Enemy Intel: How'd the Dolphins do in the draft?

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By Tom E. CurranThe Miami Dolphins reside in that NFL middle class that seems impossible for some teams to escape. They've won 7, 7, 11, 1, 6, 9, 4, 10, 9 and 11 games in the past decade. They're a nice enough team with a smart enough coach and, aside from Brandon Marshall (who recently got pin-cushioned by his wife - allegedly) no real stars. Their 2011 draft didn't change that. For all the agitating about the Dolphins needing a new quarterback or an improved running game, Miami wasn't positioned to take either with their first pick (No. 15) so they took Florida offensive lineman Mike Pouncey. Good, safe pick, although if Pouncey is installed at center he needs to improve his current penchant for snapping the ball all over the map when he's in the shotgun. Miami did get aggressive in the second round, trading up to 62 to take Kansas State running back Daniel Thomas, a 6-foot, 230-pounder. The Dolphins gave up a third, a fifth and a seventh to move up 17 spots. For his size, he's surprisingly fast and elusive and is a smart pick since Ronnie Brown's a would-be free agent. Miami came back in the fourth and took a wideout, 6-0, 192-pound Edmund Gates. A really interesting prospect from Division II Abilene Christian, he runs in the 4.3s and is - at 25 - seen as a mature, diligent, high-effort player who has great ability to go and get the ball. He doesn't have the experience against better competition yet and the lockout could impact him for 2011, though, since he'll need a fair amount of seasoning. The Dolphins rounded it out with an H-Back project named Charles Clay (179), a nose tackle from Alabama A&M named Frank Kearse (231) and a cornernamed Jimmy Wilson (235) from Montana who spent two years in jail on a murder charge for shooting his aunt's boyfriend. His first trial ended in a hung jury; the second in acquital. Miami did a thorough mining of Wilson's background, according to GM Jeff Ireland. SUMMARY: Nothing here that indicates to me the Dolphins are about to leave the middle class. Gates may make them more electric; Thomas is well thought of... I dunno. Hard to get awestruck by a draft that yields a center who has a hard time snapping the football. They told Patriots' third-rounder Ryan Mallett they'd draft him but never got around to it. Mediocre. TE, RB, QB, Wanna think wideout a bit

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