Rookie LB Poling making adjustment to NFL

DAVIE — The biggest adjustment for Dolphins rookie linebacker Quentin Poling hasn’t been on the field.

An Ohio native, he’s just trying to deal with the South Florida weather, especially during the summer.

“It’s warm,” Poling said. “It rains a lot. I’ve talked to some people and I’m like, ‘When is it going to stop raining?’ They’re like, ‘November.’ I was like we call that summer back in Ohio. You guys call it rain season here.”

Poling, who was drafted in the seventh round with the No. 227 pick, has had a smooth transition to the NFL. Even though OTAs are much less strenuous as actual practices, he said it has helped as he prepares for training camp next month.

“It’s fast-paced obviously going from college to the NFL,” Poling said. “It’s not just the speed of the game, but just how practices are run and the expectations and everything. It’s different. It’s been a good adjustment though and I think it’s gone well for me and as a defense, especially.”

Poling and Jerome Baker, who are roommates, were the only linebackers the Dolphins drafted. With two starting slots already taken by Kiko Alonso and Raekwon McMillan, they are among a group competing for the final spot.

The 6-foot, 235-pound Poling was one of the nation’s most productive linebackers last season at Ohio University. He finished with 163 tackles, including 43.5 for a loss, five sacks and two fumble recoveries.

So far, he’s eased his way into the new surroundings.

“There hasn’t been anything too crazy, to be honest,” Poling said. “You come into things and you come in with high expectations for everything, so you leave little surprises out there.”

Poling has worked at all three linebacker positions during the offseason. It has allowed him to better understand the defensive scheme and sped the growth process. He had an interception during 11-on-11 drills Wednesday, which he calls the highlight of camp.

“Just understanding coverages and leverages, things like that,” Poling said. “As I’ve been moved across linebacker positions, just understanding that I’m not always just in the middle now, like I was in college. Just understanding leverages on wide receivers and how that can help in coverage with not necessarily being the fastest guy, but if you play your leverage and technique well, you can cover a guy.”

Still, as defensive coordinator Matt Burke pointed out recently, everything done during this time is accompanied by an asterisk. The real evaluation won’t come until camp arrives.

“It’s more like a mental evaluation,” Burke said. “Again, can they learn the different spots? Is there somewhere, down the road, that we can eventually play just from a knowledge and mental learning standpoint from those spots?

Poling has spent a large portion of OTAs just observing. He’s paid particular attention to veteran defensive linemen Cam Wake and Robert Quinn and Alonso and McMillan.

“Just watching them,” Poling said. “You don’t necessarily have to watch your position. It’s not just, ‘Oh, this guy is at my position. Today watch that guy.’ You can just watch great leaders. You can watch guys on offense and watch how they lead and how they carry themselves and you can take things away from that. You don’t necessarily have to look at one specific guy. You can watch the vets as a whole. We have a lot of great leaders on defense, so just watching those guys.”

With the football aspect under control, Poling said dealing with the weather is among his biggest offseason concerns. He is making that a priority during the next month before training camp begins.

“I’ll be down in Florida training, staying in the heat and getting used to that, body acclimation, and all that,” Poling said.

JOHN MCCALL/STAFF PHOTOGRPAHER Rookie linebacker Quentin Poling has worked at all three linebacker positions during the offseason.