2010 Draft Prospect - Mike Iupati

Well guys, April Fools' is over so this is not a joke.  I actually had a dream last night (which is odd because I haven't been aware of many of my dreams for a couple of years) that I was at the Draft Party at Sun Life Stadium Joe Robbie Stadium, and the Dolphins used their 12th overall pick to select Mike Iupati, the big Samoan guard who played at Idaho.  And since my dreams tend to be somewhat prophetic (or at least they used to before I stopped dreaming regularly), I'm beginning to see this being a real possibility.

There's no question over who is the best Guard in the 2010 draft - that's Iupati.  The question in recent months has been whether or not he could play Tackle in the NFL.  As of today, I would say no, but I would also say that about several players who are already playing Tackle in the NFL.  I think Iupati could turn into a Tackle after some serious coaching and of course experience.  

You see the ting with Iupati is, his technique isn't very polished, and he relies too much on his size and strength.  This won't hold up on its own in the NFL where everyone is faster, stronger and bigger.  But what Iupati does have going for him is that he knows he should win each battle and he knows to take things one play at a time (this is so important as an OL) and he is fierce in his attack.  He has very good feet, athleticism, and uses his hands well, but he doesn't necessarily tie it all together at the moment.

This is why I never thought of him as a top 15 pick before, but I could see it happening simply because he has all the tools, has the character, the size, the intangibles, etc.  it's all there waiting for a coaching staff to come along and make a pro-bowler.  The Dolphins coached against him in the Senior Bowl, where their South defensive line manhandled the North's O-line for most of the game - but reports through out the week of practice were very flattering towards Iupati who was probably the only North linesman who stood out and the Dolphins spent a lot of extra time with him after his Pro Day and hosted him in Davie.

With Justin Smiley on the trading block, Iupati could come in as the impending starter at Left Guard.  I don't think anyone would complain about getting a potential long-term starter on the O-line with our first round draft pick.