Dolphins fill in needs
On draft’s final day, team takes guard, RB and 3 DBs
DAVIE — The Dolphins went about the process of addressing needs in Saturday’s final rounds of the NFL draft. And they think they got better in the process, especially considering they got a running back in the fifth round — Jay Ajayi of Boise State — who has second-round talent.
The Dolphins made five picks on the draft’s last day, one in the fourth round and four in the fifth round. They selected guard Jamil Douglas (Arizona State) in the fourth round, filling a much-needed requirement.
In the fifth round the Dolphins selected cornerback Bobby McCain (Memphis), Ajayi, safety Cedric Thompson (Minnesota), and cornerback/wide receiver Tony Lippett (Michigan State).
But Ajayi might be the steal of the day. The 6-foot, 221-pounder dropped severely because of concerns about a knee that medical reports say is practically bone-on-bone after having surgery to repair torn cartilage.
The Dolphins, who are badly in need of a power running to complement the finesse attack of Lamar Miller, think Ajayi, who rushed for 1,823 yards last season, was a great find.
“He’s a big back, just a terrific kind of runner,” Assistant General Manager Eric Stokes said. “We didn’t really foresee this happening as the draft really unfolded, but we’re really excited to get a big powerful back who’s had production.
“He brings a physical presence, toughness, he has burst, speed and agility. I think you’ll be really impressed. He has excellent hands out of the backfield, so he can really do it all. We’re getting a three-down player there. Just having that, and adding him to the mix now with our group, is just going to be great for Ryan [Tannehill] and just the offense as a whole.”
Ajayi said the injury issue didn’t get him down as he slipped in the draft.
“I’m not frustrated,” he said. “I understand that some teams have their opinions on injuries and such. I can only control what I can control.
“I was disappointed, but this only made me hungrier and added to that chip on my shoulder that I’m going to go into camp with, and play with for the rest of my career.”
As for Douglas, he should compete with returnees Dallas Thomas and Billy Turner as well as newly signed veteran Jay Linkenbach to become a starter.
The Dolphins added two cornerbacks and a safety, which addresses holes in the secondary; they didn’t add an inside linebacker, something they don’t see as a big deal.
“We do like our linebackers,” General Manager Dennis Hickey said. “We added Spencer Paysinger, and we have some young guys that we’re really excited about. Again, we stuck to our board and took the best player available.”
The Dolphins did a much better job of filling holes on the third day of the draft than they did on the first two days, when it appeared they went for the best player available while selecting wide receiver DeVante Parker (Louisville) in the first round and defensive tackle Jordan Phillips (Oklahoma) in the second round.
The Dolphins didn’t have a third-round pick.
Cornerback Bobby McCain, one of the Dolphins’ fourth-round picks, returned four interceptions for touchdowns and could be an interesting player.
“I’m really smart,” he said. “I’m not the tallest guy, I’m not the fastest guy, but I’m probably the most competitive guy. I’m not going to back down on anyone; I’m a player with a good head on my shoulders who is going to play with a chip on my shoulders as well.”
The same goes for Tony Lippett, an All Big Ten wide receiver who will play cornerback. Lippett started five games at cornerback as a freshman, and started two games at both cornerback and wide receiver as a senior
With the draft now complete, the Dolphins will start the process of finding undrafted rookie to bring into next week’s three-day rookie camp that begins Friday. Among the players the Dolphins have signed so far are Penn State linebacker Mike Hull, an All-American, Cincinnati linebacker Jeff Luc, Maine wide receiver Damarr Aultman and Illinois State guard/tackle Michael Liedtke.
“With all the guys we added ... over the last several days, we really feel like we’re building a quality team, and we’re just anxious for them to get on the field together over the upcoming weeks,” Hickey said. “And everyone, to a man, every person that we’ve talked to, they’re chomping at the bit for this 2015 season.”