In a new segment during the rest of the off-season, we here at Playoff Bound Sports will be giving you a little information on the 2010 Miami Dolphins rookie class. First off is the Fins first round pick, defensive end Jared Odrick.
Odrick will be in a much bigger and expanded role now that projected starter Phillip Merling has gone down for the season with a torn Achilles Tendon.
Here is a look at your Miami Dolphins first round pick, written by our featured contributor, Sam Klein.
The Miami Dolphins traded down in the 1st round of this years draft, and wound up landing Jared Odrick, a Defensive End/Tackle out of Penn State with the 28th overall pick.
Odrick was born in Lebanon, PA. He was a first-team All-American in 2005, before attending Penn State, where Odrick started in his sophomore season. In 2009, Odrick was named the Big 10 player of the year. He had 6 sacks, and 41 tackles (10 of which were for a loss). He entered the NFL draft after his senior year, and was drafted by the Miami Dolphins.
The pick wasn’t very popular with Dolphin fans at first, but Odrick does fill a need for us at either Tackle or End, and is a very interesting player to watch. He’s a big guy (6’5, 298 pounds), and can still be a solid pass rusher. He ran a 4. 98 40 which is pretty fast for someone of his size. He’s also decent against the run. The most impressive thing with Odrick, however, is the fact that he doesn’t give up on a play. He will continue to fight his way into the backfield or pursue a runner on the outside.
Odrick will likely play End in the Dolphins 3-4 defense. His athleticism makes him a better fit there, on both running or passing downs. He will need some practice in this position though, because he did play Tackle throughout High School and College. I feel this won’t be a hard adjustment for him.
The one main concern about Odrick is his character issues. He was arrested in March of 2009 for getting into a fight on campus. He was charged with disorderly conduct, after he punched a student after he was supposedly out drinking. I don’t see Odrick’s character affecting him much in the NFL, however. Bill Parcells and Tony Sporano seem to do a good job keeping guys out of trouble.
So in conclusion, I think this was a solid pick. Odrick is quick, strong, and will never give up on a play. He’s also versatile, and will fit in nicely with Miami’s defense.
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