Dolphins’ Hagan mishandles starting role

By Hugo Guzman  |   Tuesday, December 11, 2007  |  Comments( 4 )

Miami Dolphins
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Derek Hagan was the Miami Dolphins' leading receiver during Sunday's 38-17 loss to Buffalo, but it was the catch he couldn't make that personifies his shortcomings as an NFL wideout.

Filling in for injured No. 1 receiver Marty Booker, Hagan -- a former Arizona State standout -- caught eight passes for 93 yards, which is certainly a solid effort on the surface. However, late in the second quarter, with the Dolphins trailing 31-7, quarterback Cleo Lemon threw a perfectly placed deep ball into Hagan's outstretched hands, but the second-year man was unable to out-jump or out-battle his defender and come down with the football in the end zone.

Would a touchdown at that juncture have made a difference in the final outcome? No. Did Hagan make some other nice catches throughout the course of the football game? Yes. Is he capable of being a contributor in the right offensive system? Of course.

However, the problem is that he was drafted in the third round and is being groomed to become a starting wide receiver; thus far, though, a starting wide receiver he is not.

Hopefully for Miami, Hagan can continue to develop and become the consistent big target who can complement speedster Ted Ginn Jr. and be counted upon to out-muscle opponents in the red zone or on the occasional deep ball. So far, however, that simply has not happened.

In his two seasons with the club, Hagan been consistent at only one thing: dropping catchable balls. And while he has flashed some of the talent and physical prowess that made him a record-breaking college receiver and first-round prospect, that same inability to secure the football -- which caused him to tumble from the first round to the third round -- has accompanied him throughout his NFL tenure.

To his credit, Hagan has been a first-down-making machine. Twenty-nine of his 45 career receptions have moved the chains, proving that he does add some sort of value to what is a mostly meandering offensive attack. Unfortunately, his lack of touchdown-making ability (he has just two scores in two seasons) coupled with his inability to make the most of his starting opportunities make him an unsavory candidate for starting duties in 2008 and beyond.

Once again, Hagan played well last Sunday, but if the Dolphins' brain trust chooses to stick with him and fails to consider other options, the team could be looking at just another in a long line of failed experiments and blind optimism two or three years down the road.
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About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
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CommentsComments: 4  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Dave		05:17 PM
12/11/2007
We gave the division leading and potential perfect Season Patriots the best receiver we had. That was brilliant. Besides Ginn,...
No.2
vicman		12:17 AM
12/12/2007
Sorry to remember but Wes Welker is not the only brilliant spot on this mess. Chargers are also enjoying their new red-zone...
No.3
rai		09:39 PM
12/12/2007
Hagan would be a decent 3rd WR. Welker benefits a lot from playing with Randy Moss and having Tom Brady throwing him the ball....
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