Dolphins Looking at Many Prospects
Within a month of this year's NFL Draft, the Dolphins are making sure to research as many top prospects as possible -- including the two most-valued quarterbacks.
Coach Cam Cameron and general manager Randy Mueller traveled to Louisiana on Monday, where they met with LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell. Their trek is expected to continue today with a visit to Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn.
Late next week, the Dolphins also will play host to Ted Ginn Jr., his father said Monday. The visit is expected to take place April 19 or 20, Ginn Sr. said.
Ted Ginn Jr., who is far more likely to be available with the Dolphins' ninth overall pick than Brady Quinn or JaMarcus Russell, is a speedy threat with potential to replace Wes Welker as the team's kick returner.
"I'm all for fast guys, no matter what position they play," Mueller said during February's scouting combine. "I think teams have to defend you differently if you have the element of speed. So we're going to always look to upgrade team speed."
JaMarcus Russell, rated by many as the top prospect in the draft, would almost certainly be out of the Dolphins' reach with the No. 9 pick, meaning they'd need to make a considerably expensive move toward the top to land him.
Although Brady Quinn's stock appeared to be sliding as the season ended, he has since raised his stock with strong offseason workouts. He is more likely to be available at No. 9 than JaMarcus Russell -- if Cleveland passes him up at No. 3 -- but it still is a reach.
"We're going to go through the process with a lot of different mind-sets," Mueller said in February. "It could be that we talk to the top two or three guys by consensus even though we pick No. 9. So we've got to cover all those bases."
Mueller has made it clear the team would research almost every player they could to be prepared for anything. Last year, Titans quarterback Vince Young visited the team's facility even though the Dolphins had the No. 16 pick.
And when Mueller worked in New Orleans, he said the team's diligence in researching everyone allowed them to be prepared when running back Deuce McAllister slid all the way to No. 21.
"Nobody ever thought he'd be there at 21," Mueller said. "But we had gone through the whole research and figured out this was a guy we wanted if he dropped that far. A lot of people thought we were crazy."
HARRINGTON TO ATLANTA
Former Miami Dolphins quarterback Joey Harrington, who started 11 games for Miami last season, signed a deal to become the Falcons' backup quarterback Monday.
Harrington will compete to replace Matt Schaub, who backed up Michael Vick for the past three seasons until signing with Houston this offseason.
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