DAVIE, Fla. (AP) -Jimmy Johnson was a few months into his new job with the Miami Dolphins the last time they used a first-round pick to upgrade their defensive front seven.
That was five coaches and 14 years ago. Tony Sparano is now the coach, while Bill Parcells and general manager Jeff Ireland run the draft, and they’re well aware the team needs upgrades at linebacker and nose tackle.
The Dolphins addressed their need for a playmaking receiver by trading for two-time Pro Bowl pass catcher Brandon Marshall. They’re in the market for help at free safety, and with so many holes on defense, trading down to acquire more picks is a tempting option.
So it’s far from certain what the Dolphins will do with the No. 12 pick in the first round Thursday. When it comes to the draft, the Parcells regime is candid about only one thing: the need to get it right.
ed to get more good players. There’s a little bit of urgency to do that.”
Parcells and company are eager to get things again moving in the right direction. In the regime’s first year in 2008, Miami made a great leap forward to 11-6 and a playoff berth. Last season the Dolphins regressed to 7-9, extending to nine years their drought without a postseason victory.
Areas needing an upgrade remain numerous, and acquiring Marshall was costly – a second-round pick this year and another in 2011. Oklahoma State’s Dez Bryant, the best receiver in the draft, visited with the Dolphins’ hierarchy and might be available when their turn comes to pick, but Parcells is expected to pass on him now.
A more likely choice is nose tackle Dan Williams of Tennessee or outside linebacker Derrick Morgan of Georgia Tech.
Parcells has a history of devoting high picks to the front seven. Since 1993, his first year with the New England Patriots, Parcells has had 12 selections in the first round and took a linebacker or defensive lineman six times. But in Miami he has passed on shoring up the front seven with an opening pick, which makes him 0 for 2 and overdue.
n the outside, 35-year-old Jason Taylor, is uncertain.
At nose tackle, incumbent Jason Ferguson is 36 and facing an eight-game suspension to start the season.
Too much age may be one reason the defense was so bad at the end of games and the end of the year. The Dolphins gave up a franchise-record 140 points in the fourth quarter, most in the NFL. And in their final three games, desperate to stay in the playoff race, Miami fell behind 24-6, 27-0 and 27-10.
It wouldn’t be surprising if the Dolphins devoted their first two picks to the front seven. Last year they took cornerbacks Vontae Davis and Sean Smith with the first two choices, and both wound up starting.
“We’ve got a good nucleus of young players,” Ireland says. “And we continue to need good young players.”
If the Dolphins opt for a safety first, the choice will likely be Earl Thomas of Texas. But there’s good draft depth at that position and elsewhere, giving the Dolphins an opportunity to land starters with multiple picks.
“It’s a good draft,” Ireland says. “There’s good depth in this draft.”
Ireland and Parcells have worked together more than six years, and they’ll have the final say on Miami’s decisions. While the 68-year-old Parcells keeps a low public profile, he remains very much involved in draft preparations.
“It’s constant, it’s ongoing,” Ireland says. “It never stops. Bill and I have grinded through every single player two or three times.”
The Dolphins have 10 picks, with six in the final two rounds. The draft has been expanded to three days, with round one Thursday, and rounds two and three Friday.
“It gives you a little bit more time to think about the second day, and a little bit more time to restack your board and look at your priorities for the third day,” Ireland says.
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