With the fifteenth pick of the 2011 CSC Community Mock Draft, the Miami Dolphins (represented by SpreeGoogs) select...
Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama
If the Miami Dolphins had the first pick in this year's draft, there's a chance they'd pick Mark Ingram. If he's still there at the 15th pick, the Dolphins have to be thrilled to get him. Although Ingram's 2010 year at Alabama showed a little bit of a drop in production from the Heisman campaign of is 2009 season, Ingram finished pretty strong and still managed 5.5 yards per carry and 13 TDs against the traditionally tough SEC defenses.
Ingram seems to be clearly the top running back prospect and with both Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams on the free agency market this offseason, he fills a gigantic area of need for the Phins. Drafting Ingram here would allow Miami to move forward from the Brown-Williams backfield pretty smoothly and without a big drop in production, even re-signing one of them (probably more likely to be Brown than Williams) if that's what they want.
To start, Ingram is a physical back with good, but not great speed. He is, however, extremely tough to bring down, especially in short yardage. His power/speed combination is rare and some scouts have compared his style to that of a young Emmitt Smith. He is capable of catching the ball out of the backfield with some success (53 catches in his last 2 seasons with an average of 11.5 ypc), but his primary strength is in his ability to eat up yards on the ground, particularly after contact. He's the closest this draft has to a sure thing at running back, and he'll be the first one off the board for a reason.
This draft is an interesting one for the Dolphins, a team with two glaring draft needs - RB and QB - and only one pick in the first two rounds. Since Ingram is unquestionably the best running back available and the top 2 quarterback prospects are already off the board, he's the pick here.
While Jake Locker seems like the QB candidate who would give Ingram the most competition for this pick, he still poses some questions and might be a reach at the 15th pick. In addition to this, the offseason lockout will shorten the amount of time that teams have to practice together and it seems like a bad time to be starting fresh with a new quarterback. The Dolphins current quarterback situation involves Chad Henne and Tyler Thigpen, which certainly isn't ideal, but at least they have someexperience, which is exactly the opposite of what they currently have at running back. This situation may have been different had the Dolphins retained their second-round pick, but it seems like Miami has to pick Ingram here and wait to see which quarterbacks fall or maybe try to move up to grab one later in the draft.
Since the Dolphins pass on Locker here, they'll probably be hoping Andy Dalton or Colin Kaepernick fall to them in the third round. Both of those guys have question marks as well, but letting them spend a season learning rather than rushed into a starting spot with little practice time might work out for Miami.
The third biggest draft need for the Dolphins is at center, and Mike Pouncey could potentially be in the conversation, but he's more of a long shot. Although Pouncey is pretty clearly the best center prospect available, 15th overall is just too early to be taking him. With the players who were available by the Phins' pick in this draft, Ingram is really the only player that makes sense.
Thanks to all the CSC members who participated in this years community mock draft. Without your help, none of this would be possible.
Below are the complete results from our community mock draft.
Catch up with all of the mock draft selections in our 2011 CSC Community Mock Draft Section.
Pick | Team | Selection | Team Representative | Approval Rating |
1 | Carolina Panthers | QB Cam Newton - Auburn | DatFan | 35% |
2 | Denver Broncos | DT Marcell Dareus - Alabama | Jeff.l.b | 71% |
3 | Buffalo Bills | QB Blaine Gabbert - Missouri | SpreeGoogs | 52% |
4 | Cincinnati Bengals | DE Da'Quan Bowers - Clemson | coldpizza | 73% |
5 | Arizona Cardinals | CB Patrick Peterson - LSU | GRIZZ | 61% |
6 | Cleveland Browns | DE Cameron Jordan - Cal | theprogrammerman | 11% |
7 | San Francisco 49ers | LB Von Miller - Texas A&M | who dat patate | 68% |
8 | Tennessee Titans | WR A.J. Green - Georgia | shipgoalie05 | 48% |
9 | Dallas Cowboys | CB Prince Amukamara - Nebraska | saints fan in cowboyland! | 67% |
10 | Washington Redskins | WR Julio Jones - Alabama | VAsaintsfan | 56% |
11 | Houston Texans | DE/OLB Robert Quinn - UNC | Jon Banks | 62% |
12 | Minnesota Vikings | OT Tyron Smith - USC | HansDat | 46% |
13 | Detroit Lions | OT Anthony Castonzo - BC | NorthFan | 48% |
14 | St. Louis rams | DT Nick Fairley - Auburn | hakimdropstheball | 54% |
15 | Miami Dolphins | RB Mark Ingram - Alabama | SpreeGoogs |