The Miami Dolphins had the eighth-worst defense in the NFL last season. The porpoises surrendered an averaged of 24.3 points per game, which was bad, but they also allowed 376.2 yards per contest, which was worse. A lot of the issues seemed to stem from the coaching staff and, specifically, Kevin Coyle's unnecessarily complex schemes.
Really, the entire 2015 Dolphins season could be blamed on poor coaching. It's why Joe Philbin was relieved of his duties and replaced by interim Dan Campbell. But there were also plenty of issues with the personnel on both sides of the ball in Miami. And with Adam Gase now firmly entrenched in the top spot for the Dolphins, it's a new day for the franchise.
Dolphins VP Mike Tannenbaum has done much of the heavy lifting already this offseason, acquiring Byron Maxwell and Kiko Alonso, restructuring Ndamukong Suh's deal and signing Mario Williams. But with the 2016 NFL Draft looming, it sure sounds like the Dolphins are giving serious consideration to the cornerback position with their first selection come April.
Vernon Hargreaves III, the former Florida Gators cornerback and a guy widely viewed as the second-best defensive back in the upcoming draft, performed well at his team's Pro Day this week. Speaking to reporters afterwards, Hargreaves made it sound like the Dolphins were one of the teams showing far and away the most interest in him.
He also sounded a self-assured tone, which is usually a good sign for a cornerback in the NFL.
"It was smooth," Hargreaves said. "It was good. It was fun to be back out there with the boys..."
Hargreaves also said that the San Francisco 49ers paid ample attention to him during and immediately after his workout.
But for the Dolphins, there's no denying how attractive a pick Hargreaves would be. He's not a big corner at just 5-foot-10, but he's a stout 207-pounds and plays much bigger than he measures.
With Brent (and Miko) Grimes off to greener pastures and Jamar Taylor still struggling to deliver on his pre-draft promise, the Dolphins could certainly use an injection of talent behind Suh and Williams. Maxwell was one piece of the puzzle, assuming he can rebound from a tough year in Philly, but Hargreaves could certainly be the other.
