TE Michael Egnew could prove a huge gem in Miami's new offense.

After the first three rounds of the draft, I cannot help but come away feeling like the Dolphins have made a start in the right direction. I felt that the Dolphins got some excellent value, but they still have some room for improvement.

The Fins selected Ryan Tannehill in the first round. I have started for some time that I thought the 8th overall pick was a bit high for Tannehill. But after years of neglect of the QB position, the Fins did not have much of a choice.

I like Tannehill’s upside, though he is still somewhat raw. It will probably take a year or more to develop him into a starting NFL QB. Still, the drafting of Tannehill represents the organization’s decision to focus long term rather than their “win now” mentality. This paradigm shift could be the beginning of the team’s return to prominence.

In the second round, the Fins took Stanford OT Jonathon Martin. I like the pick from a value stand point. Martin was a first round talent, and the offensive line is a weakness. Martin should be able to come in and start at right tackle from day one. He will be a major improvement over retired Marc Colombo.

Martin is highly intelligent and focused. He turned down a scholarship from Harvard for an athletic scholarship at Stanford. He is driven and will give 100% effort both on and off the field. Drive and intelligence is something you can’t coach. You either have it or you don’t…..and Martin has it in bunches.

Having said that, I view the holes at receiver and defensive ends as bigger needs. And there were several solid players at both positions still available when Martin was selected. But I guess this tells us that the coaching staff is not as high on John Jerry or Lydon Murtha as we thought. I also think it gives Miami leverage when it comes time to sit down with Jake Long and talk about a new contract.

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