Dolphins Take Nolan Carroll In 5th Round

Carroll, a cornerback who broke his tibia and missed all but two games in 2009 has been selected by the Dolphins.

Carroll does run a sub 4.4 40 yard dash, and has some potential. He was voted as team captain at Maryland, and because he suffered a serious leg injury, he was off most teams radar.

Read & React: Still developing in this area. Understands what the receiver is trying to do and has experience at that position. At his best facing the quarterback and has a good burst to close. Has the straight-line speed to chase receivers across the field.

Man Coverage: Physical defender. Will use his hands and body lean to disrupt the timing and route-running of his opponent. A bit high in his backpedal and has a hitch when turning, which negates his straight-line speed. Good size to handle bigger receivers on slants and crossing patterns.

Zone Coverage: Improving awareness for zone coverage. Keeps an eye on the underneath receiver and but protects the back end as well. Comes off his man to react to the ball being thrown, but is not so aggressive as to open holes for the quarterback.

Closing/Recovery: More fast than he is quick, but has enough of a burst to close downhill and knock the ball away. Competes for the jump ball and has an explosive vertical. Quick, active hands to knock the ball free, but was moved to cornerback from receiver for a reason — had zero interceptions and nine passes broken up the 2008-09 seasons. Has to show better hand-eye coordination and a greater focus on interceptions than the big hit.

Run Support: Fights through receiver blocks to get involved, but is still learning the nuances of the position. Only marginal rip technique to disengage. Good agility to elude bigger blockers. Willing open-field tackler that provides a pop upon contact.

Tackling: One of his better areas. Physical and makes the secure stop in the open field. Good strength for the drag-down tackle. Times hits well and can knock the ball out of the receiver’s hands to break up the pass. Quality special teams defender that posted seven tackles in 2007.

Intangibles: Has struggled with durability throughout his career and missed all but two games in 2009 with a broken right tibia. Underwent surgery on September 18 to have a screw inserted to stabilize the bone. Emerged as a team leader and was voted captain in 2009. Graduated with a degree in Family Science in December.

He could make the switch to free safety, and will most likely play a diverse role on this years team with our former nickel corner, Nate Jones, gone. Carroll has the speed to return kicks, and could potentially be the nickel corner, as stated above. Not the best pick in the world considering who was still on the board, but I can live with it because of this kids potential.