so don’t be surprised if he is the odd man out. Sims was drafted in the 4^th round last year, and had 6 catches with 1 touchdown, but is known as a better blocker than both Clay and Egnew. However, since Lynch’s strength is blocking, this means Sim’s performance must not be up to the coaching staff’s expectations, because if they were then the Phins would not have used a 5^th round pick on another blocking tight end.