Satele could prove to be Dolphins’ strongest man

By Hugo Guzman  |   Wednesday, May 09, 2007  |  Comments( 10 )

Miami Dolphins
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It seems fitting that the Miami Dolphins drafted a center named Samson. After all, this biblical term is synonymous with sheer strength and will. Although second-round draft pick Samson Satele -- who hasn't cut his hair since 2002 -- won't be pushing down pillars any time soon, he is expected to create quite a push up the middle for Miami's upstart offensive attack.

As his first name would suggest, Satele is extremely powerful. His low center of gravity and mighty hand punch make him an ideal centerpiece for the power running attack that head coach Cam Cameron plans to employ. And benching 225 pounds 29 times doesn't hurt either. Combine these measurables with Satele's innate capacity for downright nastiness and you've got yourself a prototypical NFL center.

Naysayers will point out that Satele was not the highest-rated player at his position and that he has limited experience at center, and they would be right. Former USC center Ryan Kalil was rated ahead of the Hawaii standout on draft boards, and he was selected one pick prior to Satele in the recent draft, prompting some to wonder if Satele was a consolation prize. And when you consider that Satele has played only 17 games at center, a sliver of doubt might begin to enter your mind.

But that's plain nonsense.

Consider that heading into his senior year, Satele requested a move from left guard to center in response to a dire need for an anchor in the middle who could protect Hawaii's star quarterback, Colt Brennan. He played all 14 of the team's games at that position, and in seven of those contests, Satele did not allow his main blocking assignments to record a single tackle.

In addition, the 6-foot-3, 311-pound trench specialist has a reputation for possessing a mean streak that has NFL scouts comparing him to Pro Bowl center LeCharles Bentley.

And while it is true that many draft "experts" rated Kalil above Satele, there were other draft insiders who considered Satele to be not only one of the more underrated offensive linemen but among the most under-appreciated overall prospects in the class of 2007.

When Cameron held his introductory press conference in Miami a few months back, he talked about building his offense from the middle and working his way out from there. So while Satele is a versatile player capable of playing three different positions along the offensive line, it is more than likely that Cameron envisions him as the central anchor of newfangled offensive attack.

Hopefully, for Miami's sake, Satele can parlay his physical gifts and aggression into a career worthy of comparison to another Dolphins center of yesteryear, some guy by the name of Dwight Stephenson.
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About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
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CommentsComments: 10  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Joe		09:08 AM
05/09/2007
As I've alluded to before, the two outside OTs will be the most important part of the team. However, if Miami can run between...
No.2
SJS		09:27 AM
05/09/2007
WHAT? Ok, It's nice to hear info on one of our new players but to even mention comparison to Dwight Stevenson in the same article...
No.3
Ron		09:42 AM
05/09/2007
We finally have a coaching staff and front office who is intent on building a potent offense. This offense has been terrible...
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