2. Matt Roth is a little undersized (as of this second) to immediately contribute as an every down defensive end for the Dolphins. Roth, however, is molded quite like David Bowens; a player that wants to be on the field. Roth will hopefully make a mark on special teams right away and might be a nice change of pace for Carter. Playing opposite Jason Taylor can be a huge luxury for a good defensive end...just ask former Phins sackmeister Adewale Ogunleye! Roth was originally projected as a first round talent, but his off the field problems scared away some would-be new homes. I don’t see this as the major reason for Roth’s slide though, as teams that passed on Roth also had bigger needs than a pass rush specialist. Down the road I do see Roth as a potential headache for offensive coordinators, much like Jason Taylor is now.

3. Channing Crowder is another “problem child” that slipped out of favor with many other NFL teams for off-the-field issues. Miami’s current linebackers are mediocre at best, with an aging and oft-injured Zach Thomas anchoring the middle and Junior Seau relegated to a part-time role due to his age and physical limitations. Linebacker is a position of critical need for Miami, and Chowder is a player that could immediately step in and steal a starting job. He has speed on the edge and rushes the pass well, isn’t fooled by the play action, and can cover a third receiver or a tight end well. I fully expect Crowder to be a starting linebacker for this team and to make his mark quickly. One huge question mark is his age; Crowder is coming out of college as only a sophomore. This could work for or against Crowder and very well could be a determining factor on how he pans out.

4. Travis Daniels is most likely best suited for the position Miami prayed Jamal Fletcher would grow into...the nickel corner. Daniels didn’t play much his first two years and then split time his junior year between safety and corner. He is a big kid and one of the brightest upsides is not his ability in pass coverage (which is adequate), but run defense. Surtain excelled in this area as well, this should not be lost in the shuffle when looking at Daniels’ potential value to this team. Miami needed a defensive backfield player that could defend the pass and isn’t scared to mix it up on the run. They may have found that player with Daniels.

5. Anthony Alabi is the biggest question mark of this year’s draft. Alabi isn’t particularly big, fast, or possess great feet…but he was still a very solid player at the college level. “Adequate” is a word that gets used a lot when talking about Alabi. Vernon Carey came out of a more prestigious program last year as a much more accomplished athlete and still wasn’t able to make a lot of noise in his rookie year. “Adequate” might not cut it in Miami. Alabi could possibly become a player Miami can use, eventually, but don’t expect much this coming season.

6. Kevin Vickerson is a guy that will probably never be an all-star, but has enormous size and strength. In a 3-4 defensive scheme, there are times that the nose tackle’s sole function is to clog up the middle and Vickerson could be just the guy to do that job. Neither Bowens or Chester are players that fit that mold. Vickerson is more than a project, but certainly not a sure thing. Vickerson has a better chance to log quality time than does Alabi. Vickerson is certainly a “what you see is what you get” type of players. Not an elite athlete by any means, but big and strong enough to take up blockers.