No. 32

Pick by The Phinsider Jeff Otah Offensive Tackle Pittsburgh

With the first pick in round two of the 2008 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft, the Miami Dolphins have selected Pittsburgh OT Jeff Otah.  Matty I, head blogger over at The Phinsider, made the selection and is here to explain why Otah is a good fit in Miami:

  After taking Chris Long first overall, now it's time to really address a serious need.  Last year, Vernon Carey played pretty well at left tackle for the first time in his NFL career.  In fact, if you look at the numbers (things like sacks allowed, penalties against, and yards per carry behind the LT), you'd see that Carey actually ranked in the top 10 among all left tackles.  That's why I was comfortable in passing on Jake Long for Chris Long.

But now the right tackle spot has to be addressed.  The only tackle currently on the roster other than Carey is Julius Wilson, and he might develop into a decent backup.  Clearly, a mauling right tackle is exactly what this team needs.

And much to my delight, one of the top right tackle prospects in this draft has fallen into my lap.  Pittsburgh's Jeff Otah is an absolute mauler.  He's very strong and powerful and plays with a mean streak.  And he recently showed improved speed at his pro day workout, running 40s of 5.28 and 5.31.  One knock I have read in various places is that he might be raw and need to improve his technique.  But with a new head coach in Miami who is an accomplished offensive line coach, I'm really not worried at all.

The bottom line here is Otah is top right tackle prospect and will fill a huge need.  But this is also a value pick, as every single mock draft I've seen this offseason has had Otah going somewhere in the first round.  Mel Kiper (who many can't stand, but he isn't totally clueless) has Otah ranked 13th overall and Mike Mayock (who I trust more than Kiper) has Otah ranked as the 2nd best tackle in this draft.  In all honesty, this pick was a no-brainer.

Oh, and don't forget about how things turned out the last time a top prospect out of Pitt fell to the Dolphins' laps in the draft!
 
Matt Miller, host of this site as well as owner of New Era Scouting, provides his analysis below:

This was an easy pick for Miami. They can now move Vernon Carey round, or start Otah at right tackle and really put the most talent on the field. Otah does raise some question marks with his real ability to learn a playbook and adjust to a new level, but his talent is undeniable. He's a great value here, and a solid pick for Miami.

Grade: A  ::  Jeff Otah Scouting Report - New Era Scouting :: Matt Miller's Top Five Prospects Remaining: 1.  LB Jerod Mayo, 2.  QB Joe Flacco, 3.  Kentwan Balmer, 4.  LB Shawn Crable, 5.  RB Jamaal Charles

And with that, we're underway in round two!  The St. Louis Rams are now on the clock, their pick will once again be handled by Turf Show Times, and their pick will be posted at around 6PM Eastern.  Stay tuned!