Niners, Dolphins can hit key needs

By Vic Carucci  |   Tuesday, February 15, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

Miami Dolphins
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(Feb. 15, 2005) -- The San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins should be in position to satisfactorily address crying needs with the top two picks in the NFL draft.

If the 49ers choose to hang onto the No. 1 overall pick rather than trade down, they will be able to select a quarterback around whom they can rebuild their team in California's Aaron Rodgers.

And with the second pick, the Dolphins figure to be able to land a big, powerful running back in Texas' Cedric Benson to replace the big, powerful running back they lost with the retirement of Ricky Williams.

The 49ers could very well decide to give up the top choice, but they will no doubt take a close, hard look at Rodgers. He is a junior, but has performed with a great deal of maturity the last two seasons. He has developed his game to the point where it would be possible to see him handle himself reasonably well as a rookie starter.

Rodgers combines a powerful throwing arm with excellent mobility. He shows good poise under pressure, a quality that should serve him exceptionally well during the 2005 season. At 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, he doesn't have ideal size, which raises questions about whether he can stand up to NFL punishment. But he is unflinching about staying in the pocket until the last possible second to deliver a throw.

Rodgers' passing skills already have made a favorable impression on most scouts, and he likely will improve his stock with the throwing he does during pre-draft workouts. His timing and touch are outstanding.

Another junior quarterback, Alex Smith of Utah, has good size at 6-3 and 208 pounds. He also has an exceptionally quick release, makes good reads, and shows great awareness in the pocket. But Smith does not throw the ball as well as Rodgers. For now, that is the primary reason he would rank second among quarterbacks in the draft, with Akron's Charlie Frye showing up in third place.

The 5-10, 220-pound Benson leads a strong class of running backs. He has the strength and leg drive to be highly effective up the middle. He also has a good burst through the hole and runs with the sort of patience and balance that should allow him to make a strong impact as a rookie. Benson can bounce runs outside when necessary. He might not have great acceleration, but he is quick enough and can be the workhorse back that the Dolphins once had in Williams.

Benson is a top-flight athlete. He was drafted to play pro baseball, and spent two summers in the Los Angeles Dodgers' minor-league system. But now he is fully committed to football, as he demonstrated by rushing for 1,867 yards and 19 touchdowns in his final season at Texas.

Still, Benson is hardly alone as a top rushing prospect. Auburn offers a pair of talented ball carriers in Ronnie Brown (right) and Carnell Williams. Although Brown was Williams' backup, he is drawing plenty of attention for his amazing combination of size (5-11-plus, 231 pounds), speed and power.

At 5-10 and 205 pounds, Williams (bottom left) doesn't have the bulk that Brown and Benson share. But he is extremely tough and runs with plenty of power. He has impressive quickness and change-of-direction ability.

So far, all that seems to keep Brown and Williams slightly behind Benson in running back ratings are questions about their durability. Brown missed two games with a hamstring injury as a junior, but was healthy throughout his senior season. Questions linger about the season-ending injuries to Williams' clavicle and fibula that he suffered in 2001 and 2002, respectively.
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