The NFL Draft is here. Get ready for a wild ride, South Florida football fans
.JPG "This computer rendering provided by the NFL shows the on stage view of the proposed NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The NFL is bringing its Big D, the draft, to Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' palace. This draft, the first in a stadium, will pay homage in so many ways to the cliche that everything is bigger in Texas.")
Welcome to Bulletin Board Material, the Miami Herald’s weekday roundup covering everything in the South Florida sports scene. A lot to discuss. Let’s get right to it.
Dolphins draft day
It's finally here: The NFL Draft.
The exciting, aggravating, confusing, unpredictable NFL Draft.
Over the next three days, your team will draft the future faces of its franchise's illustrious history or the future busts that will fizzle out of the league in less than five years.
They will make some moves that make sense, others that on the surface make you scratch your head.
As for the hometown Miami Dolphins, it could be tough to pinpoint exactly how they approach the draft, particularly the first round, considering they have so many needs. That's the breakdown from looking at mock draft from experts and analysts. There are safeties and linebackers and defensive linemen and quarterbacks (yes, quarterbacks) on the table that would be the right fit for the Dolphins in the first round, depending on who you ask. Our Armando Salgueroand Greg Cote have their thoughts as well.
But one thing is certain: Regardless of who is available when Miami is on the clock with the 11th overall pick (or later on, if they decide to trade back), there will be talent available to immediately help the Dolphins get out of the middle-of-the-league rut they have been stuck in for, well, too long.
Whatever move the Dolphins make, it will paint a clear picture of who they think they are.
A linebacker a la Roquan Smith, Tremaine Edmunds or Alabama's Rashaan Evans could likely step in as an immediate starter. As could a defensive tackle like Vita Vea. A safety of the caliber of Minkah Fitzpatrick or Derwin James would add another layer of quality to Miami's defense, too. Or, the Dolphins could be the Dolphins and snag a quarterback if one (i.e. Josh Rosen) falls to them.
And with the unpredictability of how the first 10 picks of the draft will unfold, Miami's decision might very well could come down to the last minute depending on who they have left to choose from.
So get ready. It should be an interesting next three days.
The action begins at 8 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN, ESPN2, Fox, the NFL Network.
Florida schools have top talent
While the focus of the NFL Draft is on the 32 teams making the selections, let's not forget the college athletes whose lives will be changed over the next three days.
By the time Sunday's third day comes to an end, 256 players will hear their name called. Hundreds more willl sign as priority free agents.
The state of Florida will be well represented in that list.
It wouldn't be wild to see 25 players from Florida colleges get drafted at some point during the seven-round spectacle, based on the final draft board produced by ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. Florida State, Florida and the University of Central Florida all have at least one candidate to be taken in Thursday's first-round in Derwin James, Taven Bryan and Mike Hughes, respectively. The Miami Hurricanes likely won't have a player taken until the third round at the earliest, but seeing six or seven UM players taken on Days 2 and 3 is a clear possibility.
Don't forget other local players
In addition to the Dolphins and the state colleges, there are three more names to keep track of on the draft's opening night with South Florida ties: Lamar Jackson, Calvin Ridley and Sony Michel.
All three grew up in Miami-Dade or Broward County and saw their careers take off here before leaving the Sunshine State for college.
Jackson, a Pompano Beach native who attended Boynton Beach High in Palm Beach County, won the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore at Louisville. He should be gone by the first round.
Ridley, from Coconut Creek, played in the national championship game all three years at Alabama. He will likely be drafted in the mid-to-late first round.
Michel, from Fort Lauderdale, was wildly successful at Georgia despite playing in a crowded backfield each year. He's likely a second-round pick, but don't be surprised if he slips in as one of the final picks on Thursday.
Marlins win a series
Clayton Kershaw was the second-best starting pitcher in a game against the Miami Marlins.
Yes, you just read that right.
The Marlins' Trevor Richards struck out 10 batters and gave up just one hit in 4 2/3 innings and Miami's offense found life for an 8-6 road win on Tuesday. Kershaw, meanwhile, walked a career-high-tying six batters over five innings and gave up five hits, including a three-run home run by Miguel Rojas.
With the victory, the Marlins won their first series of the season and won back-to-back games for the first time in 2018. They are now 7-17 on the year heading into a six-game homestand.
Wrapping up the Heat
▪ The No. 1 question surrounding the team centers around Hassan Whiteside
▪ Our latest Heat Check Podcast recaps the season and looks to the future.
▪ Wayne Ellington would like another shot with the Heat.
▪ Money talks, and the Heat owes a lot to a lot of veterans.
This story was originally published April 26, 2018 at 8:53 AM with the headline "The NFL Draft is here. Get ready for a wild ride, South Florida football fans."