Kenny Phillips a Good Fit for Miami Dolphins

There is a lot of discussion around whom the Miami Dolphins will take with the first overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.

Some believe that offensive tackle Jake Long has risen to the top of the list based on his Herculean performance at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Others believe that, while Chris Long does not project to be a 3-4 defensive end, Bill Parcells & Co. have him pegged as the franchise's future pass-rushing outside linebacker.

Glenn Dorsey is also still in the mix, although his absence from the combine thanks to the death of his grandmother (and a lingering knee ailment) could not have helped matters.

There are a few other dark-horse picks like Matt Ryan and Darren McFadden on the radar, and there's always the tantalizing option of trading down, but what's truly intriguing is the team's "other" first-round pick.

You know, that first pick of the second round, which became the 32nd choice overall when the New England Patriots lost their first-round selection in the Spygate debacle. Technically, it's not really in the first round, but you get the idea.

There should be plenty of borderline first-rounders available at that spot, and there will also be a good deal of holes that still need to be filled on both sides of the ball. Miami could probably still use linemen, linebackers, cornerbacks and tight ends.

Of course, not to mention a safety.

With former starting strong safety Yeremiah Bell entering the free-agent market, it has become quite apparent that Miami plans on looking elsewhere to fill that position. And while there are some tantalizing free agents (Giants standout Gibril Wilson, for instance), the draft is also an option. Unfortunately, this year's batch of rookie safeties is looking extremely weak, with only one prospect projected for the first round.

And it's none other than local South Florida product and ex-Miami Hurricanes star Kenny Phillips.

Fortunately for the Dolphins, Phillips actually hurt his draft stock by turning in a lackluster junior campaign. He still chose to declare for the draft, though, and barring a superhuman showing during the combine, he'll likely fall into the latter portions of the first round. If Phillips falls all the way to the 32nd overall pick, the Dolphins' brain trust had better take a long, hard look.

At 6-foot-2 and 208 pounds, Phillips has the prototypical physical dimensions that the new regime is looking for at the safety position. He is also the personification of a Miami local who is more than likely on his way to professional stardom. Miami has allowed such local products to slip by too many times, only to watch those players make good for some other NFL city.

In the past 10 years, the franchise has looked UM's way only twice. And while wideout Yatil Green clearly did not pan out, Vernon Carey has blossomed into an above-average NFL tackle who is capable of playing on both the left and right sides.

Meanwhile, literally dozens of other local products -- both from the University of Miami and other schools -- have been passed over by the Dolphins on their way to NFL glory.

Phillips played both strong and free safety at the college level, making him a versatile option who can line up alongside former first-rounder Jason Allen or even take over Allen's FS spot if he fails to continue developing into a legitimate starter. Oh, and let's not forget that Phillips is part of an impressive lineage of Hurricanes safeties who have gone on to star in the NFL.

Many had Phillips pegged as a possible top 10 pick prior to his disappointing junior season, and it would be fair to say a partial cause of Phillips' regression was the overall ineptitude of the defense he was playing for.

If Mel Kiper Jr. is right, then, and Phillips slips all the way down to the first pick of the second round, Parcells and his brain trust had better pull the trigger. That is, unless they want to join the long line of Dolphins front-office personnel who have let South Florida gold slip through their fingertips.