Another first round has come and gone, and the Dolphins have given us another “blah” first-round pick. Sure, Mike Pouncey addresses a need for Miami, as they desperately needed interior offensive line help, but it’s a very conservative pick.

Even if Pouncey turns out to be a solid starter from day one and eventually a Pro Bowl caliber player, an interior offensive lineman isn’t going to put the Dolphins over the top. They’re still a mediocre to decent team regardless of whether Pouncey pans out or not.

If you roll the dice on a potential franchise quarterback like Ryan Mallett, though, the Dolphins would have possibly selected a guy that could have taken them to contender status. Of course, there would have been a much greater chance of Mallett busting, but with a higher risk comes a much higher reward.

But enough about what could have happened today, let’s focus on what the Dolphins now have. What they have is hopefully the first step in the right direction to a reborn running game. The biggest question I had before Jeff Ireland’s presser tonight was whether or not Pouncey was drafted to play guard or center for the Dolphins. My original thought was guard because the Dolphins resigned Richie Incognito, who was average at best at left guard but showed promise in limited action at center.

As always, it seems the Dolphins’ line of thinking differs from mine. “He’s a center on my board,” Ireland told the media. "Right now we're going to line him up at center.”

If the Dolphins feel Pouncey is better suited to play center, then by all means play him at center. But what that does tell me is the Dolphins still have some work to do in order to shore up their interior O-line. If they intend on keeping Richie Incognito at left guard, competition probably needs to be brought in because I have my doubts he can be anything more than so-so at guard being that he has a difficult time when asked to pull.

The right side is also far from settled. Nate Garner, who will be returning from a foot injury that sidelined him for the entire 2010 season, is expected to compete with John Jerry for the time being, but both are far from sure bets. Having said all of that, I wouldn’t be terribly shocked if the Dolphins drafted another interior offensive lineman sometime this weekend; particularly a guard that is athletic enough to be an effective puller.

If they pass on another lineman, they better dish out some cash for a proven veteran when free agency starts, which is expected to begin in the next few days. Either way, Pouncey is far from the last piece of the puzzle when it comes to returning the Dolphins’ running game to respectability, especially when you consider two new running backs still need to be drafted or signed.

After a crazy, unexpected first fourteen selections, the Dolphins make a safe pick by drafting Mike Pouncey. Unfortunately, Jeff Ireland and company weren’t able to find a trade-down partner, even with a stud cornerback like Prince Amukamara still on the board.

The Dolphins also resisted the trend of taking a quarterback with Andy Dalton, Colin Kaepernick, and Ryan Mallett still available, after an unforeseen run of four quarterbacks in the first twelve picks.

As far as Pouncey goes, he’s a player I wasn’t very high on headed into the draft. I just feel like his stock was skyrocketed by the success of his brother Maurkice with the Steelers. But it can’t be argued that the Dolphins desperately needed to upgrade their interior offensive line.

Yes, I feel like Chad Henne’s wildly inconsistent ways held the Dolphins back in 2010, but the problems on offense started with not being able to run the football. And it didn’t matter if the Dolphins retained Ronnie and Ricky, signed DeAngelo Williams, or drafted Mark Ingram, they weren’t going to improve the running game until the interior O-line was remolded. So taking the highest rated interior offensive lineman makes sense to some degree.

I am interested to see if the Dolphins keep Pouncey at center or allow him to move back to guard. Most believe they resigned Richie Incognito to play center, where he showed some promise in relief duty in 2010. We have plenty of time to discuss that, though.

I will have more to come on the pick later tonight or tomorrow morning. Enjoy the rest of the first round.

The day has finally arrived. After months of speculation, smokescreens, and frequently changing mock drafts, the day die-hard NFL fans have been anticipating since the final whistle of the Super Bowl is here. We’ve come a long way since the beginning of the offseason, but we are no closer today than we were in January from pinpointing who the Dolphins’ first-round selection will be.

Yesterday on ESPN, Jeff Darlington of the Miami Herald picked Ryan Mallett in Sports Center’s mock draft, his co-worker Armando Salguero wrote this morning that the Dolphins are unlikely to select a quarterback in round one, the Palm Beach Post’s Ben Volin selected OT Gabe Carimi in his final mock, Omark Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel took Mike Pouncey, NFL.com’s Pat Kirwin predicted the unthinkable with Brian Gabbert slipping all the way to fifteen, and NFL network insider Jason LaCanfora seems pretty confident the Dolphins will surprise by drafting Colin Kaepernick.

As you can see, nobody can agree on anything. The Dolphins are just that hard to put your finger on in this year’s draft. Anything is possible tonight. Don’t get your hopes up for your favorite quarterback in this year’s class, and certainly don’t rule out off-the-radar prospects like UNC’s Robert Quinn, who wouldn’t address a pressing need but could be the best player available when Miami is on the clock. With that said, let me add to the mayhem by posting my final Dolphins’ seven-round mock.

Round 1, Pick 15: Dolphins trade 15th overall selection to team in picks 25-32 for that team’s 1st, 2nd, and 6th round selections- Most aren’t as optimistic as last year that the Dolphins will find a trade-down partner and acquire a second-round pick, but with free agency expected to start on Monday, I see someone willing to sacrifice a second round pick to land one of the premiere pass rushers or offensive tackles in this year’s class.

Round 1, Pick (25-32): Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas- Reports are circulating around the web that the Dolphins are unlikely to draft Ryan Mallett because of the “character concerns” that have haunted him throughout the entire scouting process. But I’m sticking to the pick I’ve made all offseason. I don’t think the Dolphins have tipped their hand by letting it leak out that they likely won’t take Mallett. Either those reports are just opinion or the Dolphins are throwing out a pre-draft smokescreen.

I just can’t wrap my mind around how Mallett can be the fifth and sixth quarterback on some of the “expert’s” boards. Like I’ve said all offseason, Mallett has elite size and arm strength, he played in a pro-style system, meaning he actually knows how to take a snap under center and go through progressions, and he’s arguably the only quarterback in this year’s draft that could potentially immediately contribute. This regime doesn’t have the time to invest in a project, but they must realize the Dolphins will never emerge as a legitimate contender until they find a franchise quarterback.

As the ongoing labor dispute continues, even now as the lockout has been lifted, we will continue to focus our attention strictly on the draft. The major news outlets do a great job of explaining the uncharted waters the league is currently in, and frankly it’s hard for me to wrap my mind around the ramifications of Judge Nelson denying a “stay” as expected. So we will keep our focus on the draft, while the league potentially turns to chaos.

We’ve talked all offseason about players like Mark Ingram, Mike Pouncey, and Ryan Mallett. Players that would fill pressing needs for the Dolphins if taken in Thursday’s first round. But it’s important to keep an open mind when dealing with this front office. Last year’s draft should have taught us our lesson.

In 2010, most of the pre-draft speculation centered on outside linebacker, nose tackle, and free safety prospects. What did the Dolphins do? Only shock us all by taking defensive end Jared Odrick with Randy Starks, Kendall Langford, and Phillip Merling already on the roster.

The next day we learned that the Dolphins planned on moving Randy Starks to nose tackle, which rationalized the pick. Ultimately, though, that decision didn’t last as Starks was forced back over to end due to injuries to Merling and Odrick, and Paul Soliai went on to blossom at nose.

The point being, don’t limit your expectations for what the Dolphins will do with their first-round pick, whenever it will be made. It’s clear that Jeff Ireland prefers the best player available strategy early on, and in the event that the Dolphins are unable to trade down, I doubt he would be willing to reach for a player that would fill a need but doesn’t grade out as a mid-first round prospect on his board.

It’s important to keep in mind that the Dolphins’ board could drastically differ from the experts’ projections. For example, just because Ryan Mallett doesn’t grade out as a first-round pick to Mel Kiper, the Dolphins could easily have him ranked near the top of their board. But there are several prospects that aren’t being discussed among Dolphins fans that could easily be on Ireland’s radar. Without further ado, here are the top five prospects the Dolphins could surprise us with tomorrow night.

1. Aldon Smith, OLB, Missouri: I’ve seen some Dolphins’ writers and bloggers pencil in Robert Quinn as the pass rusher the front office could surprisingly take in round one. I highly doubt Quinn falls all the way to the 15th pick, though. Aldon Smith, on the other hand, is a realistic option if the Dolphins decide to forgo addressing their offensive needs in the first and attempt to sure up their pass rush opposite Cameron Wake instead. Smith has all the tools to be a double-digit sack guy at the next level and could potentially be the last piece to an elite defense in Miami.

2. Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin: We all know the Dolphins need to upgrade the interior offensive line, but if Carimi is the best player available when they select at 15, Vernon Carey’s time in Miami may be numbered. Carey has been a very solid starter for the Dolphins for seven years now, but has had a difficult time staying healthy lately and has seemingly lost a step or two. He’s also compensated fairly well; possibly a little too much for the Dolphins’ liking. Carimi is a good all-around tackle that could potentially be ready to start from day one.

The Brandon Marshall stabbing this weekend is still grabbing most of the headlines related to the Dolphins on this Monday. But here at Phins Phoucs, this Monday means that draft week is finally here. There will be plenty of time to discuss the Brandon Marshall saga, but as far as I’m concerned, unless any damning evidence against him becomes known, he should be treated as strictly the victim in this case, which shouldn’t lead to the Dolphins cutting ties or the league using disciplinary action.

With that said, let’s put that discussion on hold and gear up for the most exciting week in the offseason of any sport. The Dolphins are one of the most difficult teams to put your finger on heading into Thursday’s first round. They are in such a difficult spot picking 15th overall because the players that they could take that would fill a pressing need don’t project to come off the board until later in the first, if not early in the second.

They could always take the best player available, which figures to be a defensive player or an offensive tackle, but we all know what their primary goal is. Jeff Ireland and the Dolphins desperately want to trade down in the first round and hopefully reacquire a second-round selection.

Some experts have claimed that it will be more difficult to trade down in this year’s draft because not having free agency will limit team’s flexibility. Others still remain optimistic, insisting that at least one defensive needy team will be willing to move up and snag a pass rusher.

Instead of speculating further on the matter, I decided to offer a few of the Bloguin sites that represent teams that select in the bottom half of the first round hypothetical trade request. Please welcome in Thomas Jackson from Eagles Eye and Ravens Football Machine, Andrew Judge from Saints Nation, Matthew Heuett from Seahawk Addicts, and Brett Solesky from Midway Illustrated to represent their respected teams in these trade down request. I asked the bloggers to either accept, decline, conditionally accept (name the player that must still be available at 15th overall), or offer a counter trade request.

Trade-down request A
Dolphins 15th overall pick for the Eagles 23rd (1st) and 54th (2nd) overall selections

Response: Counter Offer
The Eagles reject the original trade-down offer of Miami ... i.e., giving up a first-rounder (#23 overall) and a 2nd-rounder (#54) to move up eight spots would be against Andy Reid's classic value charts. Now change the offer to the Eagles' 1st-Rounder and two 4th-round picks, and I think Reid would consider going for it.... A #23, #104, and #120... for a #15... would fall much more closely in the neighborhood of Andy's draft value charts. Otherwise, I don't think Andy goes for the deal... we all know how Reid loves those mid-round picks!

My Counter Offer response: Declined
I don’t think moving down eight slots would be worth it for two fourth-round picks. If I were to continue the negotiating process I would counter offer with the Dolphins’ 15th overall selection for the Eagles’ 1st, 3rd, and one of their 4th round picks. If the Eagles were to accept, I would accept that deal only if the Dolphins are unable to find another partner.