Vandal Alexander has strong positives as well as negatives.
None of this years Guards are certain to be good, even the top guards have warts.
The fear exists that if a Guard isn’t grabbed early, Miami Dolphins not might end up with a quality talent. Reality is even the top Guards have warts and aren’t fool proof.
Vadal Alexander, who is 6’5, and 326 pounds is the slowest of the top four with a 40 yard time of 5.57. There are many mixed opinions on Alexander, with some scouts having him rated as the top Guard, and others having him ranked more at the back-end of the top Guards. The biggest knock on Alexander is that he is slow, and appears to look like he is dragging at times, and many feel he needs to lose some weight in order to get quicker at the next level. The positive thing is that from the time of the Senior Bowl until the time of the Combine, he has already lost 10 pounds, which shows he is motivated to get better and lose weight. He was a starting Right Tackle at LSU, however his lack of speed, will force him to move to the Guard position at the Pro level. And while he excels in run blocking, he needs to improve in his pass protection.
Even Cody Whitehair, the top guard, has flaws.
Cody Whitehair, who many Miami Dolphins News fans really like, has by far the best 40 yard time of the bunch at 5.08, which proves he rates higher in terms of quickness and athleticism, However, the biggest knock on him is that many scouts feel he is undersized at 6’3” and only 300 pounds. In addition he put up the lowest bench press total of any offensive lineman with only 16 reps. The biggest concern for many teams is that Whitehair is not going to be strong enough to compete in the NFL. If the Dolphins can really commit Whitehair to a strict and demanding weight lifting program, maybe he could develop into a starting Guard. It could mean a replay of Jamil Douglas with his rookie year deserving to be a red-shirted.
Most sports gambling fans have Cody Whitehair as one of their top ranked Guards going in the 2nd or 3rd round. In regards to Alexander there is a much wider discrepancy of where he will be drafted. Depending on who you speak with some feel he could go in the 2nd round, whereas as others who are not intrigued by him, believe he could slide as far back as the 5thround.
In the end it’s about quality talent evaluation and not the round or pick used. Yes, early picks offer more opportunity for good franchises. But, if Miami doesn’t grab one early or even if it does, the 2016 Draft doesn’t have certain hits. This, like everything else, will come down to the quality of the organization. It will be very interesting to see what this regime is all about. Go Fins!!!
