Feedback on Miami Dolphins’ selection of front-seven defenders Strowbridge, Weaver
Feedback on the Miami Dolphins’ selection of North Carolina 6-4, 275-pound end/tackle Jason Strowbridge and Boise State defensive end/linebacker Curtis Weaver during Saturday’s third day of the NFL Draft:
JASON STROWBRIDGE
ESPN’s Daniel Jeremiah: “I’m not sure he played in the proper position. They played him in a tight alignment, did not give him a lot of space to work. At the Senior Bowl, you had a chance to see him in wide technique and rush over a guard. I thought he was much more comfortable in those two alignments than he played in down in base.
“The senior bowl gave us a glimpse that he might end up being better pro than we was in college.”
ESPN’s Louis Riddick: His pro success “will depend on getting him to come off the ball with consistency and get up field because when he sits back on his heels... he’s late off the ball and it cuts down on his effectiveness. They have to decide if he will be a defensive end or defensive tackle and rush inside or outside. They have to decide what he’s going to be that leads to him having a better pro career than college career.”
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlien: “Strowbridge will give opponents a physical challenge with good length, toughness and hand usage at the point of attack, but he lacks the suddenness and short-area directional change to be a consistent disruptor. While he’s not a plus pass rusher, he definitely flashed at the Senior Bowl and has upside as a reduced rusher in an even front on passing downs. He will need to drop the pad level to improve as an edge-setter, but he appears to offer the necessary physical tools and demeanor to become a rotational 3-4 five-technique or 4-3 base end with eventual-starter potential.”
Pro Football Focus’ Mike Renner: “Strowbridge is the type of late-round body you feel comfortable about being able to plug in as a rotational player should the situation call for it. He’s vastly underdeveloped as a pass rusher but has enough athleticism to either be the penetrator or looper on stunts. If you’re drafting him, it’s for what he brings to the table as a run defender. He’s likely a base end at the next level and the type of player who won’t be blocked one-on-one with tight ends.”
CURTIS WEAVER
NFL Net’s Charley Casserly said Weaver was the best player left on the board entering Saturday: “Curtis Weaver, when you watch the tape, the guy has a knack to rush the passer, had 13.5 sacks. How does he do it? He’s quick off the edge. Has great hand use, so he’s a technician. Excellent inside move. The guy gives you all the parts of a pass rusher, and he’s a better football player than he is when he tests. Some guys test. He doesn’t test. But he plays the game with great instincts, quickness and ability to rush inside.”
NFL Net’s Daniel Jeremiah: “This is a classic case of bad body, good player. He’s not going to wow you when you see him. What he does have is a knack for getting to the quarterback. Not a real explosive first step, but he has this wiggle and the ability to bend once he gets to the very top of his rush. You see his ability to wrap around tackles, and he’s outstanding finisher. He can change directions. If you played a pickup basketball game, he wouldn’t be one of the first guys to be picked. You would never be able to get him off the court because he just wins. He’s a sneaky good athlete with a ton of production.”
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein: “Stand-up end whose production as a pass rusher must be balanced out by his below-average ability and athleticism in stopping the run. Weaver is a naturally instinctive counter-rusher who uses synchronized hands/feet to attack both inside and outside edges as a rusher, but his lack of explosiveness and athletic traits could dull his rush production against NFL offensive tackles. He plays with football intelligence, but his level of NFL success could be determined by whether his skill can overcome below-average explosiveness.”
Pro Football Focus: “Squaring Weaver’s off-the-charts college production with his subpar athleticism is difficult. He makes up for that lack of burst though with some serious power in his upper body. I never saw Weaver make contact with an opposing tackles hands and them not drop to the side. There are edge rushers that get by with less than stellar athleticism in the NFL, but that’s betting on hitting an outlier. Weaver’s athleticism or lack thereof is terrifying. He doesn’t have a body of work against quality tackles to prove it won’t matter, but we’ve also never seen an edge dominate the group of 5 to the degree Weaver did.”
Here’s my piece on the Dolphins’ trade for running back Matt Breida.
Here’s my piece on the Dolphins’ selection of Solomon Kindley.
Here’s my piece with league reaction on the Dolphins’ selection of Brandon Jones.
Here’s my piece with league reaction on Miami’s selection of Raekwon Davis.
Here’s my piece with league reaction on Miami’s selection of Robert Hunt.
Here’s my piece with league reaction on Miami’s selection of Noah Igbinoghene.
Here’s my piece with league reaction on Miami’s selection of Tua Tagovailoa.
Here’s my piece with league reaction on Miami’s selection of Austin Jackson.
Here’s my piece on how the supplemental draft - during a pandemic - could impact the Dolphins and Hurricanes.
This story was originally published April 25, 2020 at 3:46 PM.
