Kiper: Draft offers solid options at positions of need for Miami
Florida LB Davis, Miami TE Njoku among possibilities.
There’s no doubt the Dolphins want help at linebacker and tight end, and ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. believes those are their biggest needs.
The good news for Miami is that Kiper sees strong options at both those spots with the team’s Nos. 22 and 54 overall picks.
“If you want a tight end, this is a year you should be able to get one,” he said.
If Kiper were balancing both of those needs, he’d prioritize linebacker in the first round. He currently projects the Dolphins taking Jarrad Davis from the University of Florida.
“When healthy, he was a tackling machine,” Kiper said, describing exactly what the team needs up the middle right now. “In Miami, he would fill a big need. The back seven needs help, and it starts at linebacker. Davis would be a good st ar ting point.”
Davis, who is 6-feet-2, 238 pounds, played four years at Florida and dealt with an ankle issue as a senior. He had 60 tackles last season. The year before, he piled up 94 tackles, including 11 for loss, in a full 14- game season.
T h a t l e a v e s t h e s e c - ond-round pick to address t i g h t e n d , w h i c h K i p e r thinks i s still a good spot to get value. His top choice wo u l d b e U n i v e r s i t y o f Miami’s David Njoku, but there’s a chance he won’t last that long. If Njoku is gone, Kiper recommends 6-foot5, 248-pounder Cole Hikutini from Louisville.
Over his junior and senior seasons, Hikutini totaled 69 catches, 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Njoku (6-4 245) declared early after starring as a redshirt sophomore for the Hurricanes last season. He had 698 yards and eight touchdowns on 43 catches. He’s obviously a threat in the passing game but also an underrated blocker.
Dolphins add LB coach: The Dolphins hired veteran linebackers coach Frank Bush as assistant head coach/linebackers coach.
Bush has spent 24 seasons in the NFL, the past three as linebackers coach for the Los Angeles Rams.
Bush has also coached linebackers for the Tennessee Tit ans and was defensive coordinator of the Houston Texans, and assistant head coach and linebackers coach for the Arizona Cardinals.
The Dolphins also pro - moted Darren Rizzi to associate head coach and promoted Chris Kuper to assistant offensive line coach.
After starting his coaching career with the Houston Oilers in 1992, Bush also coached with the Denver Broncos, where he was part of two Super Bowl champions (XXXII and XXXIII).
Among the players Bush has coached are James Laurinaitis, Alec Ogletree, Akeem Ayers, Brian Cushing, Karlos Dansby and Bill Romanowski.
Bush replaces the departed Vance Joseph on the coaching staff. Joseph was replaced by Matt Burke, who was promoted to defensive coordinator.
Williams detained: The Tyler (Texas) Police Department confirmed Wednesday that an “incident” occurred when former Dolphin Ricky Williams visited the city for the Earl Campbell Award ceremony last week, a local TV station reported.
Video released shows Williams being detained by the police, who said they were called by a resident “in reference to a suspicious person behind the fence line in his back yard.”
The incident came to light after Williams spoke about what happened Wednesday on a local radio talk show.
“I started to get a little bit upset, and they said, ‘Calm down,’ and I said, ‘Listen, you don’t know what it’s like to be a black man; this is not the first time this has happened to me when cops have harassed me and I haven’t done anything,’” Williams said in the radio interview.
Tyl e r T V s t a t i o n KLT V spoke with the man who placed the call to police, who said Williams “didn’t threaten me in any way, but he was hanging out in this wooded area, crouching down behind the bushes.”
Wi l l i a m s s a i d h e h a d arrived in Tyler early and d e c i d e d t o go f o r a wal k before the trophy ceremony. When he got back to the hotel where he was staying, there were four police officers waiting for him. According to KLTV, the police report shows no arrest being made in connection to the incident.
“I hope that after this situation, they realize that black lives do matter. I’ve never wanted to say that, but this was a time where it fits,” Williams said.
HookEm.com contributed to this story.