Dolphins Looking at Defensive Backs

The Dolphins have plenty of needs on defense, and we know how much Bill Parcells loves to draft on that side of the ball. Among the players that either already have or will visit the Dolphins are Vontae Davis, Darius Butler, Don Carey, Louis Delmas, Brandon Hughes and Sean Smith.

Its clear that the Dolphins are doing their homework on the cornerbacks and safeties this year's draft class. However, it still remains to be seen where they will target that position on draft day. Vontae Davis and Darius Butler are options in the first round. If they pass on those two, I would expect to see them select one in the second round. Sean Smith and Louis Delmas could be on the board when the Dolphins are on the clock, along with other options such as Coye Francies and Alphonso Smith.

In my latest mock draft I have the 'Phins passing on a cornerback with their first three picks. History tells us that Parcells is more likely to target the defensive front seven and the offensive line in the 1st round. As for the second round, its all about value. There is more depth at receiver and offensive line this year, which are both areas of need for the Dolphins. Corners such as Don Carey and Brandon Hughes will still be viable options in the 3rd round or later.

Report: Cushing, Matthews Test Positive for Steroids

According to NFLDraftBible.com, Clay Matthews and Brian Cushing tested positive for steroids at the combine and will be on a list distributed to teams in the near future of players that tested positive for various drugs while in Indianapolis. In addition to Matthews and Cushing, the website reports that Vontae Davis, B.J. Raji, Jose Martinez and Percy Harvin tested positive for marajuana.

The agents of Matthews, Cushing and Davis have all denied the reports. In addition, the NFL released a statement noting that the list of names that tested positive has not yet been released. However, the league did not dispute the claims. While the fact that the league responded indicates that the report was likely false, it isn't exactly an ironclad statement of innocence for those players. The players who did test positive in Indianapolis have all been notified of their positive test, and a prudent agent would have contact teams to prepare them for the release of the list. Reason being, the more time teams have to do their homework on the players in question, the more likely they are forgive and forget and proceed with their original grade on the player. Both NFLDraftBible.com and SI.com, which first reported the Raji positive test on Thursday, cited team sources which could have received the information from agents.

For the time being, take this report with a grain of salt. No credible sources have been able to confirm the report on Matthews and Cushing and it certainly could be a hoax. With that said, keep an eye out for more information in the next few days. The official information will be released eventually and all this drama will be put to bed.