Chris McCain is the front runner for Weakside LB

Jimmy Bourbon

10 years ago

Everyone knew that one of the biggest needs for the Dolphins entering the draft was the linebacker position, however, interestingly enough they did not use any of there 7 draft picks on a linebacker, which was obviously a bit concerning. However, the Dolphins did sign 4 undrafted linebackers and a couple of them were on their draft board, so technically you could say they got a few players they wanted without having to spend a precious draft pick on them. (I would assume at least one if not two of these undrafted linebackers will make the team; my favorites are Hull and Vigil.)

What is even more telling about the fact that Miami did not use one of their draft picks to select a linebacker is that the organization and coaching staff feels confident in the players they currently have penciled in to start this season. Every pay per head reviews knows that Philbin loves Misi, and it should not be that much of a surprise that he feels comfortable that Misi can handle the middle linebacking position. Misi was playing through an ankle injury the entire year last season, so hopefully, if he can get his health back that will help him to be more productive and better equipped to handle the middle linebacker job. On the strongside Jelani Jenkins had a breakout year filling in, and proved to not only be a tackling machine, but also an impact player creating turnovers and sacks. At the weakside position, the apparent starter is last year’s undrafted rookie Chris McCain.

McCain was a surprise player to make the 53 man roster as an undrafted player, (the main reason he was undrafted was because of disciplinary issues at the University of California) however it was even more of a surprise that he was able to step into the first game of the season against the Patriots, after our linebacking crew got decimated by injuries in the first half, and make impact plays. (he also had a blocked punt in that game on special teams.) He played in spot duty for most of the season and was also, unfortunately, fighting some nagging injuries, but he has flashed when given the opportunity.

McCain has proto-typical linebacker size at 6’5”, 250 pounds, and he has the speed to be a sideline to sideline type of player. Clearly, he was raw last year, however, an entire off-season under his belt should only make him better. He will have some competition for the starting position, such as Paysinger and Tripp, but sources are telling me it is his spot to lose. That would be quite an achievement in itself to start in his second year in the league, and not even have been drafted. But the even bigger question is, is he just going to be a body to the plugin, or can he be an impact player for an entire season? Again I know we have seen some flashes, but he really has not proved that he can be every down, every game starter. I like his potential, and I hope he can continue to develop as Jenkins has, but I personally need to see more until I feel completely comfortable that we have solidified the weakside linebacker position. What does the rest of the Miami Dolphins News fans think about how McCain will perform this upcoming season?

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