WHAT IS IT?
The Dolphins will hold their first minicamp of the offseason this weekend, but none of the team's veterans is expected to attend. Instead, the camp will consist of rookies who were just drafted, signed as undrafted free agents or invited to South Florida for a special tryout session. On occasion, a few veterans might pop up.WHEN IS IT?The minicamp begins at 2 p.m. today. There also will be two practices Saturday and a final practice Sunday.WHO'S INVITED?Sorry, public. This one is closed to everyone but the media.WHEN DO WE GET TO WATCH?The first mandatory veteran minicamp will take place June 6-8. That is when the public will be invited for the first time of the offseason.The eyes that matter will occasionally be on the obvious.
Some will marvel at offensive tackle Jake Long's massive frame. Others will evaluate every pass thrown by quarterback Chad Henne, no matter the qualifications of his targets. Phillip Merling's ability to pass rush also will get considerable attention.
But during this weekend's first rookie minicamp, which begins at 2 p.m. Friday, the Dolphins' coaching staff won't be nearly as interested in the obvious as it will be in the unknown. The players who matter most might be the ones who don't seem to matter at all.
''Bill [Parcells] and I have been around for several years, and we have always been able to hit on a couple of those [undrafted free agent] guys,'' general manager Jeff Ireland said. ``There are no guarantees that you are going to hit on those guys, but it is just another way of expanding the draft when you hit on those guys, for sure.
``It's an important process.''
At the minicamp, each of the team's nine draft picks is expected to attend. The Dolphins also signed 14 other undrafted players to free agent contracts, and a handful of other noncontract players will participate on a tryout basis.
So although the first four picks in the draft -- the players taken in the first three rounds -- will get plenty of attention, there also will be more than 19 others who could have just as big of an impact on the Dolphins' future.
The success stories aren't difficult to find.
In 2005, Parcells and Ireland were responsible for drafting running back Marion Barber in the fourth round.
Like this year, when the team used six of nine picks on linemen, Barber was one of the only skill players selected by the Cowboys during that draft.
Barber has since become one of the NFL's toughest running backs to tackle, a skill that earned him his first Pro Bowl appearance this year.
FINDING A NICHE
''What Marion was able to do immediately was find his niche and what he was going to be in the NFL,'' Ireland said.
``He knew he was not going to dodge them all, he knew he was not going to outrun them all, so he thought he would just run through a couple of people.''
No doubt, the Dolphins will be watching to see if either of their newly drafted running backs -- each selected in the sixth round -- can find a style of their own.
''These kids are going to be the same way,'' Ireland said of running backs Jalen Parmele and Lex Hilliard. ``They are going to have to find their niche.
``. . . That is good advice for these kids -- to find out what they are going to be and run with it.''
Parmele and Hilliard can learn from players such as Barber. And the rest of the late-round picks, along with the undrafted free agents, can learn from plenty of others.
Consider this: Of the 22 players who were selected as the AFC's starters in this year's Pro Bowl, 14 weren't selected in the first round. Four of those 14 weren't drafted until after the third round -- and four others weren't drafted at all.
Half of the NFC's Pro Bowl starters also weren't drafted in the first round, and two also started their careers as undrafted free agents.
The point? Everyone will have a chance.
And believe it or not, in the NFL, sometimes that is all it takes.
SIGNINGS
The Dolphins announced the signings of their 14 undrafted players Thursday, each of whom will be among those vying for those scarce roster spots: wide receivers Jayson Foster, Marcel Reece, Davone Bess, Justin Wynn and Selwyn Lymon; Linebackers Titus Brown and Kelly Poppinga; kicker Dan Carpenter; offensive linemen Dan Gore, Daren Heerspink and Mike Byrne; cornerback Aaron Lane; tight end Matthew Mulligan; and defensive tackle Kory Robertson.
